Have you gotten any examples of problems with the Toyota Venza and the electronic throttle?
Comment By C Slotkin
Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 6:48 PM
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Plaintiffs’ lawyers probe Toyota crashes
Recall won’t end acceleration accidents, lawyers claim
Plaintiffs’ lawyers investigating a spate of serious crashes say Toyota’s massive safety recall earlier this month doesn’t address a potentially dangerous mechanical defect causing sudden, unexplained acceleration accidents.
Toyota Motors announced it is issuing a recall for at least 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to fix a potential safety problem caused by removable floor mats jamming the accelerators.
The announcement followed a crash in August that killed four people riding in a Lexus ES 350 on a San Diego highway.
But several plaintiffs’ lawyers allege that a defective engine throttle control system — not floor mats interfering with gas pedals — is causing many accidents due to unintended acceleration. And removing floor mats won’t stop those accidents, they contend.
Donald H. Slavik, an engineer and attorney at Habush, Habush & Rottier, SC in Milwaukee, said initial investigations indicate that Toyota’s electronic throttle control system is a factor in several sudden, unintended acceleration accidents.
“Certainly in the older vehicles, the floor mats problem doesn’t seem to be the issue,” Slavik said.
Sean Kane, head of Safety Research & Strategies, a Rehoboth, Mass., consulting firm that works with plaintiffs’ lawyers, agreed.
“Are floor mats causing a number of unintended acceleration accidents? Yes. However, there are accidents outside the floor mat issue.”
Brookfield personal injury attorney Frank T. Pasternak suspects he owns a Lexus that is subject to the recall — but said he hadn’t heard the theory that a mechanical defect is a contributing factor in the accidents.
So far, Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have identified floor mat interference as the only cause of unintended acceleration.
Kane said a group of personal injury lawyers around the country is investigating unexpected acceleration accidents involving Toyota vehicles.
Several of the cases involve fatalities after cars sped out of control and crashed.
“There is great interest in the litigation community in this issue,” Kane said.
Throttle control system problems
According to Kane, the problem appeared to increase beginning with the 2002 Camry, when Toyota installed a new electronic throttle control for a redesigned model.
Since then, problems have been reported in Camry, Camry Solara, Lexus ES 300 and ES 330s, Sienna, Tacoma and RAV4 vehicles, from years 2002 and later.
“There have been an enormous number of complaints from drivers,” Kane said.
Slavik filed suit last year in state court in California on behalf of Bulent Ezal, whose 2005 Camry sped off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean when he allegedly tried to park it at a Pismo Beach, Calif. restaurant. Ezal was seriously injured and his wife, Anne, was killed in the accident.
Slavik said he is investigating similar accidents involving Camrys, Siennas and Tacomas.
NHTSA said it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck in the Toyota vehicles involved, but that it was unclear how many led to crashes.
The recall will affect the following vehicles: 2007-10 Toyota Camry, 2005-10 Toyota Avalon, 2004-09 Toyota Prius, 2005-10 Toyota Tacoma, 2007-10 Toyota Tundra, 2007-10 Lexus ES 350 and 2006-10 Lexus IS 250 and IS 350.
The 2005 Camry is not among those being recalled. And Ezal’s car did not contain one of the removable floor mats cited in the recall.
String of incidents
Several attorneys said they hope NHTSA conducts a complete investigation. But they noted that NHTSA relies on information from manufacturers, and Toyota has been accused of being less than forthright about product liability issues.
McCune Wright, a Redlands, Calif. law firm, filed a class action in August on behalf of Dimitrius Biller, a former Toyota attorney who alleged that the company thwarted his efforts to preserve and produce evidence in hundreds of rollover cases against it.
The suit seeks to represent all plaintiffs who lost or settled cases in which Toyota allegedly concealed evidence.
In that case, a federal judge in Texas has ordered Toyota to preserve evidence about the crashworthiness of its vehicles.
Murphy & Prachthauser (http://www.murphyprachthauser.com/) attorney Thadd J. Llaurado noted that in the past, sudden acceleration cases, including those involving Audis in the 1970s, were more difficult to prove. But now cars are more reliant on computers.
“With the black box, I don’t know if that would have some bearing on analysis in these types of cases,” Llaurado said. “To have someone simply driving down the road going 60 and then 120 … You’d look for a rational explanation.”
