Picketing resumes over engine failures in MR2 Spyders

The Toyota Center - where my MR2 Spyder engine was rebuilt - has now moved into fancy new digs about two miles from my house, under the name Fred Anderson Toyota. Day before yesterday, I got an e-mail inviting me to "join" them for their grand opening.

So I did.

I arrived yesterday afternoon by bicycle, with a sign that read "BEWARE OF TOYOTA" on one side, and this blog's address on the other. It's been quite a while since I picketed a Toyota dealership, and it was good to be back. The thousands of dollars I lost when the engine disintegrated in my MR2 Spyder are still missing from my bank account. I'm just as fed up with now-acknowledged-crook Toyota as I ever was, and I wanna thank passing motorists for the friendly beeps, thumbs ups, and waves. As I've come to expect from Toyota dealerships, several unpleasantries were instigated by dealership personnel.

My previous blog post explains what's going on with MR2 Spyders. I've also had a couple of articles published about the issue, here are links to those:

Torque News
Design News' "Made by Monkeys"

Over the years - as this blog indicates - my gripe with Toyota has come to be about a lot more than engines disintegrating in MR2 Spyders. Toyota is a murderous, dishonest corporation - backed by a corporate-controlled government - that treats people like dirt. At first, it was a simple effort to get my money back over an obvious manufacturing defect that had been all over the Internet for years. Then I found out about Toyota's disgraceful shenanigans regarding oil sludge. Then the unintended acceleration scandal broke loose, amidst revelations of cover-ups, federal criminal investigations, record-setting fines, deaths and injuries galore, and an endless parade of recalls for every defect imaginable. Not that the government has disciplined the Recall King. It hasn't. Toyota is a filthy rich corporate slob with cash stockpiled to the tune of some $60 billion. Unfazed - as the government well knows - even by payola in the billion dollar range forked over to end criminal investigations. The "Just Us" Department functions primarily as a corporate-controlled tool to make sure crooked auto executives like those at Toyota and GM don't do prison time for their unconscionable deeds.

Currently, Toyota, the government, and the government's mainstream media stooges are trying every trick in the book to keep things quiet about compelling evidence of electronic defects in Toyota's throttle control. Evidence which raises questions about the reliability of electronic throttle controls in every brand, amidst an epidemic of runaway vehicles crashing into buildings. The brand most often involved is Toyota, but other brands are far from immune.

My journey with Toyota had scarcely begun when I began to realize what a profoundly crooked corporation I was dealing with. I just LOVE the Toyota dealership's new location. Now I won't have to rent storage space for my car to make sure it isn't vandalized while I'm picketing.

Update 6/12/2014 - Toyota's junk parade continues with another recall. A whopping 2.27 million vehicles because airbags could fail, also involving a fire hazzard. 20 models are on the list, including the Corolla, Yaris, and Noah. Note that as part of Toyota's recent federal criminal settlement, "...the automaker admitted that it lied when it insisted that it had addressed the "root cause" of the (unintended acceleration) problem by fixing floor mats that could trap the accelerator."

Update 6/14/2014 - Here's a video which puts Toyota's unintended acceleration scandal in proper perspective. There's now evidence GALORE of electronic defects in Toyota's throttle control. Read "Toyota's killer firmware: Bad design and its consequences." Embedded systems expert Michael Barr found the following, resulting in a guilty verdict in the landmark unintended acceleration case last October in Oklahoma:
* Toyota's electronic throttle control system (ETCS) source code is of unreasonable quality.
* Toyota's source code is defective and contains bugs, including bugs that can cause unintended acceleration (UA)
* Code-quality metrics predict presence of additional bugs.
* Toyota's fail safes are defective and inadequate (referring to them as a 'house of cards' safety architecture).
* Misbehaviours of Toyota's ETCS are a cause of UA

Acknowledged crook Toyota is being allowed to ignore Mr. Barr's findings, and drivers of runaway vehicles involved in crashes are being unjustifiably found at fault and charged accordingly.

Update 6/18/2014 - For another account of Mr. Barr's findings, published 2/26/2014, read "Toyota Code Could Be Lethal." As the author says, "Put simply, it's frightening enough to make you buy a pre-computer car." There's been a mainstream media news blackout regarding Mr. Barr's findings. Only a few trade journals have dared to publicize the facts. 

