Toyota recalls and related issues: BusinessWeek-Media owes Toyota an apology
#1037
Phishy Indeed
EL CAJON, Calif. – The government sent investigators Tuesday to examine a Prius that sped out of control on a California freeway, and Toyota said it wanted to interview the driver as the besieged automaker dealt with a high-profile new headache that raised questions about the safety of its beloved hybrid.
A day after state troopers helped the car slow to a stop and its driver to emerge unharmed, Toyota could shed no new light on what might have gone wrong. The Prius is not part of Toyota's vast recall of gas pedals that can become stuck, but it is covered by an earlier recall of floor mats that can catch the accelerator.
The freeway incident happened at the worst possible time for Toyota — just hours after it invited reporters Monday to hear experts insist that electronic flaws could not cause cars to speed out of control under real driving conditions.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sent two investigators to examine the car, a government spokeswoman said. Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman Brian Lyons said the automaker is sending three of its own technicians to investigate.
Another Toyota spokesman, John Hanson, said the company wanted to talk to the driver, James Sikes.
His car, a 2008 model, was covered by the floor mat recall, but the driver in Monday's incident said the pedal jammed and was not trapped under the mat.
Sikes told authorities he was driving on Interstate 8 outside San Diego when the accelerator became stuck. He said the car reached 94 mph before a trooper, calling out instructions from a megaphone, helped him slow down and turn off the engine.
Sikes' wife, Patty, said Tuesday the family's Prius appeared to have a brief accelerator malfunction a few weeks ago.
"It took off for a second, and then it just stopped. It was like a little hiccup or something," she said.
James Sikes, 61, was identified in a 2006 newspaper story as a real estate executive and longtime lottery player who won $55,000 and was selected to appear on a California Lottery TV game show.
He appeared at a news conference quickly after the freeway incident Monday and also spoke to reporters Tuesday at his Toyota dealership, where his car was towed.
He said he called 911 about 1:30 p.m. Monday after accelerating to pass another car on Interstate 8 near La Posta.
"I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny. ... It jumped and it just stuck there," he said.
A patrol car pulled alongside the Prius and the officer told Sikes over a loudspeaker to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake.
The braking, coupled with a steep incline on the freeway, slowed the car to about 50 mph. Sikes said he then shut off the engine and the car coasted to a stop. CHP Officer Todd Neibert then moved his car in front of the Prius to block it.
The CHP held the car overnight, and it was towed to the dealership Tuesday, CHP Officer Brian Pennings said.
"There's no collision, so our investigation's done," Pennings said. "There's no crime. ... We're just glad it ended safely."
Toyota, which has watched its reputation for quality crumble because of recalls tied to risks that cars can accelerate uncontrollably or can't brake properly.
The company is defending itself against suggestions that bad electronics are to blame for the problem — not simpler mechanical flaws, as Toyota maintains.
An Illinois professor told Congress he was able to rev a Toyota's engine simply by short-circuiting wires connected to the accelerator pedal. Toyota's experts characterized the professor's work as wrong and said it could incite fear.
The runaway Prius only makes matters worse for Toyota's image problem, said Larry L. Smith, president of the Institute for Crisis Management in Louisville, Ky. — even if video only showed the aftermath, with Prius resting behind the patrol car.
"People are going to see this video and assume they've seen the car out of control," he said. "They really haven't seen the car out of control. It doesn't matter if they think they did. It's planted in their heads. That part of the damage is done."
The Sikes family received a recall notice and took the Prius to Toyota of El Cajon about two weeks ago, but the dealership refused to examine the car, saying it was not on the recall list, Patty Sikes said.
The dealership declined to comment and referred requests for comment to Toyota's corporate representatives.
Hanson said Toyota first sends a preliminary notice to owners saying their vehicles are subject to a recall. A second notice comes later detailing how and where the vehicle can be fixed.
"I believe what could have happened is Mr. Sikes could have received his preliminary notification which says, 'Hello, your car is going to be recalled, and we will notify you when to bring it in.'"
A deadly crash last year about 12 miles from where Sikes' Prius started speeding first sparked scrutiny into Toyota cars and trucks.
