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Oh you bet. What better way for Government Motors and Little Government Motors (Chrysler) to benefit than by the government putting the screws to Toyota?
This is a prime example as to why the government should not be involved in business. They can simply regulate or legislate their competition out of business..
First they weighted the amounts they had to pay in law suits against what a recall would cost (like it is done in every case) and basically are deciding if one more death is cheaper then a recall...
Now Toyota is admitting they have no clue if the sticky pedals and the floor mats are to blame for the accidents...so do we all feel safe on the road...NOT me..
I don't buy Japanese cars since I rather buy cars made in the USA by a US car maker, and when I lived in Europe I bought European cars. But since we share the road and another car can and will cause an accident due to Toyota's issues, I'm in danger as well just as any one else and although going on the road is always a danger or a risk, this is a risk I don't want to be put on me because Toyota knows something else is wrong with their cars!
First they weighted the amounts they had to pay in law suits against what a recall would cost (like it is done in every case) and basically are deciding if one more death is cheaper then a recall...
Now Toyota is admitting they have no clue if the sticky pedals and the floor mats are to blame for the accidents...so do we all feel safe on the road...NOT me..
I don't buy Japanese cars since I rather buy cars made in the USA by a US car maker, and when I lived in Europe I bought European cars. But since we share the road and another car can and will cause an accident due to Toyota's issues, I'm in danger as well just as any one else and although going on the road is always a danger or a risk, this is a risk I don't want to be put on me because Toyota knows something else is wrong with their cars!
Considering the foot pedal design and the floor mats are standard in every car, I'm not sure the point in targeting Toyota. They ALL are the same..
The curent top russian imports are Toyota, Hundai and Daewoo...and the russian car factories are crying the blues that those imports are taking away their business ..
What they have produced over the years was not a volkswagen Beetle but a pile of smoking junk that is not worth naming...
Similar to the goods (?) we have endured from GM for several decades..
I remember when B. Gates was given the 'shakedown a few years ago and calmly said
...*********, A##holes...I'll take my factory to Canada and move everybody up there at my expense..
That was the end of that...
I feel sorry for the Toyoda's, they have given the market place morals and excellence...
I hope that they do not think all of America is like the dweebs in DC.
If I were Mr. Toyoda today, I would give the Senate hearings the finger and walk out to my private jet..
Maybe travel to Quebec and move all my American enterprises to Canada...
We are thriving on unemployment here...would add to that group significantly and help keep a smile on Mr. Obamas face as he moves us to the Proletariat...Dasvedonya...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pghquest
Considering the foot pedal design and the floor mats are standard in every car, I'm not sure the point in targeting Toyota. They ALL are the same..
ALL the same? So one part number fits all?
There are cars still using mechanical throttle linkage as well as many using "drive-by-wire" electronic throttle assemblies whhic send position data to control units with vastly different programming parameters, hardly the same at all.
Some vehicles have built in floor mat anchors preventing forward creep of the mats, not all do. Once again, hardly the same at all.
This is a prime example as to why the government should not be involved in business. They can simply regulate or legislate their competition out of business..
This doesn't just involve the United States. Other governments world wide are demanding that Toyota man-up to their responsibilities to fix the problems that they've known about for a long time and did nothing about. They aren't going through anything more than other car companies have gone through when there was a life-threatening recall. In other words, there is no conspiracy by our current administration to harm Toyota. They sell a LOT of cars therefore the problem is massive and deserves the media attention.
Last edited by Wayland Woman; 02-24-2010 at 07:58 AM..
FWIW - I own a motorcycle that has one throttle cable to open the throttle and another to close it. That is an example of redundant design in a safety related system. If Kawasaki can do something like that why can't Toyota?
One of our political parties has a history of business shakedowns...is this happening to Toyota..
Have they not made the correct contributions?
Is this part of a plan to reduce their market share?
Where is the smoking gun???
(Is it in the backseat of Government Motors or in a black armor clad, DC limo with POTUS on the front bumper?)
Dave, I don't know if you're an auto mechanic, but I am. Specifically, I'm a drivability tech. My background is primarily servicing Chrysler products, but the Toyota ETC system now in question has similar design and safety characteristics to the DCX system, so based on that, let me offer my input.
The first thing we need to do is to separate all the might-be's from the is's and that requires good information. The best place to get information on an intermittent malfunction like the one we are discussing is from the actual driver of the vehicle. This is what I did before posting a warning on this forum a couple weeks back to all Toyota and Lexus drivers with ETC that I don't believe Toyota actually knows what is causing this undesired, unexpected and uncontrollable acceleration.
In my professional opinion, Toyota has addressed two "potential" causes for this run-away condition, but their explanations are seemingly inconsistent with customer complaints I have both read and heard. The condition described by these customers is that of full throttle application. And yes, Toyota is correct that undesired throttle application should throw a rationality code when desired application conflicts with the expected TPS output signal causing the vehicle to go into a default program, but I heard a news story yesterday that a person doing research on the problem was able to short both APP sensors together without a DTC being stored for the event.
One of the first things I learned when I began repairing vehicles for a living is that DTCs are a useful part of the diagnostic procedure, but they are not 100% reliable and the absence of an expected DTC doesn't mean the conditions needed to set the DTC were not present. It would seem from Toyota's statements that they are hanging their hats on this absence of a rationality or CCM DTC as evidence that a malfunctioning actuator or controller is not in play. From where I'm sitting, since there is no other reason beyond the absence of a DTC to make that assumption, neither has been ruled out.
Other causes, the kind only drive geeks like me think about, may come to light as time moves forward and (hoping I'm wrong) more incidence of this condition take place in "repaired" vehicles.
Asking the right questions is the first step in getting the correct answers. The first question we should be asking is, what would cause a vehicle to behave in this manner while operating within its design parameters? That may seem self-contradictory, but keep in mind that fly-by-wire systems in European Airbus jets have flown these planes into the ground while operating as designed. The next question to ask is, what non-monitored systems could cause this condition? We cannot rule out a software glitch either.
A government shake down is irrelevant in the discussion of Toyota. I read an article in car and Driver over a year ago (a magazine that normally can’t get enough of Toyota) where they gave scathing reviews of several newly released models. From what I recall about the article, Car and Driver stated bland plastic use, clunky electronics, and a disappointing ride were reminiscent of Detroit prior their huge fall. They suggested that Toyota get back to the basics of prior manufacturing standards.
Toyota as with many huge companies is bottom line driven. Quality control is skimmed at times to accomplish this and potentially problematic recall data will be fudged to save face and capital. According to information linked currently there was an attempt to limit the scope of the acceleration issues. Back in 2007 Toyota stated that they did not believe that floor mats affected the acceleration of most of its vehicle fleet and recommended a reduced number of recalls. As more instances of unintended acceleration occurred however a much larger alarm bell rang.
Now I don’t know about most of you but I for one would not want to be in a vehicle that could spontaneously accelerate. As one poster previously stated, they aren’t (Toyota) even sure what is causing the acceleration currently. Now this is definitely not big government but the job of government, to step in an protect its citizenry. This falls under lead paint contaminated products coming from China. When a potentially fatal problem is brought to light, it is the US governments responsibility to protect. Hearings are unneeded as the senators holding them are just as ignorant as John Q Public in the technological intricacies behind this issue. Private handling with government oversight and public reporting is the magic bullet. This a shakedown it does not make, no conspiracy, and no little green men in uniforms with US flags on them.
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So one part number fits all?
