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Once again Toyota vehicle owners were dealt bad news. On August 26, 2010, Toyota announced a recall of more than 1.1 million 2005 through 2008 model Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks over faulty engine-control computers that could cause the vehicles to stall in traffic, according to a recent USA Today news report.

The huge recall Toyota’s 15th in 2010 came just two days after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it was ratcheting up its investigation of the stalling problem. NHTSA said it has received 163 complaints. Toyota blamed the faulty computer, called an electronic control module or ECM for the stalling and said it will replace them in the recalled vehicles. The company said it has three unconfirmed reports of crashes, including one involving an injury.

Owners will be informed of the recall by mail in September and then will get a second letter when dealers have the parts for the repair.

Of all of the 5.8 million cars that Toyota has recalled since January 1, this is the first that involves a problem with the engine computer. Toyota continues to defend the ECM against allegations that it might be at fault in some sudden-acceleration incidents, which have already prompted two huge Toyota recalls for mats that can jam the gas pedal and pedals that can stick open.

Some auto-safety advocates say it raises new doubts about the ECMs.

“If you can get it wrong on stalling, you can get it wrong on unintended acceleration,” says Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety in Washington, D.C.

And Sean Kane of Safety Research & Strategies said the stalling problem is similar to runaway car problems in that the computers don’t always create diagnostic trouble codes that let mechanics or investigators figure out what went wrong. “The heart of the problem is really their inability to detect the problem.”

Toyota has known about the stalling problem for years. It issued four technical service bulletins, the most recent in 2007, telling mechanics about the problem and instructing them to replace the module. But it did not deem the problem to be a safety risk needing a recall.

It was only after extreme temperature tests in which four of 32 units malfunctioned that Toyota decided to voluntarily proceed with the recall, Hanson said. It was found stalling could be due to faulty coating on the module’s circuit boards or a crack in the surface of a glass coating.

Honda Motor Co. said on August 9, 2010 it was recalling more than 384,000 vehicles in the United States because of a defect that could cause the cars to roll away if they are parked incorrectly, according to a recent Reuters news report.

The Honda recall covers Accord, Civic and Element models from the 2003 and 2004 model years in the United States. Honda said that in some situations a part known as the ignition interlock lever could fail.

That device is intended to keep drivers from removing their key from the ignition when the vehicle has not been put in park. If the ignition switch fails, that could allow vehicles to roll away when parked incorrectly, causing accidents.

Honda said it would begin notifying consumers of the recall in September.

The safety recall started with an inquiry from U.S. safety regulators in September 2008.

In early 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration upgraded its inquiry of the potential defect for the 2002 model year Accord, Honda’s best-selling vehicle.

At that time, Honda had received reports of 10 crashes related to the defect. NHTSA said consumers had reported 11 crashes to the safety agency for the same problem.

One woman said she had almost been run over by her car when it was parked in her driveway, accord to NHTSA records.

In early July, Honda and NHTSA representatives met to discuss the situation and on July 29 Honda determined that it had a safety defect with the ignition switch that demanded a recall, according to the records.

Honda had two other recalls for related problems in 2003 and again in 2005, NHTSA records show.

Toyota Motor Corp. is facing hundreds of lawsuits in the United States form vehicle owners or families who suffered personal injuries, wrongful deaths, or suffered financial loss. Since the end of 2009, Toyota has recalled nearly 4 million vehicles in the United States due to sticky gas pedals and floor mat interference, which may causes sudden unexpected acceleration. On July 29, 2010, Toyota announced a new recall involving 373,000 Avalon’s in the U.S. ranging from the 2000 model year through to 2004 and have improper casting of the steering lock bar, a component for the steering system causing cracks to develop on the surface, according to a recent Associated Press news report.

In some cases, the crack can cause the lock bar to break, potentially leading to a crash if the steering wheel locks, the world’s No. 1 automaker by car sales said. No injuries have been reported from the accidents that may be caused by the defect, it said.

Also being recalled in the U.S. are 39,000 Lexus luxury model LX 470s for the 2003-2007 model years because of a steering shaft problem, which is different from the Avalon steering problem, according to Toyota.

Toyota executives have repeatedly vowed to put customers first. But it has been criticized as lagging in its response to quality lapses, and was slapped with a record $16.4 million fine in the United States for responding too slowly when the recall crisis erupted.

Earlier this month, Toyota announced a recall of some 270,000 vehicles, mostly Lexus cars, for engine problems, dealing a further blow to its image because Lexus is its top-end luxury brand.

Owners of Avalon and Lexus cars are being notified next month, being asked to bring in their cars to nearby Toyota and Lexus dealers for a free fix, according to Toyota.