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Old 01-29-2010, 01:01 PM   #31
XDCX
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Sure going to be interesting if Toyota makes all those pedal modifications and the accidents continue to occur.
That's a tough spot for Toyota to be in. With all the vehicles they have on the road you know there are going to continue to be issues with sudden acceleration - even if it's nothing more than driver error.

That said, I follow your point and agree that if there's a "root cause" to this problem Toyota hasn't addressed it will be devastating to their image and their dealer network. I read one report this morning that compared Toyota's situation to Tiger Woods. Toyota cannot allow this problem to linger and gain momentum.
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Old 01-29-2010, 02:33 PM   #32
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Automotive News is now stating Consumer Reports (the import lovers Bible) is telling it's readers NOT to buy the Toyota vehicles involved in the recall... not New or Used.
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Old 01-29-2010, 04:14 PM   #33
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Automotive News is now stating Consumer Reports (the import lovers Bible) is telling it's readers NOT to buy the Toyota vehicles involved in the recall... not New or Used.
I just read that.

Not surprisingly, CR reports their love-fest for Toyota will continue once repairs have been completed and they're convinced the cars are safe.
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Old 01-29-2010, 05:35 PM   #34
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"shakes his head in amazement"
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Old 01-30-2010, 09:37 AM   #35
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Default YouTube Video of what the Accelerator Pedal looks like

I'm more of a "visual" person so I found the following YouTube video interesting. The video shows the removal of the accelerator pedal assembly from a Toyota Sequoia and provides commentary on the design of the assembly. Here's the link - click here

The video's nine minutes long but there's no need to watch the whole thing - after the first two minutes you'll have a firm understanding of what the investigation's been centered on.

While I'm no expert, I have a hard time understanding how a technician in a dealership will be able to make any repairs or modifications to that assembly.
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Old 01-30-2010, 07:05 PM   #36
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... going to be Congressional Hearings regarding how Toyota...
.... or with a political agenda. That said, your example is one more reason why I hate the fact the U.S. Government owns GM and GMAC.
I just don't understand how something like this can linger for years (recalls back to 05) and suddenly the hammer drops... big time! I guess the pure coincidence of the governments gain , from an enforced gov. rule , upon a competitive company , within 12 mons of obtaining these new asset's ... is just silly-ness on my part, what could I possibly be thinking?
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Old 01-31-2010, 06:44 AM   #37
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Fox News had an "Auto Expert" on from Consumer reports yesterday morning. He said over and over, that this is over blown, there's no risk to buying or driving an affected Toyota..."This takes a long time to be dangerous, it starts by a funny feeling in the gas pedal and takes years to be a severe problem." He said no Toyota owner should be scared, and "Toyota's have repeatedly tested far above other vehicles in safety according to our tests." Fair and balanced I guess usually, but having a consumer reports "expert" commenting on something as serious as this seems a bit misleading. As I thought, they'd support Toyota down to the end.
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Old 01-31-2010, 10:38 PM   #38
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As I thought, they'd support Toyota down to the end.
I agree, I don't think this latest episode will have a long term impact on CR's love-fest for all things Toyota.

That said, I really question how much influence CR will have in the future. I know when I'm in the market for a new product I'll almost always search out User Reviews on the Internet. CNET and Amazon have offered these for years and I often find the User Reviews provide more answers to my questions than the Editor's write-up.

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer has been quoted that in ten years "print is dead" - I think he's right and I'd love to see CR fade away with all the other newspapers and magazines.
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Old 02-02-2010, 12:17 PM   #39
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Default “Safety Deaf”

“The company was so resistant, LaHood said, that it took a trip from federal safety officials to Japan to "wake them up" to the seriousness of the pedal problems.

"They should have taken it seriously from the very beginning when we first started discussing it with them," LaHood told AP. "Maybe they were a little safety deaf in their North American office until we went to Japan."

"If it had not been for the work of (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) pushing Toyota to make the recall, traveling to Japan, meeting with the top officials of Toyota in Japan and telling them that their folks in the United States seem to be a little safety deaf when it came to us talking to them, I don't know if the recall would be taking place," LaHood said.

"It took a trip from (NHTSA deputy administrator) Ron Medford to Japan to wake them up to the idea that this is a serious issue, it's a serious safety issue," LaHood said. "We're not going to sit by and let these kinds of crashes occur without them taking very, very quick action."”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35201553/ns/business-autos/
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Old 02-02-2010, 02:52 PM   #40
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"If it had not been for the work of (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) pushing Toyota to make the recall, traveling to Japan, meeting with the top officials of Toyota in Japan and telling them that their folks in the United States seem to be a little safety deaf when it came to us talking to them, I don't know if the recall would be taking place," LaHood said.
That's an amazing statement for a U.S. official to make - "safety deaf."

I bet every Product Liability attorney in the country is salivating over that quote.
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Old 02-02-2010, 03:23 PM   #41
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Automotive News just posted a story titled: Feds Look at Electronics as Source of Acceleration Defects.

"The U.S. Department of Transportation is looking into whether Toyota Motor Corp.'s problems with unintended acceleration can be traced to defects in the electronic controls rather than just the mechanical problems cited by the automaker, a Transportation official said today."

Can't read the rest of the story as I don't have a paid subscription. If things keep progressing like this, there might actually be something worse than being a Chrysler dealer - being a Toyota dealer.

[edit] Autoweek is also reporting the story: http://www.autoweek.com/article/2010...NEWS/100209972

Last edited by Txflyer; 02-02-2010 at 03:27 PM. Reason: added link
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Old 02-02-2010, 04:05 PM   #42
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Can't read the rest of the story as I don't have a paid subscription.
Article references:
http://www.safetyresearch.net/2010/0...%99t-think-so/

I don't recall this company.?. wording on their site sounds like ambulance chaser's?
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Old 02-03-2010, 11:24 AM   #43
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I just don't understand how something like this can linger for years (recalls back to 05) and suddenly the hammer drops... big time! I guess the pure coincidence of the governments gain , from an enforced gov. rule , upon a competitive company , within 12 mons of obtaining these new asset's ... is just silly-ness on my part, what could I possibly be thinking?
I keep thinking of the post every time I read another headline from NHTSA's LaHood.

Holy smokes, it seems like everything he's saying lately is another slam against Toyota. While he's currently trying to clean up the mess he created this morning, there's no question the damage has already been done.

While I'm naive enough to think the U.S. Government is too ethical to attack Toyota because of their equity interest in GM, GMAC and Chrysler, the last 24 hours has certainly made me wonder.
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Old 02-03-2010, 12:53 PM   #44
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We just traded for a 2000 4Runner & wholesaled the unit for a solid 1k less than it probably would have brought 30 days ago. (A nice piece w/ high miles & not on the recall.) Phone shopped this vehicle for buy figures to our regular wholesalers prior to write-back.
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Old 02-03-2010, 01:13 PM   #45
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We just traded for a 2000 4Runner & wholesaled the unit for a solid 1k less than it probably would have brought 30 days ago. (A nice piece w/ high miles & not on the recall.) Phone shopped this vehicle for buy figures to our regular wholesalers prior to write-back.
I was wondering about that aspect of it. We usually don't trade for more than 1 or 2 Toyotas a year, but right now I'd be afraid to stock one at all. Since you can't run them through the auctions I was wondering how hard values had been hit. Problem is, I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.
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