Toyota

UncleBob

UncleBob

CAGiversary!
Feedback
7 (100%)
I'm surprised there wasn't a Toyota thread on here already...

NPR had a great story on the latest this evening...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128519779

NORRIS: How many data recorders were analyzed? And of those, how many of these accidents were found to have been caused by driver error?

Mr. RAMSEY: Well, we have been saying several dozen, all of them that were -fit the criteria, were found to have the brake not depressed and the accelerator wide open. So 100 percent of the incidents where it fit that criteria, that's what was found.

NORRIS: One hundred percent?

Mr. RAMSEY: Yes.
Click to expand...
 
From what I understand, statistically the amount of suspected sudden acceleration incidents was very low, you were much more likely to be involved in a plain old accident.

It wouldn't really surprise me if most of the suspected sudden acceleration incidents turned out to be driver error.
 
[quote name='IRHari']I notice Toyota did accept responsibility back when it was first being reported on.[/QUOTE]

I don't think they had much of a choice. It was a virtual witch hunt. Could you imagine if Akio Toyoda had shown up and said "Yeah, screw you guys - our cars are safe, you dumb Americans just don't know how to drive." Or, better yet, sent a telegraph to DC instead?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/24/toyota.hearing.updates/index.html
 
This may be a good place to share my father's story. One of the parts on his brand-new Tundra was recalled. The truck is 4 months old or so. No big deal, right, recalls happen all the time? Well, it's been in the shop since the 1st, and they keep moving back the date it's ready because they don't have enough parts to go around for the recall. One part is now due the 18th, another the 21st. Still not a big deal, right, considering everyone needs the parts at once? Well, when my father called and inquired about it, merely asking wtf was taking so long, the service manager hung up on him. That's unacceptable and my dad, who has a short fuse, went nuts. He tried to contact one of the execs of Toyota America by phone and couldn't reach him. Now he is sending a complaint letter to him and other Toyota America and Japan execs, including Akio Toyoda, and the state AG. According to Ohio lemon laws they have until August 1st to give him the car back (30 days) or he is entitled to a full refund. My dad has purchased several Toyota/Lexus cars in the past years after exclusively buying from Detroit and European companies. He is honestly hoping they fuck up and don't give him the car back so he can get the refund and buy a Honda or Ford truck. His story isn't really that bad imo, but it decently illustrates my point.

The major problem with Toyota isn't the sticky accelerator issue, it's the underlying, overarching issues that show the company's got issues. They got complacent with their reputation for high quality and good service and are now stooping to GM/Chrysler levels. The number of recalls have gotten a lot higher recently (a lot of them seem like passing the buck too- remember them saying floor mats were the problem, and then it was something else, and then it was something else? Figure out what the real fucking problem is already.) and their customer service is going down the shitter. Someone at the company needs to realize this and turn it around or else they'll be losing a lot of that reputation. Merely having the CEO get on his knees and apologize isn't enough, we need to see some real results with that as well.
 
On the contrary, the government will fix it. If we just create the Department of Vehicle Oversight, it will only cost a few billion dollars, create a few thousand jobs, and ultimately do nothing but tell car companies what to do until it's inevitably corrupted and paid off by car companies.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']The free market will fix it.

We should do away with lemon laws. That's too much big government for my tastes.[/QUOTE]

From the sounds of it, looks like the Free Market already had this one fixed.

100%. That's a pretty big number.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']If we just create the Department of Vehicle Oversight, it will only cost a few billion dollars, create a few thousand jobs, and ultimately do nothing but tell car companies what to do until it's inevitably corrupted and paid off by car companies.[/QUOTE]

This sounds just like MMS. Except if MMS wasn't corrupt as fuck and actually did their job there would be less problems.
 
Is this article at all relevant? Who knows, it was posted by the Consumerist. But I thought I'd post it anyway because it is the Vs. forum and all.

http://consumerist.com/2010/07/toyota-planted-the-driver-error-story-in-the-wsj.html
The word on the street from NHTSA is that it was Toyota that planted the driver error story.


“
"That story was planted by Toyota," an NHTSA spokeswoman in Washington told just-auto. "Toyota is the source - yes we know that for definite.

"It is [the] Toyota PR machine. We knew they were going to put it out."
Click to expand...

