Toyota accused of cover-up regarding software causing sudden unintended acceleration

The founder of the firm that won the big case against Toyota in Oklahoma has produced a video accusing Toyota of a cover-up.

"Toyota knew before the first recalls that there was a problem with the Electronic Throttle Control System, in regards to sudden unintended acceleration, as early as 2004. When you go back and look at the beginning of this problem, they knew about the problem, that's the real tragedy." Jere Beasley, Founder, Beasley Law Firm

No wonder the Recall King now blabbers about needing to be "reborn" in the eyes of its customers. Toyota can talk the talk. But when it comes to walkin' the walk...

Listen up, Akio. "Select shops" don't stonewall about obvious defects that cause engines to suddenly disintegrate, ruin exhaust systems, and deplete customers' bank accounts of the better part of ten thousand dollars. Pocket change to you. Big bucks to most folks. And "select shops" don't make national headlines for every misdeed imaginable, along with a never-ending parade of defects, safety and otherwise. "Select shops" are competent, honest, and treat customers with respect. Toyota is a long way from being viewed as a "select shop" by informed consumers.

The impact of the Oklahoma case cannot be overstated. The Recall King is now in "settlement mode," exemplified by Toyota's response to a sudden unintended acceleration case in West Virginia shortly after the guilty verdict in Oklahoma:

“There seemed to be a pretty clear purpose on Toyota’s part to get a deal done” and keep the case out of court, attorney Edgar “Hike” Heiskell said. “There was a real sense of motivation on that side of the table.” A spokeswoman for Toyota declined comment.

More to the point, Toyota is now rushing to institute a "global settlement that would resolve all of the personal injury and wrongful death product liability cases." Of course, we can expect such a settlement to be structured with Toyota's trademark of confidentiality agreements, thereby keeping incriminating technical data quiet, buttressed with language makin' it crystal clear that the ol' Recall King admits to no wrongdoing. Never mind the ongoing risk to consumers as instances of sudden unintended acceleration continue to make headlines.

Meanwhile, David Strickland, former top dawg at NHTSA, has wormed his way into lobbying for the auto industry:

"We think that the thing industry will be most impressed by was the pass David Strickland gave Toyota's electronics in the Unintended Acceleration crisis. Sure, the government fined Toyota to the max. But the automaker only had to pay penalties for failing to mount timely recalls for floor mat interference and sticky accelerator pedals. NHTSA whitewashed the problems of Toyota's electronic throttle control system."

It's probably no coincidence that Mr. Strickland left NHTSA shortly after Toyota was read the riot act by that jury in Oklahoma. His newfound occupation epitomizes the ol' revolvin' door game, helpin' to insure that unfair business practices continue:

"In perhaps the most glaring case, Toyota staffed up with former NHTSA officials as it faced an inquiry into sudden acceleration in its Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Over 10 years, more motorists died from such accidents in Toyota and Lexus vehicles than in cars from all other manufacturers combined." (Emphasis mine)

Engineers are taking notice of the incriminating evidence against Toyota. The exceptionally well-credentialed Michael Barr, who testified in the Oklahoma case, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker for an EE Times conference set for March 31st through April 3rd.

I just love it when the truth comes out.

Update 2/20/2014 - Actually, the truth came out about Toyota's slick manuevering way back in 2010. "Toyota's deadly secrets" presents a scathing review. "Statistically, Toyota had one speed-control-crash complaint per 20,454 vehicles sold in the United States. This figure is significant when compared to other major auto manufacturers such as Ford: one complaint per 64,679 vehicles; Honda: one complaint per 70,112 vehicles; and General Motors: one complaint per 197,821 vehicles."       

Another big recall. Blogger targets Akio.

Apparently, Toyota is tryin' to get in a few more big recalls before 2013 runs out. The latest recall (fifth biggie for the year, second recall in the past week) involves a whopping 885,000 units, featuring - of all things - spiders tampering with air bag deployment. Call this their "Halloween recall," bringing the total number of recalled units to six million for 2013. According to Toyota (I won't belabor that one), the nasty little critters can even play havoc with the steering. Toyota is "aware" of multiple instances of air bag, etc. malfunctions, resulting in two "minor" injuries.

Don't blame it all on spiders, jus' some of it, sez the Recall King. Now that's good advice. An Omaha woman has just been awarded $6.2 million in her airbag lawsuit dating back to a Lexus crash in 2007. The jury deliberated all of four and a half hours to conclude that not only was the airbag defective, but "the car did not 'conform' to the generally recognized and prevailing state of the art in the industry at the time the 2004 Lexus ES 330 was first sold by Toyota.”

Spiders? Hmm... Reminds me of all those MR2 "Spyders" mysteriously plagued by suddenly disintegratin' engines. Yessir, the 'ol Recall King definitely has a bug problem. Great material for another story in Design News' "Made by Monkeys" section.

Meanwhile, one of Toyota's many irrate customers has created a blog - and a Facebook page - titled "Route 44 Toyota Sold Me A Lemon." Her 10/18/2013 blog post, "Dear Mr. Akio Toyoda:" calls out none other than the Godfather - er I mean the Prince - himself. Reminds me of a post I made several years ago.

Keep these 2013 recalls - failing engines, brakes, airbags, etc. ad nauseum - goin', Toyota. 'Specially those recalls of recalls when the initial recall failed to fix the recall problem. Keep it up. Ya might be able to set another record.

Is Akio the Prince... or the Godfather?

"Toyota President Akio Toyoda, known as 'the prince' in Japan..."

Prince or Godfather? The jury - federal grand - is still out on that one, but I'm leanin' toward the latter. As the death count increases, evidence points to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of sweetheart deals between Toyota and NHTSA, revolving doors resulting in blocked safety investigations, and the intentional witholding of stuff Toyota was legally required to release in accordance with lawsuits filed against them by crash victims. Big stuff.  Stuff about vehicle design and testing, complete with out of court settlements motivated by a desire to keep incriminating information quiet. And just for good measure, the Securities and Exchange Commission has jumped into the fray, demanding to know more about what Toyota has been tellin' investors. Whew. That's enough to raise anyone's eyebrows.

Equally alarming - now that a few investigations are under way - it seems we're gettin' a daily dose of heretofore unheard of defects, along with downright unnerving accounts of NHTSA's response to consumer complaints. Even Apple's Steve Wozniak got the cold shoulder when he complained about sudden unintended acceleration in his Prius.

With sales a sufferin', Toyota is comin' up with better offers for customers affected by current recalls, and plans to offer some spectacular incentives to attract buyers. Okay. But somehow, this whole thing reminds me of a movie I once saw about a family run business that got its way by makin' offers people just couldn't refuse...