The cause of last month’s fiery accident in San Diego is still under investigation. Mark Saylor, an off-duty California highway patrolman, and his wife, Cleofe, were killed in the Aug. 28 accident, along with their 13-year-old daughter, Mahala, and brother-in-law, Chris Lastrella.
The crash occurred after they reported to a 911 operator that they couldn’t stop their 2009 Lexus as it careened down a highway. In a tape of the call released in September, Lastrella told the operator that the car had no brakes. It plunged over an embankment and burst into flames.
In announcing the recall plans, Toyota said in a statement: “Recent events have prompted Toyota to take a closer look at the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position due to an unsecured or incompatible driver’s floor mat. A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.”
30 Comments on This Article
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Knut, thank you for your information. The mere fact that Toyota has assigned the blame to a floor mat is incredible! This is yet another way that it can blame the vehicle owners just as it has in the engine oil sludge matter for 10 years+!! Sure...that unluckly family just happened to KILL itself, I guess!
Thank goodness for cell phones because had that family not called 911, there is just no telling what might continue at Toyota! How many others are out there (we've heard from several here) have not been given the opportunity to speak out??? At least there is the internet to come to...but if you think you are free there, think again! I have some stories to tell about freedom of speech in auto matters and they don't paint Toyota in a very good light, I'll tell ya!! Just what extremes will an automaker go to in order to keep a problem...a major one at that...hidden from the public? I think that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg and that iceberg is a huge, towering mass to be sure! Do your research...hopefully, there are some vehicle owners who made it through all the blockades out there---just as the original sludge victims did back in 2001. It is not easy...getting harder all the time....but we must keep up the communication about widespread and common vehicle problems. We can't rely on the automaker to do that and we certainly can't put false hope in the NHTSA the way it is currently operating! Charlene Blake Toyota Owners Unite for Resolution 3,000+ strong! Comment By Charlene Blake Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 5:53 PM |
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If you want some information about how Toyota has dragged its feet for a decade and not properly resolved defects, just take a look at toyotaoilgel dot com to see. Yesireee...we love a company who sells us a vehicle it touts as high quality and reliable and then we find that the engine is self-destructing slowly all by itself!! Then, we learn that Toyota wants US to pay for the repairs AND assume the loss in resale value...why that isn't double-dippin', it is triple-dippin'!!! Oh...what a feeling...
Charlene Blake charleneblake@cox.net Toyota Owners Unite for Resolution Comment By Charlene Blake Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 5:47 PM |
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Quanita, what part of my post don't you agree with? Have my words not rung true about Toyota since the posts in October?
You may want to go to mylexusisdefective dot com and autocoverup dot com to see other realworld stories about Toyota's deception, particularly with the Toyota customers! The Toyota sludge problem is very much current and it is time that Toyota properly resolved that matter, don't you think? Comment By Charlene Blake Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 5:44 PM |
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TEST
Comment By Charlene Blake Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 5:28 PM |
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The electronic throttle and brake system in toyota is equivalent to0 "fly-by-wire" (FBW) in avionics. I was a systems design engineer in avionics for 40 years. Our safety requirements for FBW were more or less as follows: 1) No single fault can cause a catastrophic failure. 2) The systems had to tolerate two similar failures without loss of performance, and fail "soft" (no hard-overs) for third failures. 3) The probability of a catastrophic failure had to be less than one-ten million per hour of operation.
These requirements were essentially identical for both military fighters and civilian transports. The Tpyota engineers OBVIOUSLY have no understanding of what the sre dealing with. Comment By Knut Wefald Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 2:00 PM |
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The electronic throttle and brake system in toyota is equivalent to0 "fly-by-wire" (FBW) in avionics. I was a systems design engineer in avionics for 40 years. Our safety requirements for FBW were more or less as follows: 1) No single fault can cause a catastrophic failure. 2) The systems had to tolerate two similar failures without loss of performance, and fail "soft" (no hard-overs) for third failures. 3) The probability of a catastrophic failure had to be less than one-ten million per hour of operation.
These requirements were essentially identical for both military fighters and civilian transports. The Tpyota engineers OBVIOUSLY have no understanding of what the sre dealing with. Comment By Knut Wefald Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 2:00 PM |
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Sound like the Germans got it right and people are looking at the wrong system. In the old days before Anti-Lock Brakes,. stomping on the brakes locked up the wheels and killed the engine if you had a manual trans or if it was running above the torque convertor stall speed(~2-3K rpm) with an automatic. Toyota isn't the first to have un-intended acceleration, Many brands have had this problem and it's been largely happening since the introduction of ABS.