CHP Officer Mark Saylor, his wife, her brother and the couple's daughter died after the accelerator in their Lexus became trapped by a wrong-size floor mat on a freeway in La Mesa. The loaner car hit a sport utility vehicle and burst into flames.
Since then, Toyota has recalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide — more than 6 million in the United States — because of acceleration problems in multiple models and braking issues in the Prius. Regulators have linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems. Still, there have been more than 60 reports of sudden acceleration in cars that have been fixed under the recall.
John Heywood, director of the Sloan Automotive Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said it was difficult glean any larger insight into Toyota's problems based on a single incident.
"They're not happening all the time they're happening rarely, so sorting out what the cause is a very challenging task," he said.
#1039
Lexus Test Driver
iTrader: (2)
I was reading this thread and the news just reported on Sikes...
Indeed very very fishy. What I want to know is why the media is hell bent on destroying Toyota, why is Toyota all over the news? What is their agenda? what do they gain by selling this dirt to us?
I ask this question whenever there is some media frenzy like Tiger Woods, Conan vs Leno, etc...
Indeed very very fishy. What I want to know is why the media is hell bent on destroying Toyota, why is Toyota all over the news? What is their agenda? what do they gain by selling this dirt to us?
I ask this question whenever there is some media frenzy like Tiger Woods, Conan vs Leno, etc...
#1040
Lexus Champion
The MSM is very liberal - NBC is for now controlled by GE which was a major contributor to Obama and the Democrats, in hopes of scoring government contracts. CBS has another Obama cheerleader on board - Katie Couric.
#1041
Pole Position
There is an excellent PriusChat article on why they think this driver is full of it.
It also has really good Gen 2 Prius youtube video which explans how brakes in Prius work and how fast you can stop - which is very fast as Prius has always had smart brakes which cancel out gas pedal input.
http://priuschat.com/news/why-out-co...ver-is-full-it
So check the link on Youtube on the same Gen2 Prius and how the smart pedal in Prius works. Basically he selected the wrong car to claim acceleration complaint ;-)
It also has really good Gen 2 Prius youtube video which explans how brakes in Prius work and how fast you can stop - which is very fast as Prius has always had smart brakes which cancel out gas pedal input.
http://priuschat.com/news/why-out-co...ver-is-full-it
So check the link on Youtube on the same Gen2 Prius and how the smart pedal in Prius works. Basically he selected the wrong car to claim acceleration complaint ;-)
First, it is NOT called an "emergency" brake. Never has been. It's only function is to secure the car while parked. That is why it's called a "parking" brake. You will never hear any manufacturer refer to it as an emergency brake. It was never, EVER, designed, engineered, built, or manufactured to be used in an emergency.
Second, Where did he hear that people were passing him left and right? That's the first time I've heard those words come out of this story. Where's your link?
It's one thing to defend Toyota (or, incriminate them) but before doing so, please get the facts right. Post your source. Better yet, post a link.
#1042
Lexus Champion
I'm glad the balloon boy's dad don't have a Toyota, he will be all over to get on TV. I know James Sikes was on Lottery game show and may want to get back in the show.
#1043
It's an interesting read. I think this guy went a little overboard, though. I mean, I stand behind Toyota 110% but there are some inaccuracies in this guys story.
First, it is NOT called an "emergency" brake. Never has been. It's only function is to secure the car while parked. That is why it's called a "parking" brake. You will never hear any manufacturer refer to it as an emergency brake. It was never, EVER, designed, engineered, built, or manufactured to be used in an emergency.
Second, Where did he hear that people were passing him left and right? That's the first time I've heard those words come out of this story. Where's your link?
It's one thing to defend Toyota (or, incriminate them) but before doing so, please get the facts right. Post your source. Better yet, post a link.
First, it is NOT called an "emergency" brake. Never has been. It's only function is to secure the car while parked. That is why it's called a "parking" brake. You will never hear any manufacturer refer to it as an emergency brake. It was never, EVER, designed, engineered, built, or manufactured to be used in an emergency.
