Toyota has no plans to extend coverage (mistake?)

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Toyota has no plans to extend coverage

By RICHARD TRUETT | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

AutoWeek | Updated: 02/20/07, 2:16 pm et

CHICAGO - Although Toyota has recalled more than 3.4 million vehicles since 2005, its top U.S. boss, Jim Press, says consumer confidence in the company remains strong.

Press, president of Toyota Motor North America, also said the company is not going to follow Ford Motor Co. and General Motors by strengthening new- or used-vehicle warranties.

"It's something you need as a solution to a problem," Press said this month during the Chicago Auto Show. "It's not something you do because other people do it. Our long-term durability has been real good."

But for a company that has built its reputation on high-quality, long-lasting vehicles, Toyota has had problems of late.

Toyota's latest recall, announced in late January, affects 533,000 light trucks that might have a faulty ball joint.

The recall comes on the heels of a class-action settlement, announced in early January, that covers hefty repair bills for Toyota owners whose engines filled with oil sludge.

Also, Toyota recalled 2.2 million vehicles in 2005 to fix various problems.

GM and Ford boosted their new-car powertrain warranties last fall. Ford's warranty increased from 3 years/36,000 miles to 5 years/60,000 miles; GM boosted its powertrain coverage to 5 years/100,000 miles. And this month, GM said that starting March 5 it will extend powertrain coverage of used vehicles to 5 years/100,000 miles.

Press said no discussions have taken place at Toyota about beefing up warranty coverage.

He said: "We don't have reliability issues that go beyond our normal warranty."