No wonder renowned software expert Michael Barr found bugs in Toyota's software causing sudden unintended acceleration. Toyota's latest recalls involve defective software in the Prius, RAV4, Tacoma, and Lexus RX350. Some of the software issues affect anti-lock brakes, stability control, and traction control. Meanwhile, Toyota is in talks with NHTSA regarding another recall involving computer-related brake problems in Camry Hybrids. Software glitches galore. Whew.
Sayin' Recall King Toyota is now in "settlement mode" is an understatement. Toyota is apparently on the verge of forkin' over sumpthin' in the range of a billion dollars to put an end to the federal criminal investigation - begun four years ago - into Toyota's reporting procedures - or the lack thereof - regarding sudden unintended acceleration.
Actions speak louder than words. After the guilty verdict in the Oklahoma sudden unintended acceleration case, the Recall King rushes into court seeking a "global" settlement for hundreds of remaining civil suits involving sudden unintended acceleration. And now there's this sudden interest in concluding the federal criminal investigation involving not only reporting procedures, but also such niceties as lying to Congress, mail fraud, wire fraud, and whether stockholders were misled. Of course, mainstream media reports regarding another billion dollar settlement carefully omit any mention of Michael Barr findings, and Reuters banned me from commenting - on any of their articles - long ago.
It looks like Toyota will again be permitted to settle up without any troublesome guilty pleas or admitting to any wrongdoing. Might as well go all the way if yer gonna let someone buy their way out of a criminal investigation. And the issue of ongoing instances of sudden unintended acceleration - have software revisions, safeguards, etc. been put in place? - is being buried along with Michael Barr's findings. Amidst a barrage of misleading media reports, I applaud Mr. Barr for setting the record straight - especially insofar as the much ballyhooed "NASA investigation" is concerned - by publishing an update regarding Toyota's sudden unintended acceleration issue. As he points out, reports of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyotas are continuing.
Really, folks. If Toyota behaves in such a manner regarding undisputed safety issues, how have they been behaving about such things as oil-sludged engines and those pesky pre-cat problems - costing customers the better part of $10,000 - in MR2 Spyders? There's been a news blackout for years regarding thousands of signatures petitioning Akio to make amends for unresolved oil sludge issues.
Why should anyone be allowed to buy their way out of a criminal investigation? Mainstream media efforts to mislead the public about Toyota are poppin' up everywhere, with glaring omissions about the evidence Michael Barr found that led to the billion dollar Toyota economic loss settlement in December of 2012 - the largest such settlement in automotive history - and the guilty verdict last October in the sudden unintended acceleration case in Oklahoma. Revelations regarding the findings of an internationally acclaimed software expert (along with any mention of that pesky evidence of 150 feet of skid marks from the Oklahoma plaintiff's tires) are left to casual bloggers, trade journals, and a few comments on the Internet.
A prime example of the kinda sheer hogwash bein' bandied about by mainstream media is this putrid peice of "journalism" by Forbes staffer Daniel Fisher. What's "begged" is the question, "Do we really want to tolerate a corporate-controlled media instead of a free press?" Fisher n Forbes - "a jury's whim" indeed - don't dare discuss Michael Barr's findings. Not even a mention of his name. In the comments - at least they let me join in - I was "called out" by Mr. Fisher for referring to Mr. Barr's findings and the ongoing news blackout. Certainly better than the reaction I got from USA Today and Bloomberg. Bloomberg n USA Today simply removed my comment. Whenever I put the cursor in the comment box on USA Today's website, the word "false" would briefly appear. I encountered similar things years ago on Twitter when I started sending out tweets critical of Toyota.
Don't view this YouTube video on a full stomach if you're aware of Michael Barr's recent findings. Fox News' "interview" is repulsively theatrical, aimed at making the public think there's no evidence of bugs in Toyota's software causing sudden unintended acceleration.
Take a close look at what Michael Barr has to say about his findings, and check out his credentials. Is anyone surprised that Toyota is runnin' scared?
Showing posts with label Bloomberg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bloomberg. Show all posts
Friday, February 21, 2014
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Bloomberg covers for Toyota in sudden unintended acceleration case - blocks me from commenting
Last Friday, I e-mailed Paul Barrett - the presstitute media guy who wrote the one-sided, hand-wringin' article misrepresenting the facts about Toyota - that I was unable to log in to post comments on his article. I also filled out one of Bloomberg's online feedback forms and told them about the problems I was having getting logged in. Frankly, I had forgotten about Bloomberg's previous censorship (removal) of my comments about Toyota. Came across my earlier blog post quite by accident.