Second, Where did he hear that people were passing him left and right? That's the first time I've heard those words come out of this story. Where's your link?
It's one thing to defend Toyota (or, incriminate them) but before doing so, please get the facts right. Post your source. Better yet, post a link.
PriusChat is an prius community with thousands of owners there. What happens here is now Prius having an issue that it was never reported there for 6 years, until all this came about. And pretty much every bad point of Prius has been dissected there already (for instance braking feel/problem was first found there).
And you have YouTube videos of Prius owners attempting same feat and stopping very fast.
So thats why it seems so fishy to everyone. Lots of things simply do not make sense at all.
#1044
Yes, this guy's story seems fishy. Now would be a good time for the Toyota's new accident "SWAT" team to respond. That being said, maybe something can be done to counter the wild speculation this type of strange incident results in. Just an hour ago another claim was made:
http://www.freep.com/article/2010030....Y.-police-say
I hope there is a way to counter the false accusations here. Most of these cases are driver error and people pressing on the wrong pedal or not knowing how to use the brakes/push-button/etc. I think that in addition to press releases, they need some kind of pushback here, either video demonstrations, or lawsuits against ABC News for defamatory reporting, or a "I'm mad and can't take it any more" defense lawyer exposing the opportunists in this situation, etc.
Apparently NBC News led off with this incident tonight, just like CBS News reported the Toyota webcast followed by the Prius 'incident'. Who knows, it could even be an actor who is from a rival firm, or even lawyers suing, even that "Safety Research" for-profit inc. (tin foil hat on). Now more than ever IMO, the brake override needs to be rushed into application and there needs to be more active push back. I'm glad the press releases are coming out faster to counter this, but I hope there's more. That way this current advertising pivot can be sustained:
Thankfully it's not the breaking news story on CNN.com anymore. But it is leading MSNBC.com -- and look at the FALSE choice on the Quick Vote options!!! Where is driver error/misreporting/etc? This shows how the media narrative has people imagining electronic defects everywhere. Astounding. Also it's the main story on CBSNews.com and the top video on ABCNews.com! Media sensationalism!
Akio thinks sales may recover in March: http://content.usatoday.com/communit...ebound-in-us/1
http://www.freep.com/article/2010030....Y.-police-say
I hope there is a way to counter the false accusations here. Most of these cases are driver error and people pressing on the wrong pedal or not knowing how to use the brakes/push-button/etc. I think that in addition to press releases, they need some kind of pushback here, either video demonstrations, or lawsuits against ABC News for defamatory reporting, or a "I'm mad and can't take it any more" defense lawyer exposing the opportunists in this situation, etc.
Apparently NBC News led off with this incident tonight, just like CBS News reported the Toyota webcast followed by the Prius 'incident'. Who knows, it could even be an actor who is from a rival firm, or even lawyers suing, even that "Safety Research" for-profit inc. (tin foil hat on). Now more than ever IMO, the brake override needs to be rushed into application and there needs to be more active push back. I'm glad the press releases are coming out faster to counter this, but I hope there's more. That way this current advertising pivot can be sustained:
Toyota ads move beyond the recall
Shelley DuBois, contributorMarch 9, 2010: 10:43 AM ET
http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/09/auto...n_bin&hpt=Sbin
(Fortune) -- New ads from Toyota's local dealers look like they're missing something.
The commercials play up the features of new cars, show clips of Toyotas driving and highlight all the good deals out there. Except for lower prices, it appears to be business as usual.
But what about the recall? The company has already recalled more than eight million vehicles for problems related to sudden acceleration, which have been blamed for several accidents resulting in injuries and death. Is Toyota moving on too soon?
"That would be exactly the way I would handle it," says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. At this point, he says, any respectable PR person would advise Toyota against running ads that reflect negatively on the product.
From a marketing standpoint, Toyota needs to present its recall as a glitch in an otherwise impressive company history, Peterson says. Lucky for them, the carmaker has the track record to back up that image. Toyota recently won the most 2009 J.D. Power Initial Quality Awards of any auto company, and "they have been a solid corporate citizen for decades."
[...]
