Toyota is the new Audi

I miss Malorn too! Mostly I miss the daily updates of all the Toyota tragedies.

 

+1

Toyota is the new GM not audi. Hubris in hiring NHTSA workers to work the system, deny problems that were there, set up dealers that didn't report problems so they weren't counted.

They put volume first so had massive recalls. They should have been honestly reading the recordings from crashes all along and part of this mess would have been avoided. The public has short memories, but these incidents make hundai which is the new honda look more attractive.

 

The problem was there were no readers available until recently. There was one prototype available at the time, so it was not possible for anyone to get a reading. Mr. Toyoda and technical staff said so at the hearings.

 

Kudos to the editor of Automobile, while I did let my subscription lapse it is my favorite car magazine. Mr. Cammisa hit the nail on the head, well written piece.

A friend had been ribbing me mercilessly about my Prius, "software glitches" and unintended acceleration. I told him it's Audi all over again.
He agreed when on our way to lunch I demonstrated what happens when you step on the brake with the throttle depressed. No worries, wide back street with NO traffic. I think that is what convinced him.

The media sure has a way of whipping up a frenzy, don't they?

I have had a throttle stick wide open on an old car in my younger days, no drama, just reached over and turned the key one click. Back in the day the ONLY thing to prevent a stuck throttle was one spring. If the throttle return spring broke or became disconnected it's wide open throttle time.

 

Well, don't wait for an apology from the media for all that torching they gave to to Toyota. And all those yokels who appeared right here (and still are)to give you their negative take--as if somebody was paying them to do it (maybe the Koch Brothers).

People don't realize the media is not there to report facts to the American people. The media is there to MAKE MONEY. They will print it if you pay for it. They will run ads saying Toyotas are Satan's cars; they will run more ads saying Obama is a pinko-communist-muslim. As long as they get paid. They will run anything unchecked if they can get ratings or advertising from it. Profit is their credo.

So the next time your Toyota dealer tells you he wants to saw your accelerator pedal in half, tell him to stuff it.

 

NHTSA was asking for readers for 5 years. Toyota didn't have readers because they did not want lawyers to be able to read anything from the cars. Its like saying that poor boy killed his parents because he was an orphan.

This is not to say that most of the problems were not driver error. It is saying that in 2007 or 2008 toyota should have been checking these things out, designing pedals that didn't get caught in floor matts, accelerators that didn't stick, and started putting an over ride to the electric throttle when the brake was pushed. This last item is on our prius's and the hybrid camry, but toyota did not agree to add to other cars until this mess blew up in there face. Toyota is not some innocent victim here, or the worst evil corporation. But they shouldn't get a free pass from the problems they caused because there is also media hype and bad actors like sikes. This applies to all the auto companies not just toyota. Just don't do the wrong thing and cover it up. What is so hard about that?

 

"...no way all those driver's could be stupid..."

No more stupid than the rest of us, just flustered and panicked.

 

Well I'm not sure if it's Audi all over again....

I was a kid when the Audi 5000 scare was happening: but I remember it because my dad had an Audi 5000 CS at the time. He was even encouraging my mom to get an Audi station wagon (she had a Subaru). It's just as well that she never took him up on that offer, because he started developing major mechanical issues. He'd take it in to get fixed: instead of fixing the problem, the Audi dealership would create a new problem. He finally got fed up with the lack of service and decided to go Toyota (I had just gotten a Toyota Corolla as my first car, and we were impressed with the Toyota dealership). My family has been with Toyota ever since.

I've never seen any Audi owner be able to keep their car for more then 4 years. The 5000 might have been revolutionary for a sedan, but the layout of any modern Audi/VW seems really combursome these days.

 

Lets say that you are moving through an intersection at low speed, someone comes flying through a red light and the only way to avoid them is immediate maximum acceleration.

It doesn't happen often but it does happen and its not always possible to anticipate.

What then?

 

energyandair.. agreed! Way better to educate drivers than to make the cars more stupid.

 

you know those faulty pedals were made in the USA. Thats what i tell everyone who's like haha look at toyota thats why you buy american. Looks like American is the problem.

 

The manufacturer is responsible to make sure all the parts work together. It doesn't matter where the parts come from. Toyota approved the design. Toyota chose to forget TMS (toyota manufacturing system) and did not listen to customers or try to quickly address quality issues. They kept quality problems in europe away from exposure to the us customers, dealers, and regulators. If they had quickly addressed the problem as it came up there would have been no scandal, no finger pointing, and no fines, no whistle blowers talking to regulators, etc. This isn't different than us manufactures, infact the behaviour is quite like some past bad behavior by gm, ford, and Chrysler. It has nothing to do with the parts supplier or location.

Toyota is huge which is the opposite of audi which was just starting to export to the united states. Toyota spends huge sums of money on bribes, I mean PACs to influence politicians, and large advertising budget. Audi had no reports of cover up or fatalities.

 

On the other hand, in that situation, what are the chances that braking would keep you clear of the on-coming idiot..?

Many years ago I learned to NEVER proceed into an intersection just after the light changed my way without first checking, being certain, no oncoming driver seemed to have the intention to bust the light.

 

If you are entering an intersection, yes, you brake. If you're in the middle of the intersection, you accelerate or you get hit if you brake. I see people run a fully red light at least once every couple of weeks.

 

Sorry -- I confused Audi with Volvo.