Communications Expert Calls Toyota's Recall 'The Worst-Handled Auto Recall In History'

newsweek.com:

If you Google Toyota, among the first things that pop up is an ad slugged "Toyota Recall News." That's accompanied by links to Toyota.com and a Web site about the new Prius. With just a few more clicks, you'll find hundreds of news reports that the car company's faulty accelerators have been linked to 19 deaths.

Read the whole story: newsweek.com

Comments

[PSM42]

05:06 AM on 02/06/2010

STINKING FISH

US SUVs ROLLOVER CRASHES KILL HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN THIRTY YEARS

VS TOYOTA - SIX?

As usual, lobbying and the buying of Congress has ensured that US SUVs do not meet known safety improvements to save lives in rollover crashes, costing tens of thousands of lives in thirty years. Possibly hundreds of thousands of lives. See below -

"Explosive SUV Sales Propelling Rollover Crisis"

"The death toll from roof crush alone now totals some 7,000 peoplea year— meaning that tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people haveunnecessarily died over the past three decades from this flimsy standard, and the lack ofprotection that it offers occupants in an actual rollover crash."

APPENDIX A - SUV SALES EXPLOSION INCREASES NUMBER OF ROLLOVERS, WHILE MAJOR ROLLOVER RISKS REMAIN UNADDRESSED - http://www.citizen.org/documents/appx_A-F.pdf

THE 'ATTACK TOYOTA' STORY STINKS
Why are we hearing about Toyota's problems now? Wag the Dog cover for Neocon skulduggery elsewhere?

WAG THE DOG
In 2003, 23 Americans died by terrorism worldwide. 60 died by bee sting. $3T (T as in Trillion) was spent on the War of Terror against brown people in five years Or roughly $26B (B as in Billion) per life lost to terrorism. So perhaps something else was going on. Like the Neocons and their defense contractor pals getting filthy rich, instead of saving lives.

[dukeitout]

09:57 PM on 02/04/2010

Dear Mr Toyota: May I extend the sincere sympathy of the entire General Motors family. We do hope you fix these problems eventually. Although they are serious and probably dangerous for the occupants of your wonderful automobile, I know you will do a bang-up job in incorporating the several fixes needed. Remember patience is a virtue. Rome wasn't built in a day---or even a year for that matter. Take your time. Again, we extend our profound sympathy.

[ttd7681]

05:37 PM on 02/04/2010

To comment on Vippy, I am sure that GM going into the Black would aid the Toyota recovery. I think people have to "man up" and accept the fact that the company had a recall. So what, no automobile maker is perfect and if you are brainwashed to believe they are I am truly sorry for you.

As far as the rumors of a "government coverup" I've seen posted from others to put Toyota out of business, I'm sure the Japanese wouldn't have responded to these allegations by now. Considering the fact that the far east is carrying billions of dollars of American debt I highly doubt they would let the American government bend Toyota over and screw them without putting up a fight. Face it, their cars had an issue, they'll fix it and move on, it happens.

[hollerin]

04:34 PM on 02/04/2010

Toyota and Akio Toyoda really have handled the company's recalls and PR amazingly poorly, particularly for a company that claims to be so focused on safety and reliability. A CarGurus blogger wrote a speech he'd like to hear Toyoda give that he thinks would be a much better response, which is a great read:

http://www.cargurus.com/blog/2010/02/04/the-speech-we-want-to-hear-akio-toyoda-make

[vippy]

12:47 PM on 02/04/2010

Once again, mass hysteria at its best!

[menlopian]

10:03 AM on 02/04/2010

I've had the floor mat of my non-Toyota car slide on to the accelerator... had to hold on the brake until i could reach down and pull the mat back. this is not just a Toyota issue. I am curious how much of this Toyota FUD is originating from Detroit.

[vippy]

12:38 PM on 02/04/2010

I have been saying this all along and I am getting attacked. We only have to remember the shady deal with the Firestone Recall, which was based on people who had no tread left on their tires and that prompted the recall. If it was an accelerator problem, like the Audi, a few years back, then a lot more people would have had accidents. I call this a hype, overreaction and I hope GM now is going into the black! Of course, we have plenty of people wanting something for FREE! Maybe all Republicans LOL.

