Toyota offering refunds to customers

Tony Van Alphen

BUSINESS REPORTER

Toyota Canada says the automaker will reimburse customers for earlier work on problems that it couldn't resolve until recent safety recalls.

A Toyota spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday that the automaker would refund customers for inspections and any work dealerships performed in the past involving complaints such as sticking accelerators and slow-responding brakes.

"Customers impacted by the campaign can go back to the dealer and be refunded," said Sandy Di Felice, Toyota's director of external affairs.

Toyota has issued recall notices to the owners of about 755,000 cars and trucks in Canada to correct various problems since late November. That number includes a "voluntary safety improvement campaign" for floor mat adjustments to avoid any pinning against accelerator pedals.

Di Felice said customers would not need receipts or bills because Toyota keeps records of any work it charges for.

However, she noted that Toyota has rejected requests for refunds when customers have sought them for problems that are not related to the recalls, such as regularly scheduled maintenance.

Toyota customers have expressed frustration in recent months with dealership responses to their concerns before the company issued recalls.

Other automakers have policies and guidelines relating to how they deal with requests for refunds on inspections and work that eventually leads to related recalls.

"Any such concerns will be addressed on an individual basis with the customer based upon their specific circumstance and the repair documentation provided for review," said Tony LaRocca, communications director for General Motors of Canada.

At Chrysler Canada, spokeswoman Mary Gauthier said the company would not comment on "theoretical situations."

"Our policy is to fix any issues when the customer first comes in the dealership," Gauthier noted.

"We have invested heavily in service technician training to ensure any issues are found and fixed quickly."

Toyota is in the process of recalling 8.5 million vehicles around the world to resolve safety issues.

Executives have apologized to customers and faced extensive grilling by a U.S. congressional panel over the company's handling of customer concerns.

In Ottawa, the House of Commons transport, infrastructure and communities committee will question Transport Canada officials on Thursday about how they dealt with complaints of problems with Toyota vehicles, according to a spokesman for Transport Minister John Baird.

Executives from Toyota will appear before the committee next Tuesday.

Legal firms have hit Toyota with several dozen class-action lawsuits in Canada and the U.S., on behalf of motorists claiming the recalls have caused a deterioration in the value of their vehicles.

After a review of cases, legal precedents and interviews with experts, the Associated Press news agency estimated that the lawsuits could cost Toyota more than $3 billion (U.S.).

That estimate does not include potential payouts for lawsuits involving allegations of wrongful death and injury.

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