Update 7/9/14 - Million thanks to Clarence Ditlow and Michael Brooks for posting a link to this blog on the Center for Auto Safety website.  

Update 7/10/14 - See 6/14 update above. Mr. Barr's findings raise questions about the reliability of electronic throttle controls in all brands, and the facts are being exposed as the auto industry tries to delay having to implement fail-safes that have been mandated for years in the airline industry. Today there's news that Honda has admitted to electronic defects causing unintended acceleration and has recalled 175,000 hybrid vehicles. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME AN AUTOMAKER HAS MADE SUCH AN ADMISSION. STAY TUNED.    

Shhh... sudden unintended acceleration complaints are continuing

In light of renowned embedded systems expert Michael Barr finding bugs in Toyota's electronic throttle control software that could cause sudden unintended acceleration, we now get to the crux of the matter. Have the defects been corrected?

With the Recall King insisting that the Oklahoma jury got it wrong (despite that pesky evidence of 150 feet of skid marks from the plaintiff's tires), and a corporate-controlled mainstream media concealing Michael Barr's findings, Toyota is hoping that a gullible public will believe there isn't anything to correct. The situation is similar to what happened regarding engines suddenly disintegrating in MR2 Spyders.

Toyota stonewalls, big media - most notably, perhaps, Consumer Reports - shys away from addressing the issue, and owners are left with depleted bank accounts and unsatisfactory vehicles. Pretty much the same with all those oil-sludged engines, and the list goes on. In a corporate-controlled police state, it's best to be wary of repercussions. What on earth would Big Brother do if it weren't for a tail-tucked citizenry? Nothin' like a cooperative effort...

NHTSA, as Shawn Kane notes, "walked away from the (sudden unintended acceleration) problem in 2010. The agency pressured Toyota into floor mat and sticky accelerator pedals, collected millions in recall timeliness fines and never addressed the technical problem." Adding insult to injury, NHTSA proceded to set things up with NASA, then disingenuously claimed that NASA had laid the matter to rest. As facts come to light about a hamstrung NASA coming nowhere near settling the issue - and having said so - it's obvious who corporate stooge NHTSA is lookin' out for, and it ain't the consumer.

Real hoot watchin' NHTSA, mainstream media, and Toyota try to ignore Michael Barr's findings and the guilty verdict in Oklahoma as complaints keep pourin' in about Toyotas suddenly accelerating out of control. Few days ago, an interesting comment appeared (BrianPaul, 03-01-2014, 03:37 PM) on a website for fans of the RAV4 (which lately has had software issues beyond sudden unintended acceleration). Reminds ya of those song words "now I'm a believer," and is consistent with complaints on NHTSA's website. Read it and weep. Here's an excerpt:

When the “sudden acceleration” issue with Toyota vehicles was all over the news, I was not concerned because I assumed it was user error. I remember my boss saying to me, “you’re not afraid to drive your Camry?” I told my boss that it’s just a bunch of idiots who are stepping on the gas by mistake, or people trying to get money from Toyota. Now that I’ve had this happen, I realize what a fool I was! I was so proud of the Toyota vehicles I own that I wouldn’t even consider that such a problem exists.

Of course, the RAV4 website didn't dare publish my comment. RAV4World.com's attitude seems to be if the guy who's now wanting more information about sudden unintended acceleration (and who in his shoes wouldn't?) doesn't get any, that's tough. The RAV4 website (is it run by Toyota?) musn't offend the Recall King.

Meanwhile, the ol' Recall King is tryin' to buy - talkin' moola in excess of a billion dollars - an end to the federal criminal investigation involving reporting procedures for sudden unintended acceleration. And I'm bettin' the Recall King is gonna get away with it, complete with confidentiality agreements and no admissions of wrongdoing.

After all, the sudden unintended acceleration issue only involves people's lives.

Toyota: Oh what a coverup?

The Recall King is once again making headlines with its lousy service, questionable business practices, and a never-ending parade of defective, dangerous products. Toyota's latest claim to fame features a fire hazzard which caused at least nine injuries - a Toyota spokesperson somehow forgot to mention the injuries - and evidence suggesting that the problem was kept quiet for four years as Toyota and its dealerships blamed a defective window switch on... cleaning products. That's right, folks. 161 blazes resulting from those pesky cleaning products. Only after its friends at NHTSA got nervous and upped the ante did Toyota finally declare a "voluntary" recall for a whopping 7.43 million units, their largest ever for a single component.