[steelmill]

12:46 AM on 02/05/2010

You two are in your own little worlds

[ParacelsusTheophrastus]

09:03 AM on 02/04/2010

I have a recalled vehicle and they still have not told me or given me any option about what to do. The dealer doesn't answer the phone. Not to mention that they don't even seem to know what is even wrong. I do NOT want the car but I want my trade in money back.

[Balzac]

01:59 AM on 02/04/2010

Toyota made a mistake in allowing cars branded with the trusted Toyota brand to use components from a manufacturer which did not have a commitment to quality.

Engineered parts need to have a combination of low tolerance for imperfections in manufacturing, sufficient clearance where friction could become a problem due to wear, design principles which anticipate this kind of problem with a component, and finally, a design which fails gracefully when mechanical failure occurs. Ideally, in failure, the accelerator pedal should become impossible to engage, not impossible to disengage.

This means Toyota may need a shake-up at the top to return to their strict standards, and not to dissolve their brand by relying on a manufacturer which is not Toyota for a component so critical. Toyota's reputation for quality control has taken a hit.

"The CTS Corporation, the Indiana-based automotive supplier that makes the gas-pedal assembly at the center of Toyota’s “stop sale” order and recall announcements this week, also produces assemblies for other manufacturers, including Honda and Ford."

http://bit.ly/9vJycs

[TheIndependenceParty]

08:55 AM on 02/04/2010

If I recall correctly, ... it was CTS that manufactured certain components for Cordis pacemakers in the 1970's and 1980's. They were all subject to recall, ... causing untold hardship for patients and resulting in the demise of that company, for which I sold at the time. Cordis was second in the world to Medtronic at the time, and its CEO, Norm Weldon, had come to Cordis from CTS.

http://www.answers.com/topic/cordis-corporation

[roudy]

01:13 AM on 02/04/2010

Ah yes, the cars with the little mexican sombreros on the front. If you see the little hat coming up fast in the rear view mirror, might want to slide over a bit.

[confuseddemocrat]

12:39 AM on 02/04/2010

As a toyota owner I am extremely cocerned about the behavior of toyota

But what is the most disturbing is how the extreme right is willingto politicize this problem and suggest that the Obama administration is attempting to destroy Toyota in order to help GM.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201002010033

This type of behavior is reckless because it has the potential of convincing some gullible persons to ignore the warnings and have their cars fixed..which in turn can endanger their lives as well as other innocent drivers and their families

I can't believe how low the GOP and its propaganda arm will go just to stoke anti-Obama sentiments

To think they would put short-term political gain over saving American lives............

[ttd7681]

11:07 PM on 02/03/2010

As far as purchasing foreign over domestic, I understand that a large portion of foreign cars are produced in the US, however, your payments are still going overseas. We sit facing a fleeting economy and ship a large portion of our paychecks to the hands of foreign countries for their automobiles. As Americans we sit and complain about our economy yet spit on the American badged car makers. Few of us care to remember that without those domestic brands millions of Americans from the dawn of the automobile on would have been stuck in low pay, long hour positions. Families, widows who now live comfortably because their husbands were able to support them as a result of the domestic brand jobs are now dropping from domestic brands left and right because of recalls from the past. Even though these companies were always on the side of the working family throughout the ages none of us have the gull to support them when they are troubled. However, we will complain that purchasing a $3 pair of socks from Wal-Mart is a tragedy because it is robbing "Main Street" America of its hard earned income, never mind your $500 monthly car payment.
As for my credentials I have worked for both American and Foreign dealerships and am currently employed by a major auto insurance company, I've dealt with just about every type of vehicle one can imagine.

[TheIndependenceParty]

09:00 AM on 02/04/2010

After years of replacing brake cylinders on two Ford Tauruses and transmissions in Chrysler and Ford mini-vans, ... I had enough. We switched to Subarus. My current car, a Forrester, is three and a half years old, ... and has had wiper blades replaced and nothing else. We've had four, ... and that's the experience with all of them. When Detroit meets or exceeds that level of quality, ... I'll switch back.

That my friend is the issue!

