P.M.NEWS Investigation: Auto firms never recall defective cars in Nigeria

a toyota camry- also a target

a toyota camry car: part of the cars recalled


Daniels Ekugo

Today’s announcement by Toyota Japan to recall about 6.39 million vehicles worldwide is causing anxiety among motorists worldwide, while in Nigeria, automobile owners wonder why the representatives of Toyota, Ford and others never recall their vehicles in use in Nigeria.

Toyota, considered a leader in quality and customer satisfaction in the global automotive industry, now faces the largest recall in the history of the automotive industry as a total of 27 models sold around the world are affected by various mechanical and electronic issues, prompting their second-largest recall in the automaker’s history. Among the cars affected in the latest recall are Yaris, Camry and RAV4, all in popular use in Nigeria.

Recently, Ford recalled about 434,000 vehicles comprising 385,750 Escape compact SUVs and 48,950 models of 2013-2014 Fusion and C-MAX vehicles to replace seat-back frames that did not comply with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards as rust could cause the vehicle’s subframe and lower control arm to separate, potentially diminishing steering control.

General Motors also recalled more than 1.5 million vehicles because they may unexpectedly lose power steering, the company stated. This brings to 6.26 million the number of vehicles recalled by GM since the start of this year. And BMW has also had cause to recall their brands worldwide.

a toyota camry car: part of the cars recalled
a toyota camry car: part of the cars recalled

In spite of these massive recalls, some dealers and owners of these cars in Nigeria feigned ignorance of the recalls when P.M.NEWS sought their opinions Wednesday.

In a reply to a mail sent to Toyota Nigeria Limited, a representative of the firm denied any recall from the Nigerian market.

“Mail duly received. Please specify the reason for the recall of the cars you are referring to as I am not aware of any recall in Nigeria as per vehicles brought in by Toyota (Nigeria) Limited,” the representative who responded to the mail said and declined to disclose his identity.

Also responding to mail sent to them, Maja of Ford Sub Saharan Africa, said “Can you clarify which vehicles you are referring to? Obviously recalls are handled according to what the issue with the product is, so there isn’t really a blanket statement we can make. If you can clarify what you are referring to we could look at formulating a specific response.”

Funmi Lawuyi, of Weststar Associates, distributors of Jeep, Mercedes Benz and Chrysler range of vehicles, said: “Only recently in the United States of America (Forbes), Mercedes-Benz was rated number one in terms of the brand with the lowest cases of technical recalls. However, we do have a process in place for our Mercedes-Benz, as well as our Chrysler range of products, in the event of such a situation. This necessitates a timely announcement to our customers who are affected, and contacting them individually from our regularly updated customer data-base. The said process involves efficient team work between our Dealers, Sales and After-Sales departments to ultimately ensure our customers are kept happy and loyal.”.

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According to a Jabez Aina Scott, publisher of Onwheels magazine, “the Toyota recall can be considered a result of the rising pressures and ever growing complexity in vehicle production that automotive companies face to become market leaders in today’s economy. For example, to maintain the number one position in the automotive industry now requires that the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) brings to market new vehicles that come with style and advanced technology every 12 to 15 months. This competitive environment has created numerous challenges: shorter development time, rising cost pressures and mounting demands for reliable, high quality products. Furthermore, the increasing electronic content of vehicles, technological innovation and escalating competition amongst OEMs, coupled with strict safety and environmental regulations imposed by governments, has considerably added to this vehicle production complexity.”

Ken Egbas, a Public Relations Officer said: “I use a Chevrolet, Peugeot 307 and Toyota. The representatives here are totally incompetent. They are more interested in sales figures than maintenance. Three years ago I bought a Peugeot 307 brand new through SCOA. Six months after, I had a series maintenance issues. I doubt if the people they hire as maintenance people actually know how to handle the complexities of these cars. Today, I am looking to get rid of the car because of the huge expenses I have incurred annually. None of them has ever called out to consumers in times like this.”

Segun Adio, a journalist said “though I drive the Infinity Q30, I think the representatives of different auto brands in Nigeria do not do enough to help facilitate their repairs in Nigeria. The Federal Government must rise to the occasion by instituting legislation to address the atitude of the operators.

A car dealer in Omole area of Lagos was dumbfounded when he was confronted with the fact that Toyota has recalled some brands of the automobile in some parts of the world. To the 52-year-old man, the issue of recall has neither affected his turnover rate nor reduced the number of his customers.

He said, “I’ve just heard this recall story from you. My supplier has not informed me of recall of any Toyota brand lately. I took delivery of some units of Toyota last week and none of my customers complained of a defect in them.”

A car dealer in Aguda area of Lagos, simply identified as KOB, told our correspondent that he was not aware that Toyota or Ford recalled some of its brands.

According to him, he has nothing to worry about since his supplier did not import brands from Japan and the United States.
Oscar Ifeanyichukwu of Triple H Connection, a fleet user, however, told P.M.NEWS that the recall will definitely affect Nigeria.

He said: “Toyota Nigeria does import from Japan or wherever and hence this global recall will surely affect Toyota brands in the country. I think Toyota Nigeria should start an awareness campaign that has been lacking.”

Jide Olaitan furiously asked: “are they (Toyota) really the world leading car manufacturer, if they have so many car recalls?”

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