Toyota: Recall News
#401
Senior Moderator
Someone posted this in the other thread about this topic
http://www.japantoday.com/category/b...toyota-in-2007
U.S. auto insurer says it warned on Toyota in 2007
Wednesday 10th February, 06:30 AM JST
WASHINGTON —
The largest U.S. auto insurer said Tuesday it alerted federal safety regulators in late 2007 about a rise in reports of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the latest warning sign to emerge about the massive recall.
State Farm insurance said it noticed an uptick in reports of unwanted acceleration in Toyotas from its large customer database and warned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in late 2007. NHTSA officials said the report was reviewed and the agency issued a recall later that month.
NHTSA received complaints about acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles as early as 2003, and congressional investigators are looking into whether the government missed warning signs of the problems. A congressional hearing into the Toyota recalls planned for Wednesday was postponed because of a snowstorm expected to hit the capital.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said it will hold the Toyota hearing on Feb 24, the first of three congressional hearings expected to review the Japanese automaker’s recall of about 8.5 million vehicles globally over floor mats which can trap gas pedals, sticking gas pedals and brake problems.
A Democratic staff memo from the Oversight Committee said neither Toyota nor federal safety officials have identified all causes of unintended acceleration in the vehicles. The memo said there was substantial evidence that remedies such as redesigned floor mats have failed to solve the problem.
Meantime, Toyota announced early Tuesday it would recall about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles to fix brake problems. There have been about 200 complaints in Japan and the U.S. about a delay when the brakes in the Prius were pressed in cold conditions and on some bumpy roads.
The U.S. government has launched an investigation into the Prius. In a statement, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Toyota has acknowledged a safety defect by issuing the Prius recall, which includes 133,000 Prius cars and 14,500 Lexus HS250h vehicles in the United States.
LaHood said Toyota leaders had assured him they were taking the safety concerns “very seriously” and the transportation agency will “remain in constant communication with Toyota to hold them to that promise.” U.S. owners will start receiving letters about the recall next week.
With respect to the 2007 alert, State Farm said that it routinely tracks claim trend information and shares its data with NHTSA. “In the name of safety, we voluntarily and routinely communicate with the appropriate government agencies when we see a product-related claim trend,” spokesman Jeff McCollum said in an e-mail.
NHTSA spokeswoman Karen Aldana said State Farm forwarded the agency a Sep 7, 2007, claim letter to Toyota concerning a crash involving a 2005 Camry. She said the report was reviewed and added to their complaint database.
The agency had been investigating problems with floor mats in Toyota vehicles and later in September 2007, Toyota recalled 55,000 Camry and ES350 vehicles to replace the floor mats.
Toyota officials have apologized for the recalls and vowed to fix customer vehicles. Akio Toyoda, the company’s president and grandson of its founder, wrote in an opinion article in The Washington Post on Tuesday that Toyota “has not lived up to the high standards you have come to expect of us” and called the recent spate of problems “the most serious” the company has ever faced.
“We fully understand that we need to more aggressively investigate complaints we hear directly from consumers and move more quickly to address any safety issues we identify,” Toyoda wrote.
Separately, federal safety officials said they will review complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers about steering difficulties on their vehicles. NHTSA said it has received about 80 complaints from drivers of 2009 and 2010 Corollas. Many said their cars could wander when they drive on the highway, making it hard to stay in lanes.
NHTSA said it will determine if a formal safety investigation is warranted. But agency officials also stressed that it was standard procedure to review the tens of thousands of driver complaints they get every year on a wide range of vehicles.
___
Associated Press Writer Larry Margasak and AP Business Writer Stephen Manning contributed to this report.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/b...toyota-in-2007
U.S. auto insurer says it warned on Toyota in 2007
Wednesday 10th February, 06:30 AM JST
WASHINGTON —
The largest U.S. auto insurer said Tuesday it alerted federal safety regulators in late 2007 about a rise in reports of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the latest warning sign to emerge about the massive recall.
State Farm insurance said it noticed an uptick in reports of unwanted acceleration in Toyotas from its large customer database and warned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in late 2007. NHTSA officials said the report was reviewed and the agency issued a recall later that month.
