We have designed effective procedures so that when a customer encounters a problem, we can assess the issue and put things right, with least inconvenience caused for our customers.

Our quality offices around the world check on our performance and seek ways of doing things better. Our “customer first” philosophy is a part of Toyota DNA and means we always listen to what our customers have to say and use their opinions and experiences to make improvements.

Since 2010 we have carried out a worldwide re-organisation of the way we work to maintain and improve the quality of our products and our service to customers.

In response to a series of major concerns about Toyota’s vehicle quality, we introduced new systems and a new business structure to ensure that we focus

effectively on improving quality, and respond promptly and with openness to any issues that occur. Throughout, we take care to understand the situation from the point of view of the customer.

We have designed a step-by-step method to ensure any problems with our vehicles are identified and remedied as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

Called Early Detection and Early Resolution, it is our global process for checking, assessing and rectifying any problem reported by a customer. The information and details of any remedial actions are shared, so that any recurrence can be prevented, or promptly rectified.

Our EDER mission is to minimise customer inconvenience, while solving any problem within the shortest lead time and taking action to prevent an issue from spreading further or becoming more serious.

We have created a network of regional Customer Quality (CQ) offices that serve as an important tier in our co-ordination of worldwide quality control, forming a link between the leadership provided by our Global Headquarters and the local quality activities carried out in individual national and regional markets.

In Europe the CQ office is located in Brussels. The CQ offices’ mission is to ensure that the different parts of our business work together to maintain and constantly improve quality, operating with transparency, taking prompt action and being committed to listening to the customers’ voice and understanding the customers’ point of view.

When we discover an issue that might compromise the safety of customers, we will immediately take the necessary steps to correct the matter.

The actions we take will be the subject of a vehicle recall.

The owners of all the vehicles affected will be contacted and the repairs or adjustments we make to their vehicle will be carried out at no cost to the customer.

In every aspect of our work, including our vehicle dealerships, we make great efforts to build and maintain good relationships with our customers, and everyone in our workforce keeps the “customer first” policy in mind when doing their job.

This helps build trust and mutual respect and ensures that we remain aware of their opinions and preferences, helping us design and produce ever-better vehicles.

We make sure that the insights we gain from listening to our customers are quickly shared among all the relevant parts of our business.

This intelligence-gathering and analysis of customer feedback helps us with planning new products, raising quality standards and improving the way we work and the services we provide.

In this way the “voice of the customer” remains a fundamental part of our business.