@Risk

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In the videoclip above, Matt Lauer from NBC’s Today Show interviews Jim Lentz, president and Chief Operating Officer, Toyota Motor Sales. Recorded earlier this morning, this is Lentz’s first interview since the troubled automaker has recalled nearly nine million cars worldwide because of sudden unintended acceleration problems.

Lentz says that the unintended acceleration stems from either:  1) entrapment of the gas pedal in the floor mat (an older problem that has been addressed with redesign of components), or 2) a sticking accelerator pedal (the newer, more serious, concern).

What role does supplier collaboration play in this recall crisis? Some say Toyota’s celebrated supplier collaboration strategies –and its legendary quality –have suffered from fierce global competition, cost-cutting, and rapid expansion. Others contend that the unintended acceleration may be the result of a deeper manufacturing problem that’s independent of the pedal itself.

Lentz denies that the quality/safety culture at Toyota has changed. The company’s quick and comprehensive response to find an accelerator pedal fix is proof of that, he says.

And, as you would expect, CTS Corporation, the pedal supplier, is busy with its own version of crisis control. The company has issued a statement saying Toyota is a “small, but important” customer, accounting for only three percent of its annual sales. And that: “The products we supply to Toyota, including the pedals covered by the recent recall, have been manufactured to Toyota’s design specifications.”

Today, Toyota announced that it will begin fixing accelerator pedals in recalled vehicles this week.

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive,” says  Lentz, in a press release.  “We deeply regret the concern that our recalls have caused for our customers and we are doing everything we can – as fast as we can – to make things right.  Stopping production is never an easy decision, but we are 100% confident it was the right decision.  We know what’s causing the sticking accelerator pedals, and we know what we have to do to fix it.  We also know it is most important to fix this problem in the cars on the road.”