Okay.... I'm not really sure where they're trying to go with this but that's okay.

[quote name='mykevermin']The free market will fix it.

We should do away with lemon laws. That's too much big government for my tastes.[/QUOTE]

If I purchased a new car and it was a lemon, I would damn well want some protection written into law that would ensure I got what I paid for or my money back. Especially for a purchase that costs thousands and thousands of dollars.
 
Consumerist has become very lazy with their reporting. They post a link, and three lines, and fifteen lines of pointless commentary and bad jokes.

http://www.just-auto.com/news/nhtsa_id105109.asp

There's the underlying article.

Reports from the US that driver error was the cause of the vast majority of Toyota's accelerator problems have been dismissed by a key government agency as "planted".

Widespread speculation has centred on initial findings from the US Department of Transportation (DOT), of which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is part, that drivers have been to blame for the unintended acceleration by pressing wrong pedals.

However, the NHTSA, the body responsible for examining the Toyota pedal problems in the US, has firmly rebutted claims the story came from the safety organisation.
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, quality on Consumerist has gone way down lately. Most of the "articles" these days are about self-entitled morons who have no business complaining. I still read it for lulz though.
 
Yup. "I bought this item at best buy, it was defective and they offered me a refund, but I want a replacement and I want it nnnnoooooowwwwww!"
veruca_salt.jpg
 
and this is the beauty of the motorcycle. Not only are they drastically more fuel effecient, but they're (well ok, not all but a vast majority in the 95% realm) completely mechanical and you can't blame a "faulty computer programme" for not applying the brakes when the brake pedal is depressed.
 
[quote name='Quillion']Yup. "I bought this item at best buy, it was defective and they offered me a refund, but I want a replacement and I want it nnnnoooooowwwwww!"
veruca_salt.jpg
[/QUOTE]

This is totally off-topic, but fuck it, it's Vs. Mode. This has to be the worst of those stories I've ever seen on Consumerist. One of the incompetent parents from the article even posts in the comments, trying to defend themselves.

http://consumerist.com/2010/06/if-y...s-from-target-dont-touch-or-look-at-them.html

EDIT: My father's letter caught the attention of the fuckers at Toyota and he already has his car back!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello. I currently work for a major American auto manufacturer (who I won't name) as an engineer. I would never, ever, ever purchase a new or used car made by that manufacturer. Everyone within the company knows that the cars we make are not as good as Toyota's or Honda's. Their approach to quality and design are vastly superior to ours. Even after their recent issues, Toyota is still miles and miles and miles ahead of Chrysler and GM. I mean, have you seen how ugly recent GM cars are? My god, they're horrible.

The real problem is that a lot of the people who are involved with the design of the cars, like the engineers, have been at the company for decades. They only really know how to do things the way they've been done before. Well, that way obviously hasn't worked out. But instead of trying to change anything, you've got these incompetent jackasses who refuse to learn anything new and change their ways. So instead of innovating, they're just rolling out the same shit they've been making for the last 30 years.

Seriously, have you taken a look at the recent issue of Consumer Reports where they go through and rate pretty much every manufacturer? Chrysler and GM are dead last, and Ford isn't that far ahead.
 
My husband used to be an engineer for a Honda supplier and he has seen shit on my Dodge that would never ever get past the design phase. For example, a wire harness right next to a serrated edge. He says this will likely cut the wire harness over time and definitely need repairs done. Such elementary design flaws that any real car engineer wouldn't let happen.
 
^Wow Christ, I thought you were a male all this time. I don't understand how that kind of thing is acceptable, but I'm not surprised. You should've seen my parents old '85 Olds Cutlass Sierra Wagon. :shudders:

There was a tv report (nova or nat geo or something) but they talked about Toyota's "problems" and in a nutshell they pulled a "GM"... They wanted to be the biggest car company in the world so that meant cutting corners (whether they knew it or not) and so that's why you have these current "problems". Most notably they were talking about the acceleration. So lets review... Wasn't the Mats, wasn't the pedals (since they couldn't replicate it too), Pedals are "drive by wire" (not connected physically with a tight wire between the pedal and engine) and, finally... you got computers (hopefully not run by micro$hit, yes... joking). What does that deduct too... ???? Software issue! Ding Ding!

Assuming it isn't driver error...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top