Lemme get this straight. The Recall King received firsthand knowledge of a faulty window switch that heats up and smells. Then, over the next four years (!) there were fires and injuries as consumers lodged a flurry of complaints with both Toyota and NHTSA. Things drag on as many consumers give up, vehicles are traded in or totalled in accidents, and Toyota avoids the expense and embarrassment of a major recall. And as recently as April of this year, Toyota alludes to its "extensive analysis" of the problem, telling NHTSA that all is well. Right. Buy more time, hoping to hold out until the problem magically disappears. And yet there's no indication that NHTSA has gotten so much as a whiff of the ol' proverbial rat in this matter.

The more I look at Toyota's business practices, the more I blame the government for an appalling lack of oversight and an unwillingness to levy appropriate punishments. Previous fines for delays in reporting defects have apparently done little to change Toyota's behavior. As I said at the time, NHTSA's "record-setting fines" were a mere slap on their friend's wrist, adding insult to injury by allowing Toyota to cut a cozy deal whereby the Recall King avoided any admission of wrongdoing. I shudder to think what Toyota is getting away with when it comes to defects that don't meet the government's criteria for "safety related." Like, for example, all those engine failures in MR2 Spyders.

Toyota is the story of complaints galore, a driver falsely imprisoned due to Toyota's problems with unintended acceleration, thousands of signatures on a continuing petition about oil sludge, eventual disclosure of every kind of defect imaginable, spectacular safety recalls, government fines, deaths, injuries, federal grand jury proceedings, a congressional investigation, prosecution under the RICO Act, zillions of lawsuits, confidential out-of-court settlements...

Maybe its time for the government to list Toyota as a terrorist organization.

Update 10/13/2012 - This post has been censored (for the past five hours at least) from appearing in Facebook's Public Posts. And I'd love to post comments on Yahoo, but about a month ago, I posted a comment implying that the CIA was stirring up anti-American activities in the Middle East. The comment was removed, and I was immediately blocked from posting any more comments below Yahoo news articles. Efforts to get Yahoo to correct this have been unsuccessful. 

Update 10/18/2012 - As of today, my Yahoo account has been completely restored, including the comment referenced above. I'll gladly chalk this entire matter up to nothing more than a Yahoo glitch. Also today, my first couple of Facebook posts - one in reference to this latest recall - have appeared in real-time in Public Posts. I'll continue to monitor. 

Reuters, closed session summits, and Toyota

If there's any so-called news organization I'd hate to have to depend on for facts, it would be Reuters.  So it caught my eye when I read that Reuters was sponsoring a "Rebuilding Japan Summit," featuring "closed door on-the-record sessions."  My interest was further piqued when I read Reuters' summit report publicizing comments by Toyota Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo.  The report offered a rosey assessment of the company, omitting items such as recalls totalling 14 million units, record setting government fines for delays in reporting defects, a federal grand jury investigation, and a zillion lawsuits alleging coverup.  Is this kind of "summit" genuine journalism?  Or a cleverly contrived form of censorship? 

Lately it seems there's been a sudden surge in mainstream media articles intent on ignoring facts and portraying the Recall King as some sort of innocent bystander.  Meanwhile, the Toyota defect parade marches on with numerous recent recalls and the punishment of an engineer-turned-whistleblower in Vietnam.  Guess I musta missed Reuters' "coverage" of the situation in Vietnam. 

What Toyota, Japan, and the good ol' U.S.A. needs is something along the line of a "Toyota Engine Failure Summit" featuring reps from MR2 clubs along with past and present Spyder owners who lost thousands when their engines suddenly fell apart.  Anyone who signed the ongoing oil sludge petition would also be invited to tell their stories regarding Toyota's "class action settlement." Bigwigs from Toyota, a few select congressmen, and representatives from the Department of Transportation would be on hand to field concerns, assured that the entire event would be nationally televised.

Somehow, I don't think that's the kind of summit Reuters would like to see.

Toyota runs, but can't hide

Reputation for defects, known far and wide; Toyota can run, but Toyota can't hide.

