Japanese government urges Toyota to regain consumer trust 

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The Japanese government again on Thursday urged Toyota Motor Corp. to recover consumer confidence after the world's largest automaker announced that it will recall about 34,000 sports-utility vehicles (SUV) globally, including Land Cruiser Prado in Kuwait. "The most important thing is for Toyota to deal the matter sincerely and restore users' trust in its products," Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Masayuki Naoshima told reporters.

In order to address a potential problem with the stability control system, Toyota decided on Monday to recall 13,000 units of Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicles including Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the US, Russia and Canada. It will also recall 21,000 Land Cruiser Prado SUVs sold around the world, which use the same stability control system as the Lexus GX, including Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and France.

The global recall of GX 460 and Prado models after the US magazine Consumer Reports last week issued a "Don't Buy" warning on the 2010 GX 460, saying the vehicle is at risk of rolling over when drivers make turns at high speed. "All Lexus dealers will have the Vehicle Stability Control software update by the end of April. From the moment we heard about this issue, Lexus and our dealers acted quickly to resolve the situation," Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. said in a statement.

Toyota also agreed to pay a record USD 16.4 million fine on Monday for failing to promptly notify US authorities about problems with accelerator pedals in some of its vehicles. The automaker has already recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide, including its top-selling models like the Prius hybrid and the Camry, in connection with loose floor mats and faulty gas pedals and brake problems, which damaged its legendary reputation for quality and reliability