Don't drive recalled Toyotas, transportation chief says

[FireDancer]

I can't help it, I'll feed the troll.

So by this logic, the big bad American car makers sabotaged the manufacture and installation of these particular gas pedals, just so they could crow about Toyota and faulty parts to 8 of their models.

If you're into conspiracy theories, maybe. I'm not.

This problem is squarely on Toyota...and as more info comes out, they aren't looking quite as princely as they're trying to seem.

I don't think that is what he/she is saying. It is the hype around the recall that is being over blown. I don't recall the same level of fatalism over other recalls that have had just as much potential for fatality. If the same defect was happening to GM or Chrysler I don't think anyone would recommend not purchasing or driving the vehicles, especially not the Secretary of Transportation.

 

[SaraJayne]

I don't think that is what he/she is saying. It is the hype around the recall that is being over blown. I don't believe the transportation secretary came out and advised people to not drive vehicles that have had recalls in the past. If the same defect was happening to GM or Chrysler I don't think anyone would recommend not purchasing or driving the vehicles, especially not the Secretary of Transportation.

Isn't it just common sense not to purchase a vehicle that is part of a recall that could potentially kill you or others (in a worst case scenario)?

And I mean after the recall has been anounced, not all the people that have bought cars before it was announced.

I would think something like that wouldn't even have to be said out loud.

As far as driving cars that are part of the recall ~ that's up to the individual car owner whether to take the risk on a daily basis or not. I wouldn't, but that's me. Obviously other people have chosen to drive them.

 

[RadioNate]

Faulty logic. Part of the problem is that Toyota has not been forthcoming with recalls when they knew there was a problem. Two totally different cultures with two totally different ways of approaching the issues.

And you don't think other car companies have been forthcoming. Read about the Ford/Firestone tire recall I posted. Firestone and Ford both denied for months that there was an issue when they knew about the issue from their own testing.

Almost ever recall out there....the company 'knew' before actually issuing the recall.

While not a car recall. Look up info on the Cosco Grand Explorer shield booster car seat. Cosco admited that it was cheaper to pay out the injury claims than it was to recall or quit manufacturing a seat they knew to be unsafe. The Grand Explorer offered zero protection in rollover crashes. Cosco knew a child would be ejected from the seat in a rollover and they still marketed the seat.

"Hiding" is nothing new and not limited to Toyota.

Do I wish they would have acted more responsibly, of course, but the certainly didn't do anything that another car company wouldn't have done in the same situation.

All the Detroit loyals can pretend that American manufacturers wouldn't have "lied" but we all know that is the real lie.

Let's not forget the the Japanese made Toyotas are not recalled and don't have the problem. This is only an issue with their American assembled cars using American parts.

I really have nothing against American car companies (except I think Chrysler is crap based on owning 3 of them) and I don't think they would have done anything differently than Toyota did.

While I currently own a Toyota (a Japanese made, non-recalled Highlander) I've owned 3 Chryslers, a Nissan, 2 Hondas & a Chevy. Hardly blind brand loyalty. DH owns a Honda which we are looking to replace, the likely candidate...a Chevy.

 

[jodifla]

I don't think that is what he/she is saying. It is the hype around the recall that is being over blown. I don't recall the same level of fatalism over other recalls that have had just as much potential for fatality. If the same defect was happening to GM or Chrysler I don't think anyone would recommend not purchasing or driving the vehicles, especially not the Secretary of Transportation.

There was huge outcry over the Firestone and Explorer problem. That was hardly covered up.

The problem for Toyota is how they are handling things. NHTSA told them years ago they thought the problem could be the gas pedals, but Toyota INSISTED it was the floor mats. Tell that to the dead people whose floor mats were in the trunk when their Toyota took off.

And now, it turns out they had a braking problem with their Priuses that the failed to tell people about.

 

[Colston69]

Every Dodge and Ford vehicle I have ever owned has had hard to use gas pedals. Hard to get started, slow to release. Every one. But, they are American. The big bad foreigners came in here and out-sold the Americans. Even cash for clunkers was better for Toyota than Dodge.

Next recall hype from Detroit: Toyota seat belts could lock up on you while you are trying to put them on. It must be a defect in the way the belt unrolls. Goverment officials will recommend you burn your Toyotas immediately.

 

[jodifla]

Every Dodge and Ford vehicle I have ever owned has had hard to use gas pedals. Hard to get started, slow to release. Every one. But, they are American. The big bad foreigners came in here and out-sold the Americans. Even cash for clunkers was better for Toyota than Dodge.

Next recall hype from Detroit: Toyota seat belts could lock up on you while you are trying to put them on. It must be a defect in the way the belt unrolls. Goverment officials will recommend you burn your Toyotas immediately.

So, give Toyota a free pass, just because they are the foreign? This is coming to the fore now because of the Dec. 26 crash. NHTSA has been questioning these accelerations for years.

Toyota's quality started slipping years ago. A friend bought a Camry in 2000, and it gave her nothing but trouble. We were all shocked....couldn't believe a Toyota was so problematic. My family had one from the early 70s that was very reliable.

 

[sparklynails23]

There is no way in hell I would buy a car that might decide on it's own that it wants to take off at a high rate of speed. Even if you react in seconds to downshift to neutral, you may have already run into the person in front of you. Why take that chance, and why take that chance with kids in the car? And they haven't even decided how to fix it yet!