Heartfelt thanks to Armen Hareyan and Torque News for publishing my article, "Toyota Losin' for a Reason."  I'm honored to have my opinion featured.  Visit TorqueNews on Facebook and TorqueNewsAuto on Twitter.  

Word is gettin' out about the Recall King's lousy products and equally lousy attitude.  Things have apparently gotten to the point where Toyota is experimenting with marketing efforts that seek to divert attention away from troublesome issues such as recalls, lawsuits, fines, and investigations.  Meaningful info about the vehicle is all but eliminated, along with reporters' question and answer sessions.  Those questions from the media can be embarassing.  Much safer to spotlight a pagentry of music and models.  All in unison, girls.  Spell the plural of Prius.

But will it work?  Will consumers be mesmerized into plunking down hard earned dollars for products no longer imbued with the mistique of a manufacturer that can do no wrong?  Not likely.  At least not for a stretch.  Recall King Toyota must now face the consequences of deeds brought to the public's attention in a big way.  

Its a little late for glitzy ads, Recall King.  Try all the diversionary tactics you want, but the facts are rainin' on your parade.

"Slick" ad campaign backfires on Toyota

When I saw that Toyota's ad agency, Saatchi and Saatchi, was involved in marketing the new "family" of Glitch-mobiles ("Priuses" they like to call 'em), I got to wonderin' if Saatchi is part of Toyota's problem. Tryin' to recall (if you'll pardon the pun) a story that came out some time ago, I did a Google search, and there it was. Plenty of reason to be alarmed about the kinda folks Toyota depends on for advertising. You know. So-called "professionals" as opposed to customers.   

Toyota's ad agency was sending a woman anonymous e-mails with threatening overtones, etc., as part of a so-called marketing scheme for the Matrix. I won't belabor the absurdity. Suffice it to say that Toyota seems to have a way of terrorizing people. Startin' 2011 off with yet another month of disappointing sales, apparently Toyota's philosophy goes something like this: Big ad agencies, they got glitz. Pomp. And circumstance. As for customers? All they got is some old-fashioned thing called "word of mouth."

Wonder what the Toyota team will come up with next.

Update 2/3/2011 - Regarding the above link, Reuters censored my comment about Toyota's disappointing sales for January.  Such censorship is also alive and well at ABC News.

Update 9/13/2011 - The victim of Toyota's absurd marketing scheme filed a $10 million lawsuit, and an appeals court has ruled that the suit can go forward.     

Volt upstages Prius. Toyota features Akio.

GM's Volt musta shocked Akio Toyoda when it won the North American Car of the Year award at this year's prestigious International Auto Show.  It happened while Akio was makin' his first ever appearance at the Detroit show, wringing his hands about recalls, and carrying on about the Prius, Tesla's production techniques, Toyota's outdated styling, a sudden determination to cater to customers, and - believe it or not - Toyota's commitment to safety.  The Recall King would have been better off if the "Prince" had stayed home.  And kept quiet.

Toyota was apparently hoping to steal the show by unveiling a "family" of new Prius models.  But these aren't the good ol' days.  Too many recalls.  Too many fines.  Too many disclosures, charges, investigations, lawsuits, and settlements.  Too many angry customers, Prince.  And correcting the situation will take a lot more than silly advertisements focusing on how to make the word "Prius" plural.  Nonetheless, insofar as the little glitch-mobile is concerned, your new Prius collection is about as exciting as the ad campaign. 

Please, Akio.  Pretty please.  Don't tell us any more about the recalls, the Prius, a lack of production and styling expertise, attitudes toward customers, or Toyota's commitment to safety.  Really, Prince.  Over the past year, we've heard quite enough about all that.  Instead, tell us why thousands of customers have signed an online petition complaining of continuing problems with oil sludge.  Tell us about all those engine failures in MR2 Spyders and why you've stonewalled complaints from owners, as well as two major car clubs.  Please, Prince.  Give us reason to believe that your company has changed.  For the better.

Toyota takes it on the... wrist. Again.

Toyota gets two more cozy deals:  Drop-in-the-bucket fines, and an agreement allowing the Recall King to fork over the money without admitting any violations of U.S. law.  And the issues are far from minor.  We're talking about the likelihood of injuries and deaths resulting from delays in reporting defects. 