"Toyota is waging a price war," says John Wolkonowicz, an automotive marketing consultant at IHS Global Insight. And he thinks they could win.
To do that, Toyota will need to run a kind of marketing triage, he says, and that means doing everything they can to keep their most crucial customers: baby boomers. "They've been buying Toyotas for 20, 30, 40 years," he says. "For the most part, they've had a very satisfactory experience."
He thinks boomers will stick with the brand unless owning a Toyota becomes embarrassing.
"Once they anoint something, they don't like to be proven wrong," says Wolkonowicz, who has studied the core values of the boomer generation for 20 years. "There are people who are saying [Toyota is] damaged for a long time, but I think they're going to come out of this."
But some experts say the recall issue it too big to let go of so soon. "I don't think it'll sell well with the public. I think people, especially in these age groups, they'll see through it," says Jim Gilmartin, owner of Coming of Age Inc., a firm that specializes in marketing to seniors.
He agrees that Toyota ads generally work for baby boomers. "They're pretty good. Really what they were saying was 'be a part of our experience.'" Those kinds of emotion-based ads tend to be effective for older buyers, he says. But in this case, he says, they're not buying it.
"Many people are violently angry," says Peterson, after reviewing the feedback from Toyota owners on his company's satisfaction questionnaire. The numbers bear it out: sales dropped 9% in February.
Barring any more recall problems, Toyota can consider itself in the clear if it comes out ahead or breaks even by the end of the year, says Wolkonowicz. And if it's going to make it, it's on the right marketing track. He believes that many of Toyota's prime consumers might be ready to see ads that don't mention the recall because they're already sold on the product and have been for years.
"From my perspective," Wolkonowicz concludes, "the last thing they want to do is talk about the problem any more."
Shelley DuBois, contributorMarch 9, 2010: 10:43 AM ET
http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/09/auto...n_bin&hpt=Sbin
(Fortune) -- New ads from Toyota's local dealers look like they're missing something.
The commercials play up the features of new cars, show clips of Toyotas driving and highlight all the good deals out there. Except for lower prices, it appears to be business as usual.
But what about the recall? The company has already recalled more than eight million vehicles for problems related to sudden acceleration, which have been blamed for several accidents resulting in injuries and death. Is Toyota moving on too soon?
"That would be exactly the way I would handle it," says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. At this point, he says, any respectable PR person would advise Toyota against running ads that reflect negatively on the product.
From a marketing standpoint, Toyota needs to present its recall as a glitch in an otherwise impressive company history, Peterson says. Lucky for them, the carmaker has the track record to back up that image. Toyota recently won the most 2009 J.D. Power Initial Quality Awards of any auto company, and "they have been a solid corporate citizen for decades."
[...]
"Toyota is waging a price war," says John Wolkonowicz, an automotive marketing consultant at IHS Global Insight. And he thinks they could win.
To do that, Toyota will need to run a kind of marketing triage, he says, and that means doing everything they can to keep their most crucial customers: baby boomers. "They've been buying Toyotas for 20, 30, 40 years," he says. "For the most part, they've had a very satisfactory experience."
He thinks boomers will stick with the brand unless owning a Toyota becomes embarrassing.
"Once they anoint something, they don't like to be proven wrong," says Wolkonowicz, who has studied the core values of the boomer generation for 20 years. "There are people who are saying [Toyota is] damaged for a long time, but I think they're going to come out of this."
But some experts say the recall issue it too big to let go of so soon. "I don't think it'll sell well with the public. I think people, especially in these age groups, they'll see through it," says Jim Gilmartin, owner of Coming of Age Inc., a firm that specializes in marketing to seniors.
He agrees that Toyota ads generally work for baby boomers. "They're pretty good. Really what they were saying was 'be a part of our experience.'" Those kinds of emotion-based ads tend to be effective for older buyers, he says. But in this case, he says, they're not buying it.
"Many people are violently angry," says Peterson, after reviewing the feedback from Toyota owners on his company's satisfaction questionnaire. The numbers bear it out: sales dropped 9% in February.
