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when does this translate over to the lexus brand?

TRDFantasy

Also worth noting:

So these new allegations that Toyota's fixes did not work are unproven. Could it be possible people are not telling the truth and just trying to sue Toyota to get some money out of them?

Also regarding the ECU, if there are any such problems, Toyota would surely know about them and have fixed them already. Toyota has been using electronic throttles for a long time now, I just can't see how this can be ECU problems.

spwolf

AP has an line saying "52 deaths were confirmed by NTHSA"... which is flat out lie, La Hood said 5 were (believed to)... and only 1 single accident with sticky pedals. He said that only yesterday.

spwolf

ehm..........

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

if congress really wanted to solve problems they would listen to independent engineers, mechanics, and scientists. Not safety advocates who have an economic incentive for Toyota to get sued because of trial lawyers.

youd think with all the vehicles sold, there would be a lot more SUA if the electronics was truly a widespread problem

cwerdna

Good article about electronically controlled throttles, redundancy, etc.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...o/4347704.html

TRDFantasy

Great article explaining the electronic throttles. It seems extremely unlikely then that it could be a problem with the electronics.

IS350jet

Excellent article. A must read. Thanks for posting.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I didn't hear or watch the news last night.I woke up to the Toyota gas pedal fix not working on some Toyota's TV report.This is very bad for Toyota.
The media is loving this.Other vehicle forums and really having fun with the Toyota recalls and such.
This lastest news is a real blow to Toyota and will really hurt.Toyota is starting to **** me off now.WTF?

jruhi4

An excellent point. I know The Miami Herald has one, so I'd be surprised if the L.A. Times didn't.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

finally actual professional mechanics insight, something truly needed instead of stupid ill stress experienced drivers and safety "advocates" in the wallet of trial attorneys.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

The problem with the positive articles are those articles and a $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts.
The public doesn't read those articles.The media doesn't air those articles.

spwolf

there is not much Toyota can do, except investigate quickly... Even if they determine it is an driver error, what can they do? "TOYOTA BLAMES DRIVERS" does not sound good, does it.

Thing is, Toyota had 20 reports per month, at worst times... at thats with 60-70 millions cars on the road. What are the chances of 10 reports days after the fix, out of 1 million cars fixed?

Plus La Hood already said 2 days ago that all accidents that NTHSA checked, only 1 accident might have been due to the pedals, rest were due to mats.

But again, nothing they can do really except do the work.

spwolf

p.s. I checked on Prius forums, and nobody can reproduce Prius ABS "issue" anymore, everyone is happy.

speedflex

An editorial from Toyota Monitor


Toyota Pulls a 'General Motors'...Again

As the February 2010 have rolled out, a number of sources noted that Toyota is responding to its plummet in the figures with incentives and 0% financing. While this seems like a sure-fire way to boost their sales in the short term, it also makes Toyota sound more and more like the General Motors of the 1970s and 80s.

Consider this: Over the past decade Toyota has gone against longstanding traditional mores governing parent company/parts supplier relationships by putting the screws to their suppliers even in the best of times in order to milk the most profit out of each part. In addition to abusing their suppliers, Toyota has put international growth above all else (even by their own admission). After the first indications that this growth strategy could be taking its toll on vehicle reliability (sludging problems and other issues in the early 2000s) they respond not by becoming more proactive about beefing up reliability, but by spending tens of millions on lobbying to either kill or postpone new safety regulations and limit the scope of their mandatory recalls. When their efforts to skirt around costly recalls finally begin to catch up to them, they issue a massive recall that still manages to not cover all of the cars the NHTSA has recieved complaints about (i.e., the pre-2007 Camry). This recall is quickly "resolved" with a fix that not everyone is entirely certain will even solve the main problem in the first place. In response to the sales numbers lagging from the recall, Toyota creates incentives the likes of which they have never before imagined, which will certainly lead to a further devaluation of the other Toyotas on the road and the erosion of one of their biggest selling-points (resale value).

It doesn't take a historian to see the General Motors-esque pattern developing here. ("Profit Above All Else -> Short Term Thinking -> Negative Results from Short Term Thinking (unreliability) -> More Short Term Thinking (lobbying to avoid repair costs rather than simply recalling the product and fixing future models) -> More Negative Results (increasing numbers of complaints and/or deaths) -> More Short Term Thinking (hastily executed recall that may not have even solved the problem entirely) -> Product Devaluation -> More Short Thinking (incentives) -> Further Product Devaluation) Heck, GM got it down to a science in the 1970s and 80s, right before they were forced to pay the price. One has to wonder how long Toyota will play the old school General Motors game, and what kind of impact this will have on them in the long term. As anyone familiar with the history of the domestic auto manufacturers knows, you can only mortgage against public goodwill and favorable opinions about your company for so long before your company's reputation is upside down and your credit is damaged irrevocably.

http://www.toyotamonitor.com/blog/10...l-motors-again