Quality Weenie

Getting Out Of Recalls Saves Money, Says Toyota

This should be a lesson to Toyota that hiding things will eventually catch up with you in a very bad way, lets say Karma is finally kicking their ass.

I reiterate again, I have always said Toyota isn't any better then any other auto maker they are just better at hiding the bad shit.

Claims by Toyota in internal documents that it saved money by obtaining a limited recall from regulators in 2007 create an even bigger challenge for the automaker's president when he testifies before U.S. lawmakers this week over quality and safety lapses.

Toyota officials said they saved $100 million by successfully negotiating with the U.S. government on a limited recall of floor mats in some Toyota and Lexus vehicles, according to new documents shared with congressional investigators.

Bragging in internal documents about how much money they saved by putting it's customer lives in danger. Good move Toyota, good move.

Just think what would happen to an american auto maker that had that internal document. Roast alive and run out of business, but nope for Toyota people will still claim it's all a government conspiracy.

I did have some respect for Toyota, especially when I worked for a Toyota supplier but that has completely gone out the window today.

The savings are listed under the title, "Wins for Toyota — Safety Group." The document cites millions of dollars in other savings by delaying safety regulations, avoiding defect investigations and slowing down other industry requirements.(emphasis mine)

Fucking "Wins for Toyota"

Why didn't they just put "Killing people but saving money, oh what a feeling"

The new documents show the financial benefit of delay. In the presentation, Toyota said a phase-in to new safety regulations for side air bags saved the company $124 million and 50,000 man hours. Delaying a rule for tougher door locks saved $11 million.

Toyota's President finally relented and will appear at Wednesday's hearings, that man will be getting his ass kicked from here to Japan and back again.

Hope they televise it on CSPAN, because I will be watching with glee.

Proof Of Toyota's Hiding Problems

I have been saying for years now that Toyota isn't as good as everyone things it's just that they are better at hiding things.

Now there is proof of that.

Former regulators hired by Toyota Motor Corp. helped end at least four U.S. investigations of unintended acceleration by company vehicles in the last decade, warding off possible recalls, court and government records show.

Toyota has known about unintended acceleration problems for a decade but has been able to brush the government off from a recall or even an investigation.

NHTSA opened eight investigations of unintended acceleration of Toyota vehicles from 2003 to 2010, according to Safety Research & Strategies Inc., a Rehoboth, Massachusetts, group that gathers data from NHTSA and other sources for plaintiff’s attorneys and consumers. Three of the probes resulted in recalls for floor mats. Five were closed, meaning NHTSA found no evidence of a defect.

In four of the five cases that were closed, Tinto and Santucci worked with NHTSA on Toyota’s responses to the consumer complaints the agency was investigating, agency documents show.

Exactly what all the vehicles are being recalled for now had been closed as being a non-issue five times.

Twenty days after the probe began, NHTSA investigator Yon determined that the agency wouldn’t investigate “longer duration incidents involving uncontrollable acceleration where brake pedal application allegedly had no effect,” according to a document provided in the Michigan lawsuit.

NHTSA refused to investigate the exact problem for which 8 million vehicles are now being recalled for.

And instead investigated problems that were limited in scope and could be written off as using the wrong pedel.

NHSTA opted to limit the investigation to unintended acceleration events that lasted less than a second and those where the brake could be used to control the vehicle, or about 11 incidents with 5 crashes

The agency decided to limit the cases to eliminate instances where a driver may have used the wrong pedal, the Transportation Department’s Alair said.

They also only limited investigations to the Electronic throttle control, never looked at the drive-by-wire or gas pedel as the problems.

So in the end I guess it was a conspriacy with the government as people have been saying, a conspiracy to hide the defects so Toyota wouldn't have to be charged with recalls and the hit their image would take.

Corolla Sucks Now Too!

Toyota should have forseen the shit hitting the fan, or maybe they did and that is why we are hearing about all these problems now.

Toyota is considering a recall of its hot-selling Corolla subcompact after complaints about power steering problems — another blow to the world's largest automaker already reeling from a string of recalls for safety troubles.

Why you are hearing about so many problems coming from Toyota all of a sudden is because Toyota is bringing them to light before the government demands recalls. I can guarantee Toyota has known about all these problems but per their usual standards they either blame the customer or brush it under the rug until forced to deal with them.