As of today, I continue to be blocked from posting comments on Mr. Barrett's sleazy article. I tried using Disqus, clicked icons for my Facebook, Twitter, and Google accounts, and everything still goes haywire.
Is there a method to Bloomberg's madness?
Any comments regarding Barrett's article were a long time coming. Kinda strange. Then Dr. Antony Anderson's superb rebuttal showed up. After a couple of days, one other comment critical of Toyota appeared. Meanwhile, I was discussing the weird comment situation with a friend. I speculated that trolls were staying quiet in an effort to avoid drawing attention to the Oklahoma case and the facts regarding Toyota being found guilty in a sudden unintended acceleration event. Facts about the Oklahoma case, highlighting Toyota - and NHTSA's - culpability in sudden unintended acceleration were startin' to come out, spreading like wildfire all over the Internet, including my blog.
Interestingly enough, an anonymous effort to rebut a comment I published (11/8/2013 3:28:01 PM) tried to convince me (11/8/2013 3:54:47 PM) - "Two million blogs will do nothing !" - that blogging about Toyota wouldn't make any difference. Of course, I replied (11/8/2013 6:02:12 PM) that such activities do make a difference, which is why businesses - especially coverup operations like Toyota - hire so-called "reputation management" companies to steer conversations, post fake reviews, etc. I referenced a recent court case involving a gang of corporate hirees gettin' sued for posting such garbage on Edmonds.com
Wouldn't ya know it? Today, a barrage of anonymous comments - including blabber attempting to defend Toyota - have suddenly appeared regarding Barrett's article. And I still can't get logged in...
Isn't it a shame that corporate-controlled America doesn't have a free press?
As of today, I continue to be blocked from posting comments on Mr. Barrett's sleazy article. I tried using Disqus, clicked icons for my Facebook, Twitter, and Google accounts, and everything still goes haywire.
Is there a method to Bloomberg's madness?
Any comments regarding Barrett's article were a long time coming. Kinda strange. Then Dr. Antony Anderson's superb rebuttal showed up. After a couple of days, one other comment critical of Toyota appeared. Meanwhile, I was discussing the weird comment situation with a friend. I speculated that trolls were staying quiet in an effort to avoid drawing attention to the Oklahoma case and the facts regarding Toyota being found guilty in a sudden unintended acceleration event. Facts about the Oklahoma case, highlighting Toyota - and NHTSA's - culpability in sudden unintended acceleration were startin' to come out, spreading like wildfire all over the Internet, including my blog.
Interestingly enough, an anonymous effort to rebut a comment I published (11/8/2013 3:28:01 PM) tried to convince me (11/8/2013 3:54:47 PM) - "Two million blogs will do nothing !" - that blogging about Toyota wouldn't make any difference. Of course, I replied (11/8/2013 6:02:12 PM) that such activities do make a difference, which is why businesses - especially coverup operations like Toyota - hire so-called "reputation management" companies to steer conversations, post fake reviews, etc. I referenced a recent court case involving a gang of corporate hirees gettin' sued for posting such garbage on Edmonds.com
Wouldn't ya know it? Today, a barrage of anonymous comments - including blabber attempting to defend Toyota - have suddenly appeared regarding Barrett's article. And I still can't get logged in...
Isn't it a shame that corporate-controlled America doesn't have a free press?
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Another recall. Bloomberg ignores evidence of Toyota's software causing sudden unintended acceleration
Toyota's 2013 recall parade is marchin' right along. This time, it's defective valve springs in pickups and SUVs that can cause an engine to stop running. And this is not the first time the Recall King has found valve springs to be a manufacturing challenge. Amidst a 2010 valve-spring recall, a YouTube video appeared - along with an article on AutoBlog.com - addressing Toyota's problem with those pesky valve springs. C'mon, Recall King. Do tell. What's really going on with those springs?
Might cause an engine to stop running? What a hoot. For years, there have been formal complaints and postings all over the Internet about engines suddenly disintegrating in MR2 Spyders, and the Recall King hasn't seen fit to do anything other than stonewall. But of course, MR2 Spyders - unlike pickups and SUVs - are limited production vehicles, and this puts their owners at an extreme disadvantage when dealing with a corporate slob like Toyota. Lousy products and an equally lousy attitude toward customers. And talk about deceptive advertising. It's kinda hard to "Go Places" when your engine won't run. Even harder when your bank account has been depleted by the better part of $10,000...
