Toyota

A total of 13 million vehicles across the world have been recalled after car manufactures admitted defects during production.

The latest manufacturer to announce a recall is General Motors (GM), which wants to check 1.3 million cars.

This latest action is likely to have a negative effect on the brand identity of the car manufacturers.  The car industry is facing cut-backs as sales continue to fall.  It is feared the timing of the recalls will reduce consumer confidence in the carmakers and hit sales.

The world's best-selling car, the Toyota Corolla, could be recalled over a possible power-steering problem.  The company has yet to make an announcement.

Toyota has already recalled 8.5 million cars worldwide, 180,000 of those in the UK.  There are concerns about the floor mats trapping accelerators and sticky pedals becoming slow to respond.

The Corolla has not been sold in the UK since early 2007, when the Auris model took over.