Toyota Motor Corporation’s response to the 2010 recal

Toyota Motor Corporation's reaction to the 2010 recall was appropriate, as it displayed an apologetic speech delivered by Aki Toyoda on the front page of their official website for several months, indicating their remorse over the entire incident. Toyota spokesmen constantly bombarded the media with messages of comfort during the crisis. Scott Deyager, the company's social media coordinator, posted on Twitter and Facebook around the clock to keep the public informed of any developments (Connor 2010). During the crisis, the company also expanded its online newsroom to manage the massive surge in unique visitors. The Toyota official website was jam-packed with information concerning the recall.The company’s call center worked non-stop to address all customers who had any inquiries. Toyota tasked its internal communications team and firms to assist in mitigating the crisis which was putting its reputation at risk. Toyota’s environmental, safety and quality communications manager, Brian Lyons, was tasked with responding to all the media’s queries (Piotrowski and Guyette 2010). Toyota recruited roster agencies including GolinHarris, Powell Täte, and Robinson Lerer & Montgomery that helped them handle the crisis. They employed the services of Glover Park Group and Quinn Gillespie and associates from Washington to handle the questions asked by the Congress. Furthermore, the company’s Washington office strengthened its communications, government relations, and compliance campaign to ensure it provided timely, transactional information to lawmakers. Mike Michels, the Vice President of Communication stated through an email that Toyota Motor Sales USA had stopped all sales and production (Piotrowski and Guyette 2010). Since the Toyota 2010 recalls, the company has changed its motto to “Moving Forward!” to let the public know that they wish to have a fresh start and hope for a better future.

Works Cited

Connor, Michael. "Toyota recall: Five critical lessons." Business Ethics 31 (2010).

Piotrowski, Chris, and Roger W. Guyette Jr. "Toyota recall crisis: Public attitudes on leadership and ethics." Organization Development Journal 28.2 (2010): 89.