This isn't about people picking on Toyota. This isn't about imports. It's about the safety of people, families.

 

[Colston69]

So, give Toyota a free pass, just because they are the foreign? This is coming to the fore now because of the Dec. 26 crash. NHTSA has been questioning these accelerations for years.

You miss the point. The US 3 have been getting passes for years. Nobody recommended that Dodge stop selling vans because their accelerators sucked. No biggie, just keep driving it. When it is Toyota, however, it is a national crisis.

 

[Colston69]

There is no way in hell I would buy a car that might decide on it's own that it wants to take off at a high rate of speed.

Get ready to walk everywhere. Every car on the road could have that problem. Think not? Every recall that ever happened started with the first reported instance.

 

[sparklynails23]

This is a potentially lethal problem, not a car with slow pick-up. It's like the Pinto recall back in the 70's. You can deny it, but Toyota will not be selling cars anytime soon, and they know it.

Honestly, if you drive one of these cars knowing that they are under recall, I would think that you are assuming some of the liability. I wonder how that would fly in civil court. If at all possible, I wouldn't drive one that you have been notified might have this problem.

 

[Colston69]

This is a potentially lethal problem, not a car with slow pick-up.

Really? A hard to move gas pedal is exactly what is happening here. Hard to press down, hard to release.

Like I said, if you refuse to drive a car with problems, get ready to walk. Even with quality problems, Toyota does better than anything we have produced in my lifetime. I have 2 imports in my garage right now. One of them has 100k on it and never cost a dime over scheduled maintenance and tires. Not once have I owned a domestic that could say that.

 

[RadioNate]

There was huge outcry over the Firestone and Explorer problem. That was hardly covered up.

The problem for Toyota is how they are handling things. NHTSA told them years ago they thought the problem could be the gas pedals, but Toyota INSISTED it was the floor mats. Tell that to the dead people whose floor mats were in the trunk when their Toyota took off.

And now, it turns out they had a braking problem with their Priuses that the failed to tell people about.

There was a big outcry only after many people died. The outcry wasn't immediate, just like the Toyota outcry wasn't immediate. Ford and Firestone knew about the problem long before the media got ahold of it. That recall was issued in Aug 2000, ironically days after the Firestone CEO denied that there was any problem with their tires. The NHTSA came to Firestone in May of 2000 with concerns about the tires on the Explorer. Ford had brought the issue up to Firestone in 1995 and again in 1997. Ford began issuing free replacement tires on the same exact same Explorers in Venezuela 3 months before the US recall. No, Ford and Firestone knew nothing about it and issued the recall immediately with no delay.

Do you actually believe that? The US companies are some how more honorable than foreign companies? These are ALL money making businesses their entire purpose is to make money and everything the do is with that in mind. ALL businesses operate this way.

Point me to a news story about people dying with floor mats in the trunk. This is a separate different recall on a different issue than the floor mat recall anyway. Toyota has made is clear that these are 2 different things. And the only death we are hearing about is the Lexus in California. And yes I understand that Lexus is a Toyota division.

 

[Pigeon]

Next recall hype from Detroit: Toyota seat belts could lock up on you while you are trying to put them on. It must be a defect in the way the belt unrolls. Goverment officials will recommend you burn your Toyotas immediately.

No need to burn them. The seat belt issue will obviously cause all Toyotas to spontaneously combust.

 

[Colston69]

No need to burn them. The seat belt issue will obviously cause all Toyotas to spontaneously combust.

And the Secretary of Transportation will advise you to boycott any of your neighbors that ever owned one.

 

[Trish Bessette]

And the Secretary of Transportation will advise you to boycott any of your neighbors that ever owned one.

Cool I could handle my neighbors leaving me alone

 

[Pea-n-Me]

This is interesting, from Wikipedia:

Product Recall

A product recall is a request to return to the maker a batch or an entire production run of a product, usually due to the discovery of safety issues. The recall is an effort to limit liability for corporate negligence (which can cause costly legal penalties) and to improve or avoid damage to publicity. Recalls are costly to a company because they often entail replacing the recalled product or paying for damages caused in use, albeit possibly less costly than indirect cost following damages to brand name and reduced trust in the manufacturer.

A country's consumer protection laws will have specific requirements in regard to product recalls. Such regulations may include how much of the cost the maker will have to bear, situations in which a recall is compulsory (usually because the risk is big enough), or penalties for failure to recall. The firm may also initiate a recall voluntarily, perhaps subject to the same regulations as if the recall were compulsory. In the case of a compulsory recall, consumers who fail to dispose of it or return it to the manufacturer for replacement or refund could be fined for as much as $5000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_recall

 

[Colston69]

This is interesting, from Wikipedia:

I'd check it out from a legitimate source before I drove it to the landfill. Wikiedia entries from bored 12 year olds are hardly the final authority.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'd check it out from a legitimate source before I drove it to the landfill. Wikiedia entries from bored 12 year olds are hardly the final authority.

Just food for thought, Coloston. No need to insult.

 

[Colston69]

No insult, just fact. Even my 4th grader knows that she'll lose the grade if she goes to a wiki to get information.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

No insult, just fact. Even my 4th grader knows that she'll lose the grade if she goes to a wiki to get information.

It doesn't change the facts of consumer law.