Toyota has known about the gas pedel problems since 2003.

2003

That is 6 years they have known about the problems but have plain just ignored them until they were forced by the U.S. to deal with them.

Despite pressure from some lawmakers, President Akio Toyoda said he won't be attending the U.S. congressional hearing on the automaker's quality lapses, entrusting the job to U.S.-based executives — though would consider an appearance if the committee requests it.

Do you really think any of the Big 3 would get away with sending a subsitute because their CEO was "to busy". They would be dragged their by their ears.

And Toyota's fix for the gas pedel problem? The solution is to do what every other automaker had already been doing since they introduced drive-by-wire into their vehicles.

He promised a brake-override system in all future models worldwide that will add a safety measure against acceleration problems that are behind the recent massive recalls. The system is a mechanism that overrides the accelerator if the gas and brake pedals are pressed at the same time.

Toyota's whole problem was they were more interested in reaching #1 and being able to say they have overtaken the American Big 3 then they were in quality vehicles. A lesson the Big 3 learned the hard way.

I'm A Three

This is pretty accurate, neither of the two questions fit me so I picked what fit me most but it came out spot on.

Your result for The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test...

3 - the Achiever

Thanks for taking the test !

Take The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test at HelloQuizzy

Stolen from Pamibe

Prius Recalled For Brakes

Toyota relented and has added the Prius to the list of recalled cars for the brake issue, bringing total vehicles recalled for this issue to 7 million.

Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and will notify the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, a news report said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers over recall woes that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety.

7 million vehicles recalled over this and no big bold top of the page headlines for Toyota. Now if an American company did this people would be rioting in the streets and demanding heads roll.

Toyota sales expert Yoshimi Inaba will appear before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday along with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator David Strickland. The name of the hearing: "Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public at Risk?"

Wonder if it will be on CSPAN, but I can guarntee that they will be treated with a lot more respect then when the american auto makers appeared before congress.

STOP DRIVING YOUR TOYOTA

Good Lord, it's a fucking fantastic day!

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is telling owners of recalled Toyotas to stop driving the vehicles and get them fixed.

The fucking Secretary of Transportation is telling people not to drive their Toyotas until they are fixed.

The birds are chirping away today here in Michigan!

LaHood's warning came Wednesday in testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee on transportation. LaHood says his advice to owners is to "stop driving it. Take it to a Toyota dealer because they believe they have a fix for it."

Toyota's most recent recall in the United States affects 2.3 million vehicles with the potential for sticking gas pedals.

LaHood told reporters earlier in the day that Toyota owners should contact their dealer immediately and "exercise caution until repairs can be made."(emphasis mine)

They believe they have a fix, which means they are not totally sure they really have the fix.

Bwhahahahaha

Yes indeed, a glorious fucking day!

Prius Brake Troubles Now

Toyota just can't win right now *SEG*

The Prius hasn't been involved in the recent brake trouble recalls, but Toyota is now getting slammed by Prius owners about their brake troubles.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received about 100 complaints involving the brakes of the Prius new model. Two involved crashes resulting in injuries.

Japan's transport ministry said Wednesday it has also received 14 complaints since July last year about brake problems with Toyota's new Prius hybrid.

The 14 complaints included an accident in July 2009, in which a Prius crashed head on into another car at an intersection. Transport ministry official Masaya Ota said two people were slightly injured in the accident.

But as everyone knows, Toyota has to be proded with a cattle rod before they take any recall action.

Toyota is facing growing criticism that it has not done enough to ensure the safety of its vehicles.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told The Associated Press Tuesday that federal officials had to alert Toyota to the seriousness of the safety issues that eventually led to the recalls.

"They should have taken it seriously from the very beginning when we first started discussing it with them," he said. "Maybe they were a little safety deaf."

LaHood also said the U.S. government was considering civil penalties for Toyota for having dragged its feet on safety concerns.

Toyota executive vice president Shinichi Sasaki acknowledged Tuesday in a Nagoya, Japan, news conference that it took prodding from NHTSA officials for the company to decide on the U.S. recall.

Loooooove it!!!!!!!!

Link to story

Haloscan Comments Going Away?

HELP!!!!!!

I just found out that haloscan comments are going away in a month, this is the first I heard of this.

What can Mu Nu sites use as a comment forum that is free?

HELP