Meanwhile, the "presstitute" media (as former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Dr. Paul Craig Roberts calls it) is rushing to Toyota's aid now that an Oklahoma jury has handed down a guilty verdict in a sudden unintended acceleration case. Enter this one-sided, hand-wringin' article from Bloomberg, bemoaning the way courts are allowing lawsuits to proceed against poor ol' Toyota. Is anyone fooled? I've been blocked from commenting - weird things happen when I try to log in - and this is not the first time I've had problems getting comments published by Bloomberg. Fortunately, noted electrical engineer Dr. Antony Anderson submitted a comment offering a fantastic rebuttal to Paul Barrett's sheer blabber. Here's an excerpt from Dr. Anderson's remarks:
"If (Toyota) had fitted kill switches, very few people would have been killed and there would have been little or no litigation. Weeping crocodile tears 'about the individuals and families of anyone in an accident involving one of our vehicles' is no substitute for killing sudden accelerations stone dead with a device that will restrict fuel supply or air to the engine in an emergency."
Facts are starting to emerge - much of the technical data revealed in the Oklahoma trial is still secret - about Toyota's well-orchestrated efforts to conceal pertinent information about their Electronic Control Throttle System (ECTS) and their refusal to install relatively simple safety measures. The Recall King, NHTSA, and presstitute media gang is gettin' nervous.
Toyota's ad, "Let's Go Places" should include the kind of places you're liable to go if you purchase their products. The hospital, perhaps? Court? Or how about prison? Just ask Koua Fong Lee.
Might cause an engine to stop running? What a hoot. For years, there have been formal complaints and postings all over the Internet about engines suddenly disintegrating in MR2 Spyders, and the Recall King hasn't seen fit to do anything other than stonewall. But of course, MR2 Spyders - unlike pickups and SUVs - are limited production vehicles, and this puts their owners at an extreme disadvantage when dealing with a corporate slob like Toyota. Lousy products and an equally lousy attitude toward customers. And talk about deceptive advertising. It's kinda hard to "Go Places" when your engine won't run. Even harder when your bank account has been depleted by the better part of $10,000...
Meanwhile, the "presstitute" media (as former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Dr. Paul Craig Roberts calls it) is rushing to Toyota's aid now that an Oklahoma jury has handed down a guilty verdict in a sudden unintended acceleration case. Enter this one-sided, hand-wringin' article from Bloomberg, bemoaning the way courts are allowing lawsuits to proceed against poor ol' Toyota. Is anyone fooled? I've been blocked from commenting - weird things happen when I try to log in - and this is not the first time I've had problems getting comments published by Bloomberg. Fortunately, noted electrical engineer Dr. Antony Anderson submitted a comment offering a fantastic rebuttal to Paul Barrett's sheer blabber. Here's an excerpt from Dr. Anderson's remarks:
"If (Toyota) had fitted kill switches, very few people would have been killed and there would have been little or no litigation. Weeping crocodile tears 'about the individuals and families of anyone in an accident involving one of our vehicles' is no substitute for killing sudden accelerations stone dead with a device that will restrict fuel supply or air to the engine in an emergency."
Facts are starting to emerge - much of the technical data revealed in the Oklahoma trial is still secret - about Toyota's well-orchestrated efforts to conceal pertinent information about their Electronic Control Throttle System (ECTS) and their refusal to install relatively simple safety measures. The Recall King, NHTSA, and presstitute media gang is gettin' nervous.
Toyota's ad, "Let's Go Places" should include the kind of places you're liable to go if you purchase their products. The hospital, perhaps? Court? Or how about prison? Just ask Koua Fong Lee.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Bloomberg removes my comments re GT 86
Toyota just can't stand the truth. Now that some of the Recall King's lousy products and obscene attitudes toward customers has been exposed, there's an air of desperation as this sorry excuse for a business seeks to recapture those good ol' days when consumers were less wary of the brand. And mainstream media, from industry giants to those less notable, are rushing to Toyota's aid. Coverup is the name. Censorship is the game.
