Quality Weenie

Toyota Pointing Finger At Customers

I really didn't think Toyota would be pointing the finger back at it's customers so quickly, but I was wrong.

The supplier says a fix is in the works, they are claiming it's the gas pedel but that doesn't really sit well with my quality super powers.

The supplier is also saying that Toyota says it's the customers fault for the gas pedel sticking.

Vinod M. Khilnani, the chief executive of CTS, said in an investor call that "we are working diligently and collaboratively with Toyota to find a field fix and to put additional capacity in place to manufacture the new pedal and support the recall."

Khilnani said the problem was due to pedals that are slow to depress or release when drivers try to accelerate or slow down. He said the only cases when the pedals could get stuck was when they were used in conditions that go "beyond Toyota specifications." Khilnani did not elaborate what those conditions are.

Get that, it's not Toyota's fault that it's customers are using their gas pedels under conditions that go beyond Toyota specifications. I am curious as to what other ways you can use a gas pedel that Toyota deems beyond their specifiications.

Oh and they are adding an additional 1 million U.S. vehicles to the recall.

Toyota Motor Corp. also announced an additional recall of 1.09 million vehicles in the United States covering five models — 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.

The Pontiac Vibe is on there because Toyota has a joint venture with GM that makes the Matrix and Vibe at Toyotas NUMMI plant in California. No other GM vehicles would be involved.

Toyota "Gas Pedel" Issue

I see I have a lot of people coming to the House of Weenie to try and find answers for what is going on with Toyota and their "Gas Pedel" issue.

Most likely it has nothing to do with the actual gas pedel itself, but it's system.

Toyota uses a Drive-by-Wire system, which bascially means it is using a "computer" and module to regulate is acceleration system.

Wiki has a good explanation of it ..

Drive-by-wire, DbW, by-wire, or x-by-wire technology in the automotive industry replaces the traditional mechanical and hydraulic control systems with electronic control systems using electromechanical actuators and human-machine interfaces such as pedal and steering feel emulators. Hence, the traditional components such as the steering column, intermediate shafts, pumps, hoses, fluids, belts, coolers and brake boosters and master cylinders are eliminated from the vehicle. Examples include electronic throttle control and brake-by-wire.

Hope that helps.

Whatever fix they come up with it's gonna be an expensive one because a drive-by-wire system does not come cheap.

TOYOTA HALTING SALE OF 8 VEHICLES

This is HUGE.

There is more going on here besides a simple gas pedel sticking. They have no idea what the problem is and it is probably very wide spread. A company does not just halt the sale and production of vehicles unless it's something huge.

WASHINGTON – Toyota is suspending U.S. sales of eight recalled vehicle models to fix accelerator pedals that stick. As part of the plan, Toyota is halting production at five manufacturing facilities for the week of Feb. 1 "to assess and coordinate activities."

There are 2.3 million vehicles involved in the recall, which was announced last week.

The Japanese automaker says the sales suspension includes the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.

The recall came months after Toyota recalled 4.2 million vehicles due to gas pedals that could become trapped under floor mats, causing the vehicle to accelerate.

Another Huge Recall For Toyota

Toyota is annoucing another huge recall of it's cars and trucks.

Toyota Motor Corp. announced another big recall Thursday, of 2.3 million cars and trucks, to fix "sticking" gas pedals.

The Japanese automaker said the problem occurs rarely and is unrelated to reports of "unintended acceleration" that provoked a recall in September of more than 4 million vehicles.

So that is around 6.5 million vehicles Toyota has recalled in the past few months, seems to me that Toyota quality pretty much sucks right now.

Wonder why people are not running around say how bad Toyota is and they will never buy another Toyota again because their quality is so bad.

Oh that's right, Toyota is a Japense company and not a domestic auto company and that means Toyota gets a pass.

And while we speak Toyota is being investigated by the National Hwy Traffic and Safety board for another potential recall ...

