Toyota (Akio Toyoda) Testimonies

[S2KtoFT86]

I've watched Jim Lentz yesterday and now Akio Toyoda and Inaba's testimonies and it just seems to me like a witch hunt. I know the Congressional Oversight Committee is out to do that but it just seems they are fishing to try to ruin Toyota's name and image, if it hasn't been already with the recalls.

I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that said the government was getting involved to get customers to buy GM and Chrysler and quit buying Toyota. Given the way the testimonies are going and the questions being asked, it definitely seems like this is the case, which is sad.

What are your thoughts on the testimonies if you've watched them?

[NESW20]

i haven't seen them, but i'd be very interested. link?

anyone remember how FORD'S USED TO CATCH ON FIRE RANDOMLY? due to not having a fused brake switch for the cruise control function. and it could happen at any time, ignition didn't even have to be turned on. and quite honestly, if we had better driver training programs and more stringent licensing requirements, a lot of the danger from stuck throttles could be mitigated. ugh.

i know i will continue to purchase toyotas. they've been good to me. even when i haven't been good to them, haha.

-Mike

[S2KtoFT86]

Originally Posted by NESW20

i haven't seen them, but i'd be very interested. link?

anyone remember how FORD'S USED TO CATCH ON FIRE RANDOMLY? due to not having a fused brake switch for the cruise control function. and it could happen at any time, ignition didn't even have to be turned on. and quite honestly, if we had better driver training programs and more stringent licensing requirements, a lot of the danger from stuck throttles could be mitigated. ugh.

i know i will continue to purchase toyotas. they've been good to me. even when i haven't been good to them, haha.

-Mike

You can watch them on cnn.com.

[mike2100]

I think the average American watching the hearings is going to take them far out of context, without having a comprehensive understanding of the background of Toyota's and every other car manufacturer's safety reputation.

[chulooz]

It does seem like a bit of a witch hunt, but the further they are probing them the more I think Toyota may have known too much for too long. It seems like the brand may be getting in serious trouble, and the decline in foreign auto sales will be a bonus to this procedure for the prosecutors.

[chulooz]

wow... I think that the delegate from DC is a completely crazy betch, that was crap.

[S2KtoFT86]

Originally Posted by mike2100

I think the average American watching the hearings is going to take them far out of context, without having a comprehensive understanding of the background of Toyota's and every other car manufacturer's safety reputation.

However, all it takes is one time and this is Toyota's one time. As much of a witch hunt that I think it is, it really didn't look good for Toyota, especially because they couldn't say yes or no to anything. It was always a long drawn out response which didn't properly answer the question.

[S2KtoFT86]

Originally Posted by Axel

much ado about nothing... soon to be forgotten.

I bet this will ends up being a bigger blackeye for NHTSA and the Administration than Toyota...

Report: NHTSA doesn't have any software or electrical engineers on staff to investigate Toyota

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Feb 24th, 2010 at 3:58PM
Autoblog


"NHTSA officials told investigators that the agency doesn't employ any electrical engineers or software engineers."

So says The Washington Post, in a revelation that's at least shocking if nothing else. Consider your car for a moment. How many electrical connections and silicon bits are there making the whole kit-n'-kaboodle operate? Plenty, right? In fact, The Car Connection estimates that the average "modern luxury car has something close to 100 million lines of software code in it, running on 70 to 100 microprocessors." Though the quote about the government safety agency came out in the government hearings on Toyota safety, that figures to be worrisome news to all motorists, as modern vehicles from all manufacturers are more or less rolling computers, and their very movement is governed by computers that NHTSA apparently cannot begin to analyze – at least internally.

Hopefully, the report regarding the lack of electrical and software engineers at NHTSA was either misunderstood or incorrect. We have a feeling that's likely the case – in fact, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in his testimony on Capitol Hill today that the agency does at least have access to such engineers.