Without steeper fines, expect more such delays in the future.  And there probably won't be any steeper fines.  Proposed safety legislation - itself prompted by Toyota's issues with sudden, unintended acceleration - has been blocked, which brings us back to the crux of the matter.  Ol' Uncle Sam - imbued with the best system money can buy - isn't really all that interested in reigning in an automaker like Toyota, regardless of how flagrant the violations.

Its important to note that the focus so far has been primarily on safety related issues.  Given Toyota's disasterous showing in that regard, why hasn't there been a closer look at Toyota's response - or lack thereof - to so-called "non-safety" related issues?  Over three thousand customers have signed a petition alleging continuing problems with oil sludge, and two major car clubs have been screaming for years about engine failures in MR2 Spyders.  Three fines in one year, racketeering charges, lawsuits galore alleging fraud, a federal grand jury investigation, record setting recalls, and... well, you get the picture. 

Its time for more than a few slaps on the wrist.
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/dec/21/toyota-to-pay-324-million-in-fines-to-feds/
http://detnews.com/article/20101221/AUTO01/12210356/-1/rss29   

Congrats, Tony. Right on for picketing Toyota.

Like yours truly, Tony Scanaliato got so fed up with Toyota he decided to picket in front of his local dealership.  Too bad there aren't more customers using this technique to expose Toyota's wrongdoing.  Its certainly one way to circumvent censorship.  What Toyota needs, bless their little charged-with-racketeering hearts, is customers all across the country picketing in front of their dealerships.  Wouldn't it be great if everyone who signed the oil sludge petition marched with signs letting potential customers know what they're gettin' into if they deal with Toyota?  One thing's for sure.  Absent a high profile tragedy,  Ol' Uncle Scam's mainstream media certainly isn't gonna help.  The idea is to wrist-slap Toyota with a fine or two, hoping that'll make NHTSA look good, and keep quiet about everyday ripoffs such as oil sludge, strange engine noises, and stonewalled defects causing engines to disintegrate in MR2 Spyders.

Hooray for Tony Scanaliato exposin' the "Toyota Way."  Such a pity consumers have to exercise extreme tactics to obtain some semblance of fairness.
http://auto.freedomblogging.com/2010/06/15/o-c-man-ends-toyota-picketing-over-lemon/35293/

Lexus LS (Lousy Steering) recalled n drydocked

I'll bet Toyota wishes they could censor the truth about this one.  Their much ballyhooed flagship, the Lexus LS - models hit the $60k to 100k range - has not only been recalled.  Its  been drydocked.  Yessir, after news of the defective steering had time to soak in, ol' Mr. T was forced to just go ahead and stop sellin' 'em altogether. 

Halting sales for safety reasons is rare in the automotive industry, but certainly not for Toyota.  Stoppin' sales is gettin' to be synonomous with the Toyota Way.  Frankly, I think Toyota oughta be forced to bring their entire operation to a screechin' halt, at least until the racketeering charges are resolved.  After all - news blackout notwithstanding - they've got over 3,000 customers alleging deceptive business practices over oil sludged engines...

Till Toyota finds a fix for this latest exposed defect, its comforting to know that Lexus LS (Lousy Steering) owners need not worry.  Toyota says the steering wheel can still be used to steer the car.  Really.  That's what they say.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lexus-recall-20100525,0,6644368.story

News Blackout: 3,133 customers petition Akio Toyoda

When thousands of customers complain about the policies of a business that has been charged with racketeering, the public most certainly has a right to know. Nonetheless, mainstream news organizations are refusing to publish this story.

Hardcopy of the online petition, "Toyota Owners Unite for Resolution: Engine Oil Sludge" was submitted to President Akio Toyoda, Toyota headquarters, on April 21, 2010, delivery confirmed via signed receipt.  Toyota's response, received May 11, 2010, has been typically nonsensical.

Excerpts from the news release:

3,133 SLUDGE VICTIMS PETITION TOYOTA

Thousands of outraged customers have petitioned Toyota seeking redress for engines damaged by oil sludge.  They allege that Toyota stonewalls and refuses to comply with the terms of a class action settlement, and at least one petitioner has filed a lawsuit.  "No wonder Toyota is charged with racketeering," said Charlene Blake, who initiated the petition.  "Toyota's response to oil sludged engines is the epitome of deceptive business practices."