[vippy]

12:45 PM on 02/04/2010

Over a lifetime I drove many cars and from all kinds of manufacturers, domestic and foreign. In the 1970s the American Cars were the worst up until the late 1980s. I remember it even leaked through the windows, a Chevy Nova.. I had to drive around with a bucket on the passenger seat in my Javelin. The 1977 Grand Prix had a lot of rubber stuck into the door frame because the design was so bad.
When I bought my 1994 Camaro I kept it for 160,000 miles and 16 years and never had a bit of a problem. Currently, I have a 2209 SE350 Mercedes, a 2008 RAV4, a 1986 Silverado and 1994 Camaro, and happy with all of them, except for the gas mileage. My next one will have to get better gas mileage and I don't know what that will be yet.

[ttd7681]

11:07 PM on 02/03/2010

First off, I would like to apologize for those faced with this recall. Whether you purchase domestic brands of foreign names no one should be forced to deal with the uncertainty of issues such as these.

As far as comments I've read I would like to make a few points. In regards to union labor many who are commenting have no idea what they are posting here. Union labor does not design the pedal mechanism / choose the pedal supplier, that is a Toyota management decision. If this were the case I would like to know why we are now seeing Prius recall investigation, a vehicle built solely overseas...are we exporting our union labor??? Without Unions that brought about things such as employer enacted health care and other benefits which non union employers adopted to stay competitive providing us with the system we have in place today we would have nothing.

[llmitchellb]

10:45 PM on 02/03/2010

I see a lot of people writing that it's only a few cars and the chances are slim. I worked for a Children's Hospital. People would ask the chances for their child. Our doctors would say that they would work so hard on your child that he would have 100% chance to live.

If I own a Toyota the chances are slim, unless it's my accelerator - then it's 100%.

They know this is a serious problem or they never would have done this recall. Don't you know they ran the numbers a million times before doing this? There had to be no good options other than the recall or they would have taken it.

[llmitchellb]

10:37 PM on 02/03/2010

Ford. Pinto? Waited for cars - lots of them to blow up before recall.

[Cinderpath]

10:49 PM on 02/03/2010

"Ford. Pinto? Waited for cars - lots of them to blow up before recall."

Let's see here, Ford Pinto, one model 1973, Toyota- forced to recall by US Government, (Toyota did not do this voluntarily) millions of vehicles in several countries in 2010, first its the floor mat, now its the gas peddle, its not the software, it might be the software.

Sorry I love my new American built Ford....

[ChickenLips]

01:02 AM on 02/04/2010

Ford's lawyers and financial managers decided that it was cheaper to pay a few wrongful death lawsuits than to recall the Pinto. Look it up. They got busted eventually.

Maybe the clowns at Toyota thought the same thing? Now it's going to cost them customer loyalty and a diminished brand image. That's detrimental in today's economy where global reputation is everything with all the competition available. There was no real competition for American carmakers in the 70s.

[liberalbug]

08:51 PM on 02/03/2010

This whole thing is manufactured by the US Government to get its money back from GM and Chrysler, really, I mean it, it's a conspiracy on the highest level, I tell you! Toyota tanks and we all start buying crappy american minvans and SUVs again. We get to feel all patriotic and fuzzy, the government and the taxpayers get paid back, and the unions put detroit back to work. Way to go USA!

[bluejoni2525]

09:08 PM on 02/03/2010

So you h8 America I see !! The people that D.IED are part of the" conspiracy" too ???

[Denemator]

10:03 PM on 02/03/2010

calls himself liberal bug, maybe stu.pid is more apt

[spiritpony1]

10:12 PM on 02/03/2010

whether he is over the top or not, there is a massive amount of ignorance and hysteria around this-----the actual #'s of plagued vehicles may be relatively small, and were likely built NOT in Japan, but in US---------of course, there should be NONE w/ the problem, but we all know there is always product issues (look at the American cars)----and, obviously, it needs to be very clearly investigated-----sans hysteria------a lot of us see something pretty fishy about this whole thing, however that may play out-----and, the sneaky Toyota board handled it badly, making things worse. Many of us have owned Toyotas for decades w/o problems--------hopefully the wrongs will be righted and the truth come out----wherever the chips fall

[AZdesertdog]

09:25 PM on 02/03/2010

um, if we were after a conspiracy like you are suggesting, why have the likes of Nissan, Honda, Infiniti, Acura, Kia, Hyundai, and Subaru escaped? could it be because the other companies test their cars (and operating systems) on real cars on real roads, as opposed to Toyota's decision that virtual testing on a computer was just as good as real world use?

what size tin foil hat do you wear?