Toyota

WASHINGTON - Toyota is extending nationwide some recall-related services that it was offering to customers only in the state of New York. The added services will be tailored to a customer's needs and can include quick scheduling of repairs, pick up and return of their vehicle by the dealer, driving a customer to work, or providing alternate transportation such as a loaner or rental car. The services will be offered to all Toyota and Lexus owners in...

Attorneys General in Maryland and 29 other states have reached a $29 million settlement with Toyota Motor Corp. designed to strengthen protections for consumers impacted by safety defects and prevent miscommunication over faulty equipment. Toyota had failed to warn consumers in a timely manner about known problems with unintended acceleration caused by sticky accelerator pedals and floor mat pedal entrapment, according to a complaint filed Thursday by the Maryland AG's Consumer Protection Division.

Toyota cast doubt Monday on a California man's claim that his Prius sped out of control, saying the report is inconsistent with the findings of the company's preliminary investigation. Toyota said in a statement that the accelerator pedal was tested and found to be working normally and a backup safety system worked properly. The automaker said the front brakes showed severe wear and damage from overheating, but the rear brakes and parking brake were in good condition. The motorist, James Sikes, said his car raced to 94 mph on a freeway near San Diego last week.

Art Museum Drive Unit block, between 10:15 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. Jan. 30. Garmin GPS stolen from vehicle. North Calvert Street 3200 block at 4:30 a.m. Jan. 29. Garmin GPS, charger, CD, Gatorade, peanuts stolen from unlocked vehicle. Calvin Avenue 400 block, between 10 a.m. and 1:40 p.m. Laptop, camera stolen from resident. Entry gained through front door, possibly by using key. East Cold Spring Lane 500 block at 3:15 p.m. Feb. 1. Stolen blue, 2012 Nissan Altima with Maryland tags 4BPF63 recovered.

The tempest might continue for Toyota's corporate leaders for months if not years to come, but Maryland car dealerships are endeavoring to move on. After a two-week sales shutdown of some of Toyota's top models following the unprecedented recall of more than 8 million vehicles, dealerships are completing repairs and starting to see buyers back in the showrooms. To spur sales, they are offering financing deals and taking steps to reassure consumers. Steve Smeltzer, owner of Jones Junction, a Toyota dealer in Bel Air, said he was pleasantly surprised to sell 20 new Toyotas on Saturday, attributing the sales rebound to intractable loyalty to the brand and to pent-up demand.

Toyota has told dealers it is preparing a plan to repair the brakes on thousands of hybrid Prius cars in the United States. In a message sent Friday night to dealers, a Toyota group vice president, Bob Carter, said the company is working on a plan and will disclose more details early this week. More than 100 drivers of 2010 Prius cars have complained that their brakes seemed to fail momentarily when they were driving on bumpy roads. The U.S. government says the problem is suspected in four crashes and two minor injuries.

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor reported a 32 percent rise in quarterly profit yesterday, continuing a streak of record earnings as the Japanese car company overtakes General Motors as the world's largest automaker. Toyota also said it expects its sales in the all-important North American market to remain as strong as they were last year, despite a sales drop last month and broader concerns of a possible U.S. economic slowdown. Toyota said it saw brisk sales during the April-June quarter in the United States, where high pump prices raised the popularity of high-mileage vehicles like Toyota's Prius, a gasoline-electric hybrid, and RAV4, a small sports utility vehicle.

Attorneys General in Maryland and 29 other states have reached a $29 million settlement with Toyota Motor Corp. designed to strengthen protections for consumers impacted by safety defects and prevent miscommunication over faulty equipment. Toyota had failed to warn consumers in a timely manner about known problems with unintended acceleration caused by sticky accelerator pedals and floor mat pedal entrapment, according to a complaint filed Thursday by the Maryland AG's Consumer Protection Division.

An African-American who was fired from his management trainee job at Central Atlantic Toyota Distributors Inc. has sued the Baltimore-based company for race discrimination.Clint Ramsey, a 27-year-old graduate of Howard University, filed a $10 million suit in Baltimore's federal District Court this week alleging the Japanese-owned company has a "policy, practice and custom of discriminating" against blacks.James Olson, spokesman for Central Atlantic's owner, Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., yesterday called the suit "frivolous."

Toyota Motor Corp. reported an increase in U.S. auto sales in October as General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. posted declines, accelerating the Japanese company's push to become the world's largest carmaker. Toyota, the world's No. 2 automaker by sales behind GM, said yesterday that U.S. consumers bought 1.3 percent more of its cars and trucks in October compared with a year earlier. GM said its U.S. sales fell 22.7 percent in October from a year ago. Ford reported sales down 23 percent.