NHTSA received complaints about acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles as early as 2003, and congressional investigators are looking into whether the government missed warning signs of the problems. A congressional hearing into the Toyota recalls planned for Wednesday was postponed because of a snowstorm expected to hit the capital.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said it will hold the Toyota hearing on Feb 24, the first of three congressional hearings expected to review the Japanese automaker’s recall of about 8.5 million vehicles globally over floor mats which can trap gas pedals, sticking gas pedals and brake problems.
A Democratic staff memo from the Oversight Committee said neither Toyota nor federal safety officials have identified all causes of unintended acceleration in the vehicles. The memo said there was substantial evidence that remedies such as redesigned floor mats have failed to solve the problem.
Meantime, Toyota announced early Tuesday it would recall about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles to fix brake problems. There have been about 200 complaints in Japan and the U.S. about a delay when the brakes in the Prius were pressed in cold conditions and on some bumpy roads.
The U.S. government has launched an investigation into the Prius. In a statement, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Toyota has acknowledged a safety defect by issuing the Prius recall, which includes 133,000 Prius cars and 14,500 Lexus HS250h vehicles in the United States.
LaHood said Toyota leaders had assured him they were taking the safety concerns “very seriously” and the transportation agency will “remain in constant communication with Toyota to hold them to that promise.” U.S. owners will start receiving letters about the recall next week.
With respect to the 2007 alert, State Farm said that it routinely tracks claim trend information and shares its data with NHTSA. “In the name of safety, we voluntarily and routinely communicate with the appropriate government agencies when we see a product-related claim trend,” spokesman Jeff McCollum said in an e-mail.
NHTSA spokeswoman Karen Aldana said State Farm forwarded the agency a Sep 7, 2007, claim letter to Toyota concerning a crash involving a 2005 Camry. She said the report was reviewed and added to their complaint database.
The agency had been investigating problems with floor mats in Toyota vehicles and later in September 2007, Toyota recalled 55,000 Camry and ES350 vehicles to replace the floor mats.
Toyota officials have apologized for the recalls and vowed to fix customer vehicles. Akio Toyoda, the company’s president and grandson of its founder, wrote in an opinion article in The Washington Post on Tuesday that Toyota “has not lived up to the high standards you have come to expect of us” and called the recent spate of problems “the most serious” the company has ever faced.
“We fully understand that we need to more aggressively investigate complaints we hear directly from consumers and move more quickly to address any safety issues we identify,” Toyoda wrote.
Separately, federal safety officials said they will review complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers about steering difficulties on their vehicles. NHTSA said it has received about 80 complaints from drivers of 2009 and 2010 Corollas. Many said their cars could wander when they drive on the highway, making it hard to stay in lanes.
NHTSA said it will determine if a formal safety investigation is warranted. But agency officials also stressed that it was standard procedure to review the tens of thousands of driver complaints they get every year on a wide range of vehicles.
___
Associated Press Writer Larry Margasak and AP Business Writer Stephen Manning contributed to this report.
#402
Race Director
Separately, federal safety officials said they will review complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers about steering difficulties on their vehicles. NHTSA said it has received about 80 complaints from drivers of 2009 and 2010 Corollas. Many said their cars could wander when they drive on the highway, making it hard to stay in lanes.
#403
_____ like a rabbit
#404
Race Director
Tire pressure maybe, but an alingment on an '10 Corolla? Unlike the unintended accelaration, this one should be really easy to confirm/recreate.
#405
The sizzle in the Steak
#406
Race Director
#407
what part of Former regulators hired by Toyota Motor Corp. helped end at least four U.S. investigations of unintended acceleration by company vehicles in the last decade, warding off possible recalls, court and government records show.
There are records of it so it is NOT an allegation.
Please go back to the first grade and get some reasoning skills after you complete the class on "learning how to read and comprehend what was read"
#408
Race Director
^ yes, and that still does not show criminal negligence. NHTSA probably has hundreds of inquiries of auto makers that never made it to recall status.
#409
The sizzle in the Steak
At this point I have to ask you are you mentally challenged?
what part of Former regulators hired by Toyota Motor Corp. helped end