Things are really heatin' up now that Toyota has partnered with Subaru in an effort to produce another sports car. The last thing Toyota needs is publicity about all those MR2 Spyder engines that suddenly disintegrated and Toyota's determination to stonewall the matter hoping it would eventually go away. So what if customers lost - and continue to lose - thousands of dollars on engine replacements? So what if the things fall apart at speed in heavy traffic? "So what?" says the Recall King. We got a new effort goin' now. A new model we've been callin' the FT-86 which we're now callin' the GT 86 (Scion FR-S). Definitely the time to keep it quiet about all those engine failures in MR2 Spyders.
Just think of the embarrassment it would be if Toyota had to recall a whole slew of MR2 Spyders just when they're tryin' to introduce another sports car. Not to worry. Its mainstream media to the rescue. To begin with, I noticed a flurry of "articles" singin' the praises of the GT 86 (formerly FT-86) but no comments were permitted. One of those "articles" came via Bloomberg, and I sent an e-mail to the reporter and the editor expressing my displeasure. Then I noticed the same article had also appeared in Bloomberg's BusinessWeek section, comments were allowed, and a comment I submitted had been published. So I fired off apologies. But alas. I spoke too soon. Wouldn't ya know it? My comment was removed, and a second entry was also removed.
Apologies to Bloomberg retracted, but here's the deal. I really hit a nerve when I started commenting about the GT 86 and referencing engines disintegrating in MR2 Spyders. After a mere handful of auto news websites published my comments, visits to this blog literally soared, topping 85 hits almost immediately. That's the deal, and here's the question: Instead of censoring comments, why haven't mainstream media giants such as Bloomberg - not to mention Consumer Reports - exposed all those engine failures in MR2 Spyders?
Its time for Recall King Toyota and their cohorts in mainstream media to clean up their act.
Update 11/28/2011 - Facebook has blocked a link to this post from appearing in real-time Public Posts, and apparently Facebook is also playin' games with the excerpt from the article that ordinarily appears when links to articles are posted on one's page. The excerpt section was inoperable for this blog post, but still appeared for an article I drafted linking to another media source. Note also that real-time Public Posts on Facebook are searchable via other venues such as Openbook and Bing, so Facebook's censorship tactics in this regard are more sinister than one might think.
Things are really heatin' up now that Toyota has partnered with Subaru in an effort to produce another sports car. The last thing Toyota needs is publicity about all those MR2 Spyder engines that suddenly disintegrated and Toyota's determination to stonewall the matter hoping it would eventually go away. So what if customers lost - and continue to lose - thousands of dollars on engine replacements? So what if the things fall apart at speed in heavy traffic? "So what?" says the Recall King. We got a new effort goin' now. A new model we've been callin' the FT-86 which we're now callin' the GT 86 (Scion FR-S). Definitely the time to keep it quiet about all those engine failures in MR2 Spyders.
Just think of the embarrassment it would be if Toyota had to recall a whole slew of MR2 Spyders just when they're tryin' to introduce another sports car. Not to worry. Its mainstream media to the rescue. To begin with, I noticed a flurry of "articles" singin' the praises of the GT 86 (formerly FT-86) but no comments were permitted. One of those "articles" came via Bloomberg, and I sent an e-mail to the reporter and the editor expressing my displeasure. Then I noticed the same article had also appeared in Bloomberg's BusinessWeek section, comments were allowed, and a comment I submitted had been published. So I fired off apologies. But alas. I spoke too soon. Wouldn't ya know it? My comment was removed, and a second entry was also removed.
Apologies to Bloomberg retracted, but here's the deal. I really hit a nerve when I started commenting about the GT 86 and referencing engines disintegrating in MR2 Spyders. After a mere handful of auto news websites published my comments, visits to this blog literally soared, topping 85 hits almost immediately. That's the deal, and here's the question: Instead of censoring comments, why haven't mainstream media giants such as Bloomberg - not to mention Consumer Reports - exposed all those engine failures in MR2 Spyders?
Its time for Recall King Toyota and their cohorts in mainstream media to clean up their act.
Update 11/28/2011 - Facebook has blocked a link to this post from appearing in real-time Public Posts, and apparently Facebook is also playin' games with the excerpt from the article that ordinarily appears when links to articles are posted on one's page. The excerpt section was inoperable for this blog post, but still appeared for an article I drafted linking to another media source. Note also that real-time Public Posts on Facebook are searchable via other venues such as Openbook and Bing, so Facebook's censorship tactics in this regard are more sinister than one might think.
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