What if something else gets under the pedal? The brakes should always overpower the throttle. I've seen race cars with a lot more power and stuck throttles - manage to stop, but they don't have ABS. Comment By Al J Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 8:35 AM |
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My wife read about the latest (January 2010) Toyota recall just as we started negotiating a price on a new Highlander. Negotiations ended! Something else is wrong besides floor mats and pedal springs.
Some of the comments concerning malfunctioning Toyota brakes remind me of our 1990's vintage Plymouth van with the unreliable Bendix ABS brakes. Only a very smart mechanic at a dealer in Auburn, WA finally duplicated the scary brake-pedal-to-the-floor driving events. The ABS brakes use a high pressure hydraulic system. If a seal is leaking and pressure drops inside the piston mechanism, the brake pedal goes to the floor. This problem can be replicated in the shop by repeatedly stomping on the brake (engine running) until the weakness in the ABS seal gives out and the brake pedal goes to the floor. After three failures (replacing the ABS unit each time), we sold the Plymouth and bought a Forrester. It turns out Chrysler re-cycled the failed units with re-worked units --- I think Bendix walked away from the ABS product. Comment By Len Monday, February 1, 2010 at 9:10 PM |
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i am a kit car builder that is familiar with the engine throttle control on the 2000 toyota.
the engine spped is controlled by a cable system going from the floor pedal to the engine throttle plate. a pivot valve to control the air intake. this is a total mechanical system. once electronic sensors are used to open or close the throttle plate (speed control) a new level of reliability has to be considered. if a rotary servo functions as the open and close means to control speed, if it malfunctions, who knows what can happen. a fail safe over-ride has to be introduced. i dont have a new toyota but this would be a basic safety requirement. i cant believe they would not have this. my cable operated throttle has a return device that makes the engine go to idle if the pedal cable breaks connection. also, there is a strong close spring on the throttle plate to return it to idle. without knowing what is the problem here, comment is difficult. Comment By pete bartolomei Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 9:59 AM |
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Buy a Ford, dump the import!
Comment By Nograft Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 12:46 PM |
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Unsubstantiated problem. Please. 2,274 reports of unintended acceleration, 275 crashes, and at least 18 dead. I would say this is very substantiated and involves multiple problems. The floor mats, accelerator pedals, and electronic throttle control all seem to be involved. Toyota needs to admit there could be a problem with the electronic throttle control before someone else dies. They need a recall to fix the problem all the way back to 2002.
Comment By Greg Sizemore Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 12:28 PM |
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Hi, I own a 2008 Toyota Corolla 1.6 Dual VVTI. It also has drive by wire throttle. I realized that sometimes when you release the throttle , there is some delayed reaction on it. This is dangerous and I really feel Toyota should never have released
this system before properly testing it. It also revs between gear changes, Toyota SA says this is normal and according to them a way of burning excess fuel to redure emissions. I don't agree. There is a real problem with the resonse of this system. The should call them all back and replace it by a normal cable. My next vehicle will be a VW for sure! Comment By Johan Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 1:41 PM |
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people are starting to find out toyota aint' the knight in shining armor
Comment By Jim Hastings Monday, January 4, 2010 at 6:10 PM |
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Toyota has not been willing to listen to my concerns for the safety and well
being of myself or other drivers. Since I purchased my vehicle in Nov. 08, they said they can find nothing wrong with the car. Yet the brakes continuously slip to the floor, and my car goes off the road and thru stop signs for failing to stop. The brakes have been checked by Toyota's qualified technicians multiple times, and they find nothing wrong with the car. I did take the car in for the hydraulic service brake recall in September 09. This did not resolve the problem. The brakes failed again twice this past week. Again, the car failed to stop as the brakes went to the floor. The car went thru a stop sign into an intersection. I almost crashed into a car one time and a tree the second time. Last winter was even worse trying to avoid collisions and rear ending other drivers from the brakes failing all the time. All Toyota will do at this time is try and reinact the situation with the car they say. This did not happen this week when I brought the car in. I told them it would not as the car is not a dog which performs on cue. It did not do anything when they tested it last winter either. I said again they are releasing a car back to me which is unsafe. I asked them if they felt it was safe and they would not give me a direct response. Resolution Sought: I would like Toyota to replace my Corolla with another 2009 Corolla. An to warn all other consumers of the possibility of reoccurring brake issues since the recall. I told them the car I own is unsafe to drive and will cause a crash on the road. It will potentially harm me, another innocent driver on the road, or a pedestrian. Comment By Melanie Longden Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 3:01 PM |
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Cindy I had a horrible accident where my accelerator got stuck and my two young boys were in the car. The car was accelerating at a high rate of speed and my brakes didn't work , how dare you blame the driver and not toyota ..... I hit a school, another car and than went through a 100 foot fence dragging it with me going towards a house when the fence became wrapped around my car and my car got stuck .... all along the wheels were still spinning burning rubber !! witnesses came to get me and my children out of the car .... all the while my poor children were screaming bloody murder !!! Toyota did come out to the body shop where my car was and of course said nothing was wrong with the car and now a year later they are recalling the gas pedal ??? Unfortunately it took some poor family to lose there lives before toyota took action .....
