**FILE** 2009 Toyota Corolla XLETOKYO | Could the Corolla be next?
Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it's looking into complaints of power-steering problems with its popular compact car and is considering a recall as one option. That would be another blow to the world's largest automaker, already grappling with a spate of safety lapses ranging from sticking gas pedals to braking problems.
President Akio Toyoda also said he's not going to Washington to appear at congressional hearings next week, preferring to leave that to his U.S.-based executives while he focuses on beefing up quality controls, though he would consider attending if invited.
"We are sending the best people to the hearing, and I hope to back up the efforts from headquarters," Mr. Toyoda told journalists at his third news conference in two weeks.
Mr. Toyoda promised a backup safety system in all future models worldwide that will override the accelerator if the gas and brake pedals are pressed at the same time. Acceleration problems are behind the bulk of the automaker's recalls of 8.5 million vehicles since November.
But Toyota's woes could spread.
The executive in charge of quality control, Shinichi Sasaki, said the company is examining fewer than 100 complaints about power steering in the Corolla, one of its best-selling models.
Mr. Sasaki said drivers may have felt as though they were losing control over the steering, but it was not clear why. He mentioned problems with the braking system or tires as possible underlying causes of the steering problem. U.S. officials also are investigating the complaints.
Mr. Sasaki stressed that the company's internal investigation was preliminary and no decision had been made, but he said the company was prepared to supply fixes, including a recall as one possibility, if it find defects.
The company is putting customers first in a renewed effort to salvage its reputation and will do whatever is necessary, Mr. Sasaki said. Toyota sold nearly 1.3 million Corollas worldwide last year.
By Jeannine Aversa - Associated Press
updated 47 minutes ago
The recovery lost momentum in the spring as growth slowed to a 2.4 percent pace, its most sluggish showing in nearly a year and too weak to drive down unemployment. Published 8:33 a.m. July 30, 2010
By Sean Lengell - The Washington Times
The House ethics committee officially lodged charges against Rep. Charles B. Rangel, including that he used his office to raise $8 million for a college public policy center named after him and didn't file taxes while he was Congress' chief tax writer. Published 8:56 p.m. July 29, 2010
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