A slippery slope that these Toyota dealers are on, very slippery.

I have always heard that Corporate Toyota used advertising $ very effectively over the last 20 years or so. I think this is one of the reasons why this story is so big now, we'll call it pent up supply of negativity about Toyota.

GOOD.... Bullcrap reporting based of Fear and Stupidity deserves yanking the advertising dollar...... Wake up Dianne Sawyer....

GM did the same with the LA Times.

Watch what happens if ABC backs down. The GM fanboi's will lump it in with Consumer Reports as a spineless group of Toyota nuthuggers. Ya can't win. The question for ABC is does it want to see the other 3 or 4 networks get it's money, money that would have gone to ABC and it's affiliates?

Toyota vs Mickey Mouse is up next.

I don't think Toyota's money matters anymore. The story was on the front page of the New York Times every day last week. Wait 'til the congressional hearings begin, the sharks smell blood.

As previously mentioned the act of boycotting a media source has already been done by General Motors to the LA Times. GM and its dealers ceased all advertising on the LA Times from April 2005 for four months.

Apparently that "slippery slope" was already set up by GM

Nope, you got that wrong.

Since you're talking inside the Washington Beltway, those "smelling
blood," at the upcoming Congressional media circus are more properly
categorized as;
* Vultures
* Hyenas
* Jackals
* Parasites
* Leaches

There is no comparison. Google "toyota recall", how many hits do you get? The number increases almost constantly. How long before the Southeast Toyota story is reported as a story on its own? In this case pulling the ad $ will hurt toyota in the long run.

Toyota's congressional hearing will not be like GM's, and Chrysler's. While Toyota, its management, employees and dealers regret this lapse in our product and will strive to restore our reputation, quality and loyalty. Toyota most certainly will not by be bowing our heads, with hands outreached, and on one knee asking for the taxpayer's hard earned money and handouts.

Next up should be the LA Times, a paper that I have subscribed to for 40+ years, but which has also gone over the top in reporting regurgitated details to fill out above-the fold articles on Toyota almost every day last week. Given their precarious existence currently, they had better be careful in biting the hand that feeds them.

But no where near as much as GM's. Then not many companies have as many as 8 major safety recalls in 2009 alone.

BTW when has your company publically admitted to shame and fault and provided a public apology?

I agree, they will be far worse. Wait 'til the deceit and cover-up become front page news.

fyp, tyvm

I would like to see some Toyota owners, picked at random, represented at these hearings. I am sure the net impact would be a much more positive affirmation of the company's support than one gets from the current media hysteria.

GM has not systematically tried to hide a major safety defect, then sort of admitted there might be a problem with the floor mats, yeah thats the ticket. Wait now the floor mats are in the trunk and still another case of unintended acceleration resulting in death, I guess now we need to replace the accelerator pedal and wow, we have brand new accelerator pedal engineered and ready to go in what a week. Do you believe in fairy tales too? Do you honestly think the pedal will fix the problem? Do you think it is not an electronic problem? Do you think the state trooper would not have been able to stop the vehicle if it was just a stuck accelerator pedal?

Living in Alabama, pulling ads from ABC won't have any effect. But if they pulled their ads from FOX ... That would be something. But they can't be mad at FOX whose attitude is "What Toyota problem? Be a man, show the Govn'ment you don't care what they say about any car bein' dangerous!"

Bob Wilson

I tremble reading your post. I am amazed at how evil spills out of your words, your hate for Toyota and lack of understanding of how hard the manufacturer has worked to understand what was wrong is truly scaring.

If it is so obvious to you that it was/is an electronic problem, how come you have not presented your proof already? How come the Toyota company itself has spent thousand of man-hours trying to figure it out? How come NHTSA investigation proved nothing? How come they all came with empty hands? So they must be stupid and you are the clever guy, right?

You must for sure feel and perceive others minds, reasoning and actions by your own standards and way of life. You feel everybody is in the world passing by just with a purpose: to cheat on the next guy.

No, that's not the way everybody lives, that's not the standard at many companies, Toyota included, but not exclusively. No, that's not the way people and companies with honest intentions work. That's just the way your poor mind and heart works. You poor soul.

Not a smart move on the dealers' part. It's like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Think about it. Now the dealers have no means of countering the ABC stories on the ABC stations. If the dealers have a message, they could use the advertizing to make their points. If the dealers think that pulling the advertizing will do any good, think again.

They should not say they are pulling them from 'excessive coverage'. They will get stung for that one in the future with more 'excessive coverage'.

They should have just said they are pulling them because they don't have much to sell at the moment.

ORLY? What do you call 900,000 Cobalts since 2005 where GM still refuses to recall the vehicles after 1132 complaints to NHTSA about steering failures. That's not a coverup? That's not dragging its heels?

Let's do a little elementary school math. Which number is greater?
1132 complaints in 900,000 vehicles
132 complaints in 103,000 vehicles

Your GM bias only makes you believe that reality. As in almost every position you've taken on these boards since you joined ... eventually you'll be shown to be wrong because of blind prejudice. Time to go back to grade school son, 1132 is more than 132. Gosh I hate being right ALL the time when you post biased junk.

Time heals all wounds. Hey, look at it this way, GM might even make it. Ford, post Explorer, is the new media darling. You are free to have a party and hope and pray something dreadful occurs. But holding your breath waiting for the collapse will only turn you blue.

Here read these comments from real Cobalt owners.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0e8754
1100+ complaints and 900,000 Cobalts and GM still hasn't done anything about it except quietly try to cover it up ( you are a GM franchise so I assume that you're part of this coverup ). It's a good thing that they're putting a bullet in the head of this little monster in the Fall. That way GM and dealers like you can just walk away from the problem and leave the owners twisting in the wind.