The release was in standard format (due to a technical problem, the Huffington Post received a summary via their website) and provided ample contact information.  Here is a list of the news organizations that were notified:

LA Times
Washington Post
USA Today
Associated Press
Huffington Post
NY Times
Consumer News
Media Asia
Detroit Free Press

Toyota exec: "We need to come clean."

Honest, folks.  It wasn't me - it was one of Toyota's own.  Upper echelon own.  Five days before their recall re sudden unintended acceleration, an executive fired off an email advising the big T to come clean.  Gee.  That's what Toyota's customers have been sayin' for years.  Over 3,140 have signed a petition complaining of Toyota's stonewallin' re oil sludged engines, MR2 Spyder owners have been documenting engine failures on Spyder club websites, and blogs attempting to expose Toyota are poppin' up right n left.

Here's a link to some nice news coverage (video) of the execs advice:
http://nzh.tw/g/110428

Don't twitter, Toyota. Just tweet people right.

Toyota just doesn't get it.  To reach out to customers, they've hired a marketing firm to help 'em make tweets on Twitter. 

Here's the deal, Toyota.  Its not about marketing.  Its about standin' behind your product.  Tellin' the truth.   Reimbursin' customers for defects, and never takin' 'em to be fools.  What kinda tweets are ya gonna make about those 3,000+ customers who have signed a petition to protest your stonewallin' ways?  What about all those 1zz engine failures?  Real ripoffs for folks who bought MR2 Spyders and Celicas.  Apparently, you weaseled out of includin' these models in your oil sludge recall.  And then there's the never ending barrage of recent disclosures.  Traffic fatalities involving runaway vehicles, deals with safety regulators, and the list goes on ad nauseum.  Tweets on Twitter?  By the time the grand jury gets through, you might be singin' like bird...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/02/AR2010030202419.html

Hey, NHTSA: oil sludge IS a safety issue...

Toyota continues to stonewall customers whose engines have been damaged by oil sludge, and over 3,000 have signed a petition in protest.  Many engines have suddenly seized up in traffic, some on the Interstate.  Yet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration doesn't consider sludged engines to be a safety hazard.  How come? 

As the relationship between Toyota and the NHTSA raises alarming questions of political influence - along with a criminal investigation - it's way past time to bring the oil sludge problem front and center.  Not only is there an obvious safety issue, there's also compelling evidence that certain models were unduly excluded when Toyota was successfully sued in a class action years ago.

Anytime an outrageous number of engines conk out, its not the customers' fault.  And if any car company now has a reputation for blaming customers when things go wrong, its Toyota.  Wouldn't it be nice if the taxpayin' public had recourse to a government agency that looks out for consumers instead of corporations?  C'mon, NHTSA.  Do your job.

Money talks, Congress listens...

And if you ain't got millions and millions of dollars - BILLIONS are even better - well, Bunky, its gonna be kinda hard gettin' heard. Congressional hearings into Toyota? Anyone who thinks Congress has any interest in correcting consumer rip offs involving Toyota and/or the NHTSA better think again.  Instead, it seems our dear elected officials have more of an interest in protecting these two culprits. Its becoming clearer by the minute exactly how Toyota has been able to get away with ignoring most any defect imaginable, including continuing problems with oil sludged engines. No wonder the recent lawsuit filed against Toyota in West Virginia complains that political influence within the NHTSA has been lookin' out for Toyota. Next thing you know, the public is gonna suspect that Toyota's reputation for quality is all mixed up with some pretty rotten stuff.

Did I say political influence?  I thought it kinda strange that several members of Congress were so anxious to hold hearings into Toyota's defective products, its relationship with the NHTSA, etc., and now I realize that "kinda strange" is an understatement. Turns out the politicians conducting the "hearings" have more ties to Toyota and the NHTSA than you could shake the ol' proverbial stick at.