Federal safety officials have opened a probe into two models of Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles after drivers reported that their cars stalled in traffic, sometimes at highway speeds.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted a document late this week launching the investigation into Toyota's Matrix and Corolla cars. It's just the latest in a recent string of quality-related issues for the Japanese automaker.

So vehicles are just stalling for no reason while the driver is driving down the road. I am sure Toyota will say that it's the drivers fault, they must have just shut the engine off while driving. With Toyota it's never their fault, even after proof has been presented.

NHTSA at one point rebuked Toyota for blaming reports of unintended acceleration entirely on loose or ill-fitting floor mats.

For the automaker, which once set the standards for quality and reliability, Toyota ended last year with the highest number of vehicles recalled in the U.S. among all automakers: 4.8 million for nine separate issues.

"As a company with a reputation for steadiness, these must be uncomfortable days for Toyota," said James Bell, executive market analyst with Kelley Blue Book.

Toyota had the highest number of vehicles recalled amoung all automakers, AMOUNG ALL AUTOMAKERS.

Guess we can comfortable say that Toyota quality sucks and U.S automakers have better quality vehicles.

Michigan Loves Defending Itself

Michigan maybe "democrat held" but were all conservatives at heart ...

LANSING -- Applications and approvals for concealed weapons permits in Michigan doubled last year, as more than 73,000 people sought to obtain or renew licenses in the 12 months ending June 30, and 66,446 were approved, according to a recently released state police report.

That compared to 33,411 applications and 26,578 approvals in the preceding 12-month period.

We do love us our guns!

Puppers Enjoying The Sun

Ford Hourly Now Make Less Then Japanese Hourly

I wonder what all those people who are crying that Ford hourly workers make so much more money then the Japanese counterparts are going to cry about now.

Ford Motor Co. today announced that it has completed the transfer of all its U.S. hourly retiree health care liabilities to a union-run Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association, or VEBA.

Which means Ford no longer pays money out for hourly health care.

"We have removed a substantial health care liability from our balance sheet and have significantly reduced health care expenses.

I repeat Ford no longer pays money out for hourly health care.

So that means that fabled $70/hour now only consists of their wage. So actually Ford hourly employees now technically make less then their japanese counterparts. I wonder how Japan will spin that one.

Digusting Behavior

What do you think the outrage would be if some high school students, who were 2011 graduates, wore shirts with 11 on it made to look like skyscrapers and a hawk made to look like it was flying into them?

Now, what would be your outrage be like if you knew their ethnicity?

At least nine Edsel Ford High School students -- along with their parents -- were lectured Tuesday by school administrators following an incident in which the boys wore what were deemed inappropriate sweatshirts to school.

The boys, all of whom are of Arabic descent and of the 2011 graduating class, wore sweatshirts with "11" made to look like two buildings on the back. There was also the school "thunderbird" mascot apparently flying at the numerals. On the bottom of the hoodie sweatshirts was the slogan "You can't bring us down."

And while most kids and teachers and parents thought it in horribly poor taste and more action should have been taken (lecture was all they got, lawyers said free speech and all that crap) guess which ethnicity thought there was nothing wrong with the shirts.

Hiab Mussad, one of the high school juniors who wore the sweatshirt Monday, said it was an overreaction, that the shirts were intended to show school spirit. "There's a lot of media attention and criticism blown way out of proportion. We just wanted to show our support (to our class)," he said.

Meanwhile students in attendance continued to downplay the incident. "I think that many people would look at this as an offensive incident; however, others will see no harm in this. I hope nothing bad happens," said Omer Shaibi, a senior at Edsel Ford. (emphsis mine)

Blown out of proportion? So I guess the next time the muslims cry that they are sure they will be getting retribution for some act that they won't condem (yet nothing ever happens to them) we can all say that they are just blowing things out of proportion?

Oh that's right, we have done that and then the muslims cry even louder that we are heartless beings.

Picture of the sweatshirt here