Early this month, Toyota recalled 885,000 cars in the U.S as a result of a design flaw that allow spider webs to trigger the airbags’ inflation.
One of the world’s biggest auto manufacturers recalled almost a million cars because of some spider webs?!? Ironically, Toyota is known as the company that makes the most reliable cars.
It is not the first time Toyota needs to mass recall its products. There were many incidents that forced this Japanese car maker to call back its vehicles. Some were due to its malfunctioning airbags, while some were because of mechanical sticking of the accelerator pedal causing unintended acceleration.
How does Toyota’s little brother, Lexus, remains trouble free throughout the years?
Toyota is ranked third in global automating with around 7.9 million vehicles in 2012. In order to produce almost 8 million cars a year, the auto manufacturer established factories in U.S to better accommodate its needs. All those problems are the result of mass production and poor long distance management. On the other hand, all Lexus models are imported from Japan, and are build with extreme care and precision. With slower production rate, workers are able to pay closer attention to the the product and spot any faults before the vehicle leaves the factory.
“Toyota recalls almost a million cars because SPIDER WEBS could trigger air bags to inflate and cause drivers to lose control.” Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2473113/Toyota-recalls-million-cars-SPIDER-WEBS-trigger-air-bags-inflate-cause-drivers-lose-control.html>.
“G.M. Regains the Top Spot in Global Automaking.” The New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/business/gm-back-on-top-in-world-automaking.html?_r=2&hp&>.