Comment By geri williams Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 1:06 PM |
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The day before Thanksgiving (Nov. 25, 2009), on Interstate 70 east climbing the steep grade toward the Eisenhower tunnel, on our way to Denver, our 2009 Corolla seemed to hesitate, while my wife continued to "give it the gas" to stay with traffic, then lurched forward with a loud bang from underneath, and a violent jerk of the steering wheel. (We did not hit anything -- I was watching the road at the time, it was full daylight, and there was nothing on the road.) We were knocked back in our seats like we were drag racing. The engine RPM exceeded 5000 for a couple of seconds then dropped back to about 3000 (what would be reasonable considering the grade and load). It seemed as if the automatic transmission would not shift and then violently down shifted late (that is what I thought at the time because I had heard only about the Toyota floor mat problem, which does not apply to our car.) On Friday, we took the car to a Toyota dealer in Denver to have them check the transmission. They did, found nothing wrong, told us the loud bang was likely the bottoming-out of the engine mounts because of the extreme torque applied by the engine, and said we must have been accelerating improperly. Between the 2 of us, my wife and I have over a million miles of driving experience with cars and pickups with both automatic and manual transmissions and have never experienced this before (and most of our experience has been in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Utah with scores of times on this very same highway). We feel this would likely have caused an accident if the driving conditions had not otherwise been ideal. At this point, we are dissatisfied with Toyota's assessment of the problem and have decided to not drive the car to California at Christmas for fear of this happening on an icy road and causing an accident. We hope this issue can be resolved because we very much like our car otherwise.
Comment By Robert Phillips Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 12:30 AM |
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On Dateline, Brian Williams spoke of this huge "scandal" and as it turns out, the Feds have found no clear cause to the accidents. Problems with the floormats? I've owned three different models of Toyota (Corolla, Camry, and Tacoma) and never had a problem with a floormat, accelerator, or a combination of the two. In one of the reported accidents, the car had reached speeds exceeding 120mph. How does one get to that point without putting the car in neutral, applying the brakes, pulling the E-brake, or just turning the car off? This sounds more like a Darwin award to me more than a faulty floormat. Now, if one were to be suspicious about this whole thing (which I am), one would notice that this recall is for almost every Toyota vehicle made in the last 7 years. Every Toyota made in the last 7 years has an unsubstantied problem? This sounds more like fear mongering. There's nothing like using big generalities and the distinct possibility of malfunction to drum up consumer doubt. Just add up the pieces: an economy in recession, a failing domestic auto manufacturing industry, the success of Toyota, WTO trade agreements prohibiting huge taxes and tarrifs, and our own media going crazy over a couple accidents which have no clear cause.
Whoever is behind this is going to have to try a lot harder. You have to prove there's a substantiated reason for this recall. Even so, I still wouldn't buy domestic. And from the looks of things, it looks like there's a viral ad campaign on this site posing as commentators. Comment By sethiuss Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 6:27 AM |
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I was parking my 2003 camry.Suddenly my car moved forward .Hit the car infront of me I reversed the car . It sped up Iput it in forward , it just went faster ,hit the parkecar again THis happened a few times while the car went faster and faster. I pushed the parked car out of it spot. Ikept on hitting my head on the windshield. There was noway i was able to control Braking and parking did not work It felt like the car was possesed.I managed to put the car in neutral and with sqeeling tires and skidding sideways the car stopped. Luckly no one was hurt.. The police charged me with careless driving and so did the car insurance I never had an accident before ,I am 65 years.Now I found out that more people had accidents like that with similar problems , I like to fight it.We had toyota's for 25 years. Iwill sell my camry.And look elsewhere for a new car !!!!