I seriously doubt it will soon be forgotten, simply due to the fact that the government is creating fear in driving Toyota's. They might as well be flying a Chrysler/GM flag behind the panel. Even some of the questions made it sound like driving a Toyota was a very bad and dangerous decision. I think Toyota will work hard to fix this but I don't think the government will let it die, especially since there's been multiple fatalities because of this problem.

[Slide]

Originally Posted by NESW20

and quite honestly, if we had better driver training programs and more stringent licensing requirements, a lot of the danger from stuck throttles could be mitigated. ugh.

A little offtopic but when i owned my nissan pulsar n15 i had problems with my throttel being stuff well it wasn't actually stuck but the spring in the engin bay for the throttle cable had come off and would leave me with full throttle it would always happen on the high way when ever i would reach 110km/h-120km/h and i would be left with full throttle so all i did was leave car in 5th gear pull over into the emerecny shoulder and turn the car off.. with difficulty cause couldn't put it into nutral as it would sit at redline. scary the first time it happen but i had enough common sence to know that if throttle was on full... turn off car... later to find out that this should've been solved when nissan had a recall on the car but previous owner didn;t know and never got it solved...

But nothing like this has been said over here is Australia about toyota guess cause how car makers aren't in so much debt an been bailed out by the goverment. Sucks for Toyota but I know when I look at my next car it will still be a Toyota... just think they admited the fault and its free to get it fixed... so why are people complaining.

[Lexicon101]

Originally Posted by NESW20

anyone remember how FORD'S USED TO CATCH ON FIRE RANDOMLY?
-Mike

The first word that came to my mind is "Fiero"...

Edit: Oh, and back on topic.. It does seem a bit of a witch hunt, and nobody can say that our government is completely unbiased, when it BOUGHT Chrysler and GM (which sounds like a vested interest to me..). I haven't seen the videos, and I plan on watching them right after I fix my car, but.. it really wouldn't surprise me.

[whaap]

Well, it has had an impact on me. When they admit that the "floor mat" and the fix for the gas pedal won't necessarily fix the problem, that's a big one. I don't fault any manufacturer having recalls to correct problems but I sure do fault them for their obvious attempt to cover up and make it a "much to do about nothing"!

[S2KtoFT86]

Originally Posted by Slide

A little offtopic but when i owned my nissan pulsar n15 i had problems with my throttel being stuff well it wasn't actually stuck but the spring in the engin bay for the throttle cable had come off and would leave me with full throttle it would always happen on the high way when ever i would reach 110km/h-120km/h and i would be left with full throttle so all i did was leave car in 5th gear pull over into the emerecny shoulder and turn the car off.. with difficulty cause couldn't put it into nutral as it would sit at redline. scary the first time it happen but i had enough common sence to know that if throttle was on full... turn off car... later to find out that this should've been solved when nissan had a recall on the car but previous owner didn;t know and never got it solved...

But nothing like this has been said over here is Australia about toyota guess cause how car makers aren't in so much debt an been bailed out by the goverment. Sucks for Toyota but I know when I look at my next car it will still be a Toyota... just think they admited the fault and its free to get it fixed... so why are people complaining.

People are complaining because this has been a known problem since 2007. They just didn't do anything about it. They gave the general "don't use anything other than Toyota brand floor mats" yadda yadda. It took them 2 years to take this seriously and start recalling vehicles. I hate it for them and appreciate their vehicles. My first car in HS was a 1990 Camry which I loved dearly.

[S2KtoFT86]

Originally Posted by whaap

Well, it has had an impact on me. When they admit that the "floor mat" and the fix for the gas pedal won't necessarily fix the problem, that's a big one. I don't fault any manufacturer having recalls to correct problems but I sure do fault them for their obvious attempt to cover up and make it a "much to do about nothing"!

This.

[Lexicon101]

Originally Posted by S2KtoFT86

Seriously, read what I type please. Nice try though.

Regardless of his oversight, this really isn't relevant to the FT-86 in the way you posted it. This is about existing Toyota vehicles, and the reputation of Toyota Motor Co., not about the FT-86 specifically.

Edit: o_o Where'd they go?