Barring any more recall problems, Toyota can consider itself in the clear if it comes out ahead or breaks even by the end of the year, says Wolkonowicz. And if it's going to make it, it's on the right marketing track. He believes that many of Toyota's prime consumers might be ready to see ads that don't mention the recall because they're already sold on the product and have been for years.
"From my perspective," Wolkonowicz concludes, "the last thing they want to do is talk about the problem any more."
Akio thinks sales may recover in March: http://content.usatoday.com/communit...ebound-in-us/1
Last edited by encore888; 03-09-10 at 07:08 PM.
#1045
Super Moderator
First of all - people should take note that the original report is from a professor from Southern Illinois University (which I have visited), and the new one is from a professor of engineering from Stanford University. It's easy to find some academic from a third tier no-name University to support anything - the elite Universities cannot easily be corrupted.
#1046
Guest
Posts: n/a
They should put all these lying scumbags (owners/Internet Toyota hater sensationalists/lying professors/and media) and pack them in siennas.. Take them to the speed limiter right into a wall at fort Knox and then throw them in an active volcano and then dump C4 in the volcano... When the volcano erupts and the lava hardens when it gets cold we put the remains on a space rocket headed towards the nearest black hole.
Tape it so people know what happens to liars and Internet circus freaks and media maggots.
Problem solved
Tape it so people know what happens to liars and Internet circus freaks and media maggots.
Problem solved
#1047
Lexus Champion
iTrader: (3)
They should put all these lying scumbags (owners/Internet Toyota hater sensationalists/lying professors/and media) and pack them in siennas.. Take them to the speed limiter right into a wall at fort Knox and then throw them in an active volcano and then dump C4 in the volcano... When the volcano erupts and the lava hardens when it gets cold we put the remains on a space rocket headed towards the nearest black hole.
Tape it so people know what happens to liars and Internet circus freaks and media maggots.
Problem solved
Tape it so people know what happens to liars and Internet circus freaks and media maggots.
Problem solved
Just send them through a meat grinder.
#1048
Lexus Champion
They should put all these lying scumbags (owners/Internet Toyota hater sensationalists/lying professors/and media) and pack them in siennas.. Take them to the speed limiter right into a wall at fort Knox and then throw them in an active volcano and then dump C4 in the volcano... When the volcano erupts and the lava hardens when it gets cold we put the remains on a space rocket headed towards the nearest black hole.
Tape it so people know what happens to liars and Internet circus freaks and media maggots.
Problem solved
Tape it so people know what happens to liars and Internet circus freaks and media maggots.
Problem solved
#1049
Lead Lap
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Has anyone listened to the 911 call yet?
http://10newsblogs.com/audio/prius-911call.mp3
It's pretty boring for the most part... unless your name is Jim and you wanna hear someone say your name again and again...
It doesn't sound like he tries anything she says. Then he picks up his phone when the cops show up. He listens to CHP though...
http://10newsblogs.com/audio/prius-911call.mp3
It's pretty boring for the most part... unless your name is Jim and you wanna hear someone say your name again and again...
It doesn't sound like he tries anything she says. Then he picks up his phone when the cops show up. He listens to CHP though...
#1050
Guest
Posts: n/a
I would strap Gilbert or Smith with a JATO pack onto a Burton Vapor lubed down with Mobilgrease 28 down the ski jump at Whistler or Squaw Valley. Even better would be to load Ray LaHood, Gilbert, and every one of those ambulance chasers into one these and park it across a few train tracks, ala Eraser(with the doors and window sashes welded shut):
Has anyone listened to the 911 call yet?
http://10newsblogs.com/audio/prius-911call.mp3
It's pretty boring for the most part... unless your name is Jim and you wanna hear someone say your name again and again...
It doesn't sound like he tries anything she says. Then he picks up his phone when the cops show up. He listens to CHP though...
http://10newsblogs.com/audio/prius-911call.mp3
It's pretty boring for the most part... unless your name is Jim and you wanna hear someone say your name again and again...
It doesn't sound like he tries anything she says. Then he picks up his phone when the cops show up. He listens to CHP though...
Its amazing all of a sudden all these cars are out of control