Comment By lata Rabisi Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 3:03 PM |
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First and foremost, it’s tragically obvious there has not been nearly enough thought to all the necessary fail-safe and safety override modes designed into these “drive-by-wire” automotive systems. The Germans at least had the good sense to make their engines go to idle mode if their systems were presented with the conflicting inputs of throttle and brakes applied at the same time ("smart pedal"). (The Toyota system does not do this. Shame on Toyota — as well as the NHTSA who apparently “approved” of this!) As far as “keyless” ignition system designs go, an across-the-board “standard” is needed immediately. The dashboard “switch” should probably have at least three positions: “Off” (as in -- turn the engine ignition AND electric fuel pump systems both off -- right now); “Idle” (to bring engine power down - but not fully off - to allow for the power steering and brakes to continue to function); and “On or Run.” To have to “hold” the start-button in for ” three seconds” during an emergency situation is beyond any safety design rules I believe could (or would) ever be allowed for production and placed into widespread use by the driving public……
Comment By FYI Monday, November 9, 2009 at 8:11 AM |
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Charlene Blake is nuts!!
Comment By Quanita Lopez Friday, November 6, 2009 at 3:26 PM |
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i rear ended a vehile after I had slowed to 10 mph at a stop light. I felt as though I had sped up to 50 MPH I blamed myself for accident , i had foot on the brake and it accelerated and hurt 2 people and myself. I have a 2002 Lexus 300 I bought in Bev hills 2 years ago. Since May 09 I have had a
lunge effect in in bumper to bumper traffic so driving is more stressful. Air bag did not deploy. Since then I have had it repaired and coplained about accident and stuck accelerator and it seems better so far if it was possible to fix throttle on computer system. ABC NEWS said to put foot on brake and the shift into neutral till yo stop. That will have to go to Prius and Siennas ect since 2002 when the throttle system was instigatted into all Toyotas lexus prius camrys. That is a lot of cars on the hwy. Southern California is very dangerous. No matter where you drive it is dangerous. Comment By JOAN LINDLEY Friday, November 6, 2009 at 10:40 AM |
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I own a 98 corolla that has 235200 miles on NO PROBLEMS!!!!! I call this car the "Japanese Chevy" because of its simplicity. As for the oil sludging problem ? BULLSHIT! People have trhe misconception that because it's a Toyota it lasts forever. WRONG!!! ALL cars including Toyotas must be maintained properly. including changing it's oil every 3000 miles or less (I change mine at every 1500 miles) for those of you that are too lazy or cheap to keep your toyota maintained properly , the you get what you deserve!!! now to the acceleration problem, I definately agree that there is a problem with the fly by wire throttle control system on the Toyota cars . This message is for Toyota engineers, You make damned tough, reliable cars and trucks DON"T follow other Automaker's ideas. remember they are your COMPETITION not your allies. I'm not sure what automaker started using the fly by wire system (probably GM) but I will tell you now, bieng a mechanic for nearly 40 years GET RID OF THIS JUNK!!! this type of control does not belong in any car. It's not only dangerous, it does nothing different that a good old fashioned (And inexpensive) throttle cable does. Toyota engineers; stop trying to be the biggest . Be only THE BEST!!!!
Comment By mike Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 1:44 AM |
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Is there any way to stop a vehicle if this happens and can the car be retrofitted with the german device to override the accelerator, if both brakes and accelerator are being pushed.
Comment By suzy o'reilly Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 5:58 PM |
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How could Toyota/Lexus not include this simple safety override into their "drive-by-wire" system (when the Germans certainly did.....)?! And how could any such system be officially approved and certified without it by any manufacturer?!
October 7, 2000 Smart Gas Pedals May Solve Floor-Mat Problem By Christopher Jensen http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/smart-gas-pedals-may-solve-floor-mat-problem/ (excerpts): Some automakers – primarily European — are using an unusual method to reduce the chances of unintended acceleration from something like a floor mat getting tangled up with the accelerator: smart gas pedals. If the vehicle is moving and both the gas and brake pedal are being pushed at the same time the computer tells the engine to ignore the gas pedal. “It is an additional safety feature,” said Thomas Plucinsky, a BMW spokesman. “The brake takes precedence.” Comment By FYI Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 9:20 PM |
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How could Toyota/Lexus not include this simple safety override into their "drive-by-wire" system (when the Germans certainly did.....)?! And how could any such system be officially approved and certified without it by any manufacturer?!
