TMC Execs encouraged US to "keep quiet"-US Exec disagreed

I do think it's a bit of a stretch to say that Toyota had linked the pedal to SUA, since there is only one proven non-driver related SUA incident to date (thank you, Lexus dealer).

ATAC, Ralph Nader and his minions- Kane, Claybrooke, and the MSM have been saying it was the electronics and that this pedal issue was a smokescreen.

Of course, this exec may or may not have known what he was talking about. We already know that individual T employees said some dumb things, ie money saved on the recalls.

Time will tell. I bought my Prius for the fuel economy. Re-sale was a consideration. And I've always believed quality depended a bit on luck and a bit on my taking care of the product.

 

As for me, the Prius is a great product of a company that designed, manufactured, and will service it for me. My "loyalty" does not run as deeply as some of the posters I see.

If there is a smoking gun, such as emails or docs as this - shame on Toyota. If true and substantiated, this puts the matter in a different light - possible cover-up. And if true Toyota should, and will have serious liability. Unfortunately lawyers will have a field day in the U.S. They're chomping at the bit right now.

 

Here is a question...How many people would of not purchased their Prius/Toyota had all this news had surfaced early, and got no special monetary incentive ? !!!...I must say, I did not pledge loyalty to anyone but myself..It would of been very hard for me to give my business to Toyota, if I knew what I know now, at the prices I paid.

It seems quite odd, that they left out the majority of their car buying countries of the news they gave to Europe .

 

Yeah that's the rub for me right now. Was it simply poor internal communication, or something worse?

 

The Headline make it sound like Japan vs USA, but the more I read, the more it sounds like internal US office politics.

 

I could be wrong, but was Mr. Miller's email a significant factor in Toyota's recall on the accelerator pedals? I doubt it a lot more than the LA Times. Are the PR staff the first to know about things like this? And I don't see anything evil in Mr. Kaganei's (who I think knew about the recall notices) instructions to an almost retired PR staffer who wasn't in the loop.

Of course, IMO it shows Toyota can't win. Two months ago, the LA Times was saying that the accelerator pedal recall was a smokescreen- that Ralph Nader's position that all SUA was due to electronics was true. Now by delaying the announcement of the recall for something Toyota knew wasn't the cause of the problem they put peoples' safety at risk. Then it was electronics. Now its the accelerator pedal.

I'm no Toyota fanatic. I am a skeptic about journalists. After learning what a journalist is supposed to do, I changed my college major.

 

whoops - double post

 

Let me save malorn the trouble:

"Doomed ... DOOMED !! ... Toyota is DOOMED I tell ya ... it's just a matter of time! ... run - don't walk, to your nearest GM dealer ... lots of bargains"

Meanwhile, Prius sales are up.



.

 

I certainly agree the emails can be taken out of context. As you indicate, at one point they are talking about how to respond to media inquiries. That has no bearing on regulatory requirements.

But there is an excerpt that seems to indicate that someone somewhere was aware of the pedal problem.

 

Meanwhile, Prius sales are up.

And just who "fed" us that bit of information...??

 

Is GM repackaging the Nissan Leaf in a two, passenger sports car like this:


Or do they still look like this:


Bob Wilson

 

I have only one comment on this thread (frankly it's all I could say because I was not involved in any of the reported discussions):

It is absolutely true that Mr. Miller had been planning his retirement resignation for months. This was well known within the company. Coincidence that helps breed conspiracy theories? Unfortunately, yes.

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

 

Nothing like seeing conspiracy theories from the inside to re-assure yourself that we really did land on the moon. Every hint is taken as proof of their theory. Do not take the Buzz Adrin approach.
Buzz Aldrin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I have no doubt that Toyota was aware of the pedal problem months earlier from their testing after the Saylor SUA. I don't know how big a problem they thought it was. I'm still not sure that it caused any accidents or fatalities. Guess I still believe that the same thing that causes SIAs causes SUAs (other than putting an SUV floor mat in a car).

 

CBC News - Money - Toyota's Canadian March sales up 24%

Proof People Aren't Dumb: Prius Sales Up 27% | PriusChat

Who Fed us? It was that whacky source ... often referred to as "the numbers". But feel free to be 'fed' by denial, if it chaffs yer hide. ... & fwiw, the big embolded font ... it really doesn't add anything, does it?

Saylor SUA, and pedal problem ... do you have a link? Last thing I read was that their rental Lexus accident was determined to be the floor mats bunched up under the pedal.
.

 

Sorry, I was too brief. I believe the August Saylor loaner Lexus accident was the "wake-up call" for Toyota. That accident was apparently due to SUV floor mats in a car. I think that was when they got serious about the other SUA complaints (knowing that a lawsuit would look beyond just floor mats). That led to the advisory about pedals in Sept 09, which apparently wasn't seen as too big a deal (or someone in Europe would have shared it with the press).

 

"..Last thing I read.."

Either you do not read a lot or you are a BIG fan of Fox news.

Find the "real" Frank Bernard, the one that Toyota says....

 

Most of us find it quite hard to believe that if the gas pedal was stuck WOT Saylor would have discovered it and attempted a fix long before the crash. Short term runaway, yes the mat could be a problem. But long enough to have initial panic subside, especially of a CHP officer, and logic to "set in"...???

I would even bet good money that Saylor tried shifting to neutral but was unsuccessful. What position WAS the gear shifter found in post crash..??