Toyota deliberately chose to ignore the facts.

[G35COUPE]

How does a company known for quality, ignore the facts before them? Failure, just as success, is a cascade of obvious and not so obvious events.




Toyota safety recalls were years in the making - USATODAY.com

[cmcpokey]

i think the word is hubris.

[wwgkd]

Fortunately for them a good reputation is as hard to get rid of as a bad one.

[2ndclasscitizen]

They hopefully ignored it as a way to kill off drivers who are too stupid to figure out to put the damn car into neutral if the throttle is tuck. Furthering the species.

[wwgkd]

They hopefully ignored it as a way to kill off drivers who are too stupid to figure out to put the damn car into neutral if the throttle is tuck. Furthering the species.

This has come up a bunch and does seem to be the obvious solution (if you have the time to do so, some of the fatalities didn't) but toyota seems to be suggesting turning the car off rather than shifting into neutral. It would seem to me that turing the car off would just result in locked steering, so is there some reason that they aren't making a bigger deal out of the neutral solution? Is there a lock stopping you from shifting into neutral on their autos or something?

[2ndclasscitizen]

This has come up a bunch and does seem to be the obvious solution (if you have the time to do so, some of the fatalities didn't) but toyota seems to be suggesting turning the car off rather than shifting into neutral. It would seem to me that turing the car off would just result in locked steering

Only if you turn the car off completely. If you just kill the ignition you'll only lose power assistance on the brakes and steering.

so is there some reason that they aren't making a bigger deal out of the neutral solution? Is there a lock stopping you from shifting into neutral on their autos or something?

Probably because making the dead people look stupid in the media would create a shitstorm for them.

[Brix]

They hopefully ignored it as a way to kill off drivers who are too stupid to figure out to put the damn car into neutral if the throttle is tuck. Furthering the species.

Well, you try to think to do that in 1 second before you crash!
But i agree that it must be a way to kill of "stupid" people as the throttle (in most cases) get's stuck if there is too much trash around it.

[Ferrer]

Fortunately for them a good reputation is as hard to get rid of as a bad one.

I'd say that a good reputation is easy to lose and bad one difficult, and the opposite for gaining them.

This apparently is quite big, first being located in the US and now it affects EDM cars as well.

We'll see how that turns out, but all of the millions (billions?) that it will cost Toyota aside, it could affect them badly in terms of sales and image.

[Brix]

I'd say that a good reputation is easy to lose and bad one difficult, and the opposite for gaining them.

This apparently is quite big, first being located in the US and now it affects EDM cars as well.

We'll see how that turns out, but all of the millions (billions?) that it will cost Toyota aside, it could affect them badly in terms of sales and image.

Just the fact that they have seized production and sales thru all the world!

[Ferrer]

And now this.

Toyota loses $21B in market share in one week, plans media blitz this week — Autoblog

Looks like Toyota is really in trouble.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Toyota is simply suffering at the hands of a decreasing automotive market.

I don't know about anyone else (other than G35coupe) but I get the feeling that this, while a massive recall indeed, is not just going to affect Toyota - Peugeot, for instance, have announced recalls on some of their vehicles with the similar assembly.

And furthermore, provided the process is handled with dignity, speed and quietly, I don't see the major issue.

[henk4]

there will be a recall in holland for the C1 and the little Pug, but only for the petrol engined cars. It seems that the wise buyers will not be affected

[Ferrer]

I don't know about anyone else (other than G35coupe) but I get the feeling that this, while a massive recall indeed, is not just going to affect Toyota - Peugeot, for instance, have announced recalls on some of their vehicles with the similar assembly.

The PSA cars they recalled are the 107 and C1, which are in fact badge engineered version of the Toyota Aygo.

And furthermore, provided the process is handled with dignity, speed and quietly, I don't see the major issue.

The problem seems to be that the process isn't being handled with dignity, speed and quietness.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

But thats the thing - the major auto press are covering it, for sure, but the mainstream media have it at a cursive side story. Toyota makes cars in Australia, and there will be serious issues if they don't inform customers, but there hasn't been a sensational news story beating it up.

If it's going to cause a stink it'll be the arrogants at Toyota US.

Or, indeed, the corporate "save-face" culture of Japan.

[G35COUPE]

What I have learnt from all these crisis---financial and auto crisis, is that smaller may sometimes be better. A smaller Toyota or a smaller Citigroup/Bank of America, may be a good thing for the corporations and the world economy.