Toyota's 2010 Camry Added to Recall List
Updated at 6:40 a.m. Eastern.
Toyota said Tuesday it is recalling about 7,300 of its 2010 Camrys to check a power-steering hose that may come into contact with a brake tube.
The automaker's announcement regarding the Camry, Toyota's most popular model in the U.S. market, came on the same day they told owners of the newest generation Prius hybrid that there cars were being recalled due to a programming problem with the antilock braking system.
Toyota told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the brake hose issue was discovered during a routine inspection and that no accidents have been attributed to the possible fault to date.
The contact could create a hole in the tube, leading to loss of brake fluid and longer stopping distances, Toyota said. Federal safety officials also said they are examining complaints from Toyota Corolla owners about steering problems.
Owners of the 2010 Camry can expect letters from the beleaguered automaker in March, asking them to bring their cars in for a free repair.
In public, Toyota is running apologetic TV ads and vowing to win back customers' trust. Behind the scenes, the besieged carmaker is trying to learn all it can about congressional investigations, maybe even steer them if it can.
It's part of an all-out drive by the world's biggest auto manufacturer to redeem its once unassailable brand - hit anew on Tuesday as Toyota's global recall ballooned to 8.5 million cars and trucks. The day's safety recall of 440,000 of its flagship Prius and other hybrids, plus a Tokyo news conference where the company's president read a statement in English pledging to "regain the confidence of our customers."
But CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds says some critics maintain Toyota has a history of foot-dragging when it comes to addressing concerns.
"Now it's coming home to roost, because there is just too much consumer complaint and the DOT is finally beginning to dig in," Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator, told CBS News.
Reynolds reports that Toyota's new car sales and used car values are plummeting. The price of the Prius is said to have lost $1,500 during the week the brake problems were reported.
"Toyota took the position that it could delay and defer and not deal with these issues. It would be cheaper to do it that way. And, in fact, it's cost them so much more," said Claybrook.
Also Tuesday, Honda Motor Co. added more than 378,000 cars to its existing safety recall for air bag inflation problems.
Honda will replace the driver's side air bag inflator on the cars because they can deploy with too much pressure, causing the inflator casing to rupture and injure or kill the driver.