Toyota's Ontario plant delayed over quality concerns

Despite a reputation for quality and reliability, Toyota is no stranger to recalls and production delays. Perhaps such growing pains should be expected given Toyota's meteoric rise to the top of the auto industry. But whatever the cause, the quality control issues are cropping up again, this time in relation to an environmentally friendly painting process for the RAV4 at the Woodstock, Ontario plant.

Already being used successfully at the RAV4 plant in Japan, the method itself is proven, but the Ontario plant's ability to turn out quality examples is apparently not up to par. A delay of several weeks is expected as the plant ramps-up to proper production. Previous recalls and sales hold-ups have been a bit more serious. In 2005, the Japanese maker had to fix defects in 2.3 million U.S. vehicles, according to Canadian publication The Globe and Mail's Report on Business. Last year, Toyota's Australian operations halted sales of V6-equipped RAV4s because of problems with the motor.

Toyota nevertheless remains optimistic about the plant's output, expecting 150,000 vehicles this year. Production of the RAV4 will not commence until October at least, pushed back from the earlier projected start in September of this year.