I guess you could say actions - such as slatherin' grease on the right palms - do indeed speak louder than words. Yessir, a big enough glob of that ol' filthy lucre even tends to drown out those screams recorded on a 911 tape of four innocent people, including a 13-year-old girl, as they headed for fiery deaths at 120 mph in a runaway Lexus.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_toyota_s_friends

Consumers: NHTSA = No Help To Solve Anything

The public is finally getting a first hand look at the way government has been protecting Toyota (and no tellin' who else) instead of Toyota's ripped off customers. A class action lawsuit filed against Toyota a couple of months ago in West Virginia reveals shocking evidence of politically inspired chicanery within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and challenges Toyota's "fixes" for unintended acceleration. Another class action suit has just been filed in Ohio accusing Toyota of fraud.

NHTSA has become little more than a front for corporate interests, and this latest Toyota mess is only the tip of an iceberg. To name a few examples, its a disgrace when over three thousand Toyota customers resort to signing an online petition seeking relief because of oil sludged engines. Its a disgrace when a carmaker is allowed to exclude obviously defective models from recalls, and its a disgrace when the government agency charged with traffic safety turns a deaf ear to a major car club's carefully documented complaints. The list goes on and on ad nauseum, but the NHTSA's negligence regarding unintended acceleration may turn out to be the straw that broke the camel's back. It brings to light one simple question. How many people have been seriously injured or killed because of political influence within the NHTSA?

Here's the real shame of it all. Toyota would still be doing business as usual except for the deaths of four people (including a 13-year-old girl) in a highly publicized 120 mph crash documented on tape when an occupant in an out of control Lexus made a frantic call to 911.

Lawsuit links unintended acceleration, electronics

There are comments all over the Internet alleging that Toyota's "fix" for sudden acceleration does not address the cause. Actually, a lawsuit was filed months ago revealing evidence of a malfunction in Toyota's electronics. The suit also gives the public good reason to believe that political influence within the NHTSA has kept things quiet for Toyota.

This lawsuit may force some meaningful answers out of Toyota, along  with an explanation as to why certain models have been exempted from recalls. Customers say that exempting certain models from recalls is a tactic that goes back to Toyota's oil sludge problems. Toyota must be gettin' help from somebody. Thousands of customers have signed an online petition complaining of abuse, and at least one lawsuit is being planned to force Toyota to comply with the terms of the oil sludge settlement.

Unintended acceleration linked to electronics? Political influence at the NHTSA? Why hasn't this lawsuit made headlines on the evening news?
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/new/stock-alert/tm_w-va-lawsuit-targets-toyota-740398.html

Government pressures Toyota to stop sales

Toyota's latest batch of recalls seems to be the ol' proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Thanks to government pressure, Toyota has now stopped selling several of its most popular models, including its much ballyhooed Camry, Corolla, and RAV 4 crossover. Not that there's any connection, of course, but government intervention also coincided with a sudden stop in the production of these vehicles. If you ask me, Toyota oughta also quit exposin' the public to other models, startin' with the Prius. Better yet, why doesn't Toyota just do everyone a favor and close their lousy business down entirely? Apparently, the government was finally forced to act because of the horrific consequences of Toyota's defects, and the never ending barrage of consumer complaints, not only to government agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but also complaints lodged all over the Internet via comments on numerous websites, an online petition signed by over three thousand desperate Toyota customers, and individual blogs devoted to exposing the truth.

There are costs involved with producing a quality product and then reimbursing customers when honest errors are made. But cuttin' such costs invariably turn out to be even more costly in the long run. The long "run" occurs when irrate customers get together and run offending businesses like Toyota clean out of town.

Over three thousand customers petition Toyota

Thousands of Toyota customers have resorted to signing an Internet petition in an effort to persuade Toyota to do the right thing regarding oil sludged engines. Sooo...

Sign the petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/TMC2003/petition.html

Register complaints about ANY Toyota problems:
http://toyotaproblems.com/

Video: victims of oil sludge speak out

Take a look at oil sludge, hear interviews with Toyota's victims, and check out an automotive expert's opinion regarding what caused the problem. He calls Toyota's response to customers "demeaning." Hear about someone who accepted Toyota's "one time goodwill offer," only to have her engine stop running again after less than 300 miles. Click "more info" for a written summary of the problem, and links to other websites.

Apparently, Toyota's engine failure/oil sludge issue isn't going away anytime soon. Customers are still complaining, at least one lawsuit is in progress, and hopefully there will be class action lawsuit number two, including models not initially listed. Hear some howlin' at
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fs7WI2s-CVw