October 7, 2000 Smart Gas Pedals May Solve Floor-Mat Problem By Christopher Jensen http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/smart-gas-pedals-may-solve-floor-mat-problem/ (excerpts): Some automakers – primarily European — are using an unusual method to reduce the chances of unintended acceleration from something like a floor mat getting tangled up with the accelerator: smart gas pedals. If the vehicle is moving and both the gas and brake pedal are being pushed at the same time the computer tells the engine to ignore the gas pedal. “It is an additional safety feature,” said Thomas Plucinsky, a BMW spokesman. “The brake takes precedence.” Comment By FYI Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 9:19 PM |
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Lawyers take advantage of people so they can get tons of money from companies like Toyota. They don't care about fairness or what anyone is going through; they just want money and right now Toyota has become a target for them. If people would drive more carefully, a lot of these accidents can be avoided!! I've had my accelerator stick in the past and it's never caused me to crash. Yes, it's scary, but I have been able to get control of my vehicle because I wasn't speeding and I was driving carefully.
Comment By Cindy Miles Monday, October 12, 2009 at 7:00 PM |
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I agree that there needs to be action but don't think you're doing people a favor by isolating only Toyota. I'm on my 4th transmission in my '00 Maxima, replaced faulty ignition coils that has hundreds of thousands of petitioners, worn/broken hubs, the list goes on. I think Americans in general have become lazy and we've let large companies follow suit. There needs to be a better protection plan for consumers who are really suffering. Not just against Toyota but for all consumer products against companies who use policies and warranties that screw the consumer.
Comment By Mark Monday, October 12, 2009 at 5:27 PM |
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Mat causing the stuck Toyota (Lexus) accelerator? Hardly! This is yet another way for Toyota to blame the owner. Is there any major vehicle defect where Toyota will not blame the owner? Take a look at the "Toyota Owners Unite for Resolution: Engine Oil Sludge" online petition. There are over 3,000 petition signatories already yet Toyota says that only 3,200 people had the sludge problem? Gross underestimation? Of course!
Toyota's major safety issues are being blamed on the drivers of its vehicles! This is a low blow by a company! Talk to the owners who have experienced non-deployment of the Toyota air bags (if they are not DEAD!) and see what they have to say about safety issues in Toyotas! Take a look at the YouTube video entitled "Toyota Engine Oil Sludge" which has been up for only a couple of months but has gotten almost 3,000 views. Go to the "Toyota Oil Gel" web site at http://www.toyotaoilgel.com to see what one Toyota owner has put together. Next, read to uc2blogspot dot com to find out how one Toyota dealership treats an owner who wished to exercise his freedom of speech rights. Name-calling, flattening of tires, threats, and even attempts to run over the protesting Toyota owner are just some of this Toyota dealerships tricks to dealing with a dissatisfied customer! Toyota---SHAME on you for trying to once again incriminate the Toyota owners---and DEAD ones at that!! You need to confess about your quality issues and resolve the current and former issues that Toyota owners had had to face over the last few years!! Stop the facade---stop the blame game---stop the FRAUD!! Comment By Charlene Blake Monday, October 12, 2009 at 4:30 PM |
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The floor mat excuse reminds me when Toyota came out with the reason for engine oil sludge. It said that owners were properly maintaining their vehicles. Sure, not maintaining a vehicle puts it at risk, but this was NOT what was causing the serious engine problem.
With the same reasoning, yes, mats may be able to cause acceleration, but this is NOT what is causing the runaway Toyota and Lexus vehicles that continue to accelerate forward at a high rate of speed! Toyota needs to be examined for FRAUD and COVER UP, IMO! The NHTSA needs to get a conscience and take some responsibility for looking the other way when the "Toyota criminals" decided to con it! Auto owners need to stand up and fight this one! It is serious and it impacts all of us as we share the road with the potential runaway vehicles. Who wants to stand by and watch a family be burned to death again? Who wants to put his/her own family at risk? Tell the TRUTH for once, Toyota! Come clean and FIX these vehicles! Comment By Charlene Blake Monday, October 12, 2009 at 4:24 PM |
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