A 35-year-old Gaithersburg woman died following a car accident Tuesday night in Crofton, according to the Anne Arundel County police department. Angela C. Biggins was driving a 2000 Toyota Corolla northbound on Route 3, when she entered the southbound lanes and struck a 2000 Mercedes head-on at about 8:32 p.m. The accident occurred near the highway's intersection with McKnew Road. The Mercedes ended up in a ditch, and the Toyota spun around and stopped in one of the southbound lanes of Route 3. Biggins was transported to Baltimore Washington Medical Center, where she later died.

In the holiday spirit of giving, grants were doled out today to support environmental causes in Maryland and nationwide. First, the National Environmental Education Foundation announced a $3 million grant from Toyota Motor Sales USA  to help community groups that support parks and other public lands.  The announcement was made at Fort McHenry here in Baltimore, with top federal environmental officials in attendance and students...

Laurel police report felonies, arrests and property crimes. Prince George's County police report violent crimes and property crime. City of Laurel Seventh Street, 900 block, Dec. 3. Laurel man, 36, reported two males grabbed him and ripped his pants pocket. After his wallet fell out, he was dragged down and punched in face before males fled with wallet. Washington Boulevard, 100 block, Dec. 2. Entry gained through door. Money taken. Spring House Lane, 9400 block, Dec. 2. No signs of forced entry.

Art Museum Drive Unit block, between 7:40 and 9:40 p.m. Aug. 16. LCD projector stolen from vehicle. West Belvedere Avenue 2400 block, between 9 and 1 p.m. Aug. 15. Red and black umbrella, cash stolen from metal cabinet in conference room at Sinai Hospital. North Calvert Street 3200 block, between 2:55 and 3:20 p.m. Aug. 15. Two bakcpacks, two laptops, two cellphone chargers among items stolen from vehicle. 2600 block, between 7 and 9 p.m. Aug. 14. Wallet, ID stolen from coffee table at group home, where victim was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

Maryland will play a crucial role in the legal fallout from Toyota vehicle recalls, with the state's public pension fund being chosen to represent the grievances of investors nationwide who blame the Japanese automaker for their financial losses. The Maryland State Retirement and Pension System claims the biggest loss — an estimated $18 million — of any shareholder that vied to be lead plaintiff in the class action lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corp. The system administers retirement and pension benefits for more than 400,000 retirees, beneficiaries and current state employees.

THURSDAY'S TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS AFL Jacksonville@Orlando NFL 8 NASCAR Sprint Cup: Toyota/S.M. 350 prac. SPEED 3 Sprint Cup: Toyota/S.M. 350 qual. SPEED 6:30 Sprint Cup: Toyota/S.M. 350 qual. (T) SPEED 9:30 MLB Washington@Detroit (T) MASN 9 a.m. White Sox@Washington MASN 7 Regional coverage MLB 7 Orioles@San Diego MASN2 10 Minnesota@Philadelphia (T)

The sporty new Paseo is a handsome little coupe. But beauty is only skin deep, and beneath this particular epidermis is the worst Toyota I've ever driven.That's not to say it's a bad automobile. It isn't. But it is a pretty poor effort from an automaker of Toyota's caliber. Driving it is sort of like reading a D-plus paper by a student who usually does A and B work. Its base price is $9,988. The test model price was $12,043.The Paseo is a sporty coupe spinoff on the Tercel, Toyota's econobox.

Toyota's advertising slogan is "Moving Forward." But the company's U.S.-based executives keep moving out. James D. Farley, head of Toyota's Lexus division and a driving force behind the popular Scion brand, has left to run Ford Motor Co.'s global marketing operation, Ford said yesterday. He is the third high-level executive to leave Toyota's North American business since August. Last month, James E. Press, Toyota's top U.S. executive and former head of Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc., quit to take a job at Chrysler, which earlier had hired Deborah Wahl Meyer, then head of marketing for Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand.

Toyota cast doubt Monday on a California man's claim that his Prius sped out of control, saying the report is inconsistent with the findings of the company's preliminary investigation. Toyota said in a statement that the accelerator pedal was tested and found to be working normally and a backup safety system worked properly. The automaker said the front brakes showed severe wear and damage from overheating, but the rear brakes and parking brake were in good condition. The motorist, James Sikes, said his car raced to 94 mph on a freeway near San Diego last week.

The tempest might continue for Toyota's corporate leaders for months if not years to come, but Maryland car dealerships are endeavoring to move on. After a two-week sales shutdown of some of Toyota's top models following the unprecedented recall of more than 8 million vehicles, dealerships are completing repairs and starting to see buyers back in the showrooms. To spur sales, they are offering financing deals and taking steps to reassure consumers. Steve Smeltzer, owner of Jones Junction, a Toyota dealer in Bel Air, said he was pleasantly surprised to sell 20 new Toyotas on Saturday, attributing the sales rebound to intractable loyalty to the brand and to pent-up demand.