Toyota

OGDEN -- Kevin Roner looked on knowingly as his automotive students puzzled over their Weber State instructor's latest acts of sabotage.

"I changed something in the ignition systems so they won't work," Roner explained. "I used to work as a master technician at a Toyota dealership, so I know these are problems they will need to solve in the real world."

Weber State University's Department of Automotive Technology and the Technician Training and Education Network (T-TEN) program recently aced the T-TEN validation. The T-TEN program is a two-year degree program with a focus on Toyota and Lexus service technology.

TOKYO  — Toyota's global car production, disrupted by parts shortages from Japan's earthquake and tsunami, won't return to normal until November or December — imperiling its spot as the world's top-selling automaker.

LOS ANGELES -- Federal safety regulators are looking into reports that the 2006 model year Toyota Highlander hybrid SUV is prone to stalling.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has received 32 complaints from drivers alleging incidents of the vehicle stalling unexpectedly. About two-thirds of the incidents occurred at speeds of 40 mph or more.

It was a bumpy ride for automakers on Wednesday, as industry giants Ford and Toyota each announced widespread recalls on popular vehicles.

The Ford Motor Co. recalled more than 400,000 Windstar minivans in cold-weather states - including Utah - to fix brackets and mounts that could separate from the vehicle's subframe and cause a driver to lose control.

The recall, the latest quality issue to afflict older Windstars, covered 425,288 minivans from the 1999-2003 model years sold or registered in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Ford said there had been seven crashes and five minor injuries connected to the recall.

LOS ANGELES -- In a tactical shift, lawyers suing Toyota Motor Corp. over sudden acceleration are building their cases around the automaker's resistance to installing a brake system that they say would have prevented deaths and injuries.

The emerging legal strategy is centered on Toyota's slow adoption of brake override systems, which attorneys say is the automaker's single biggest vulnerability as it defends itself against more than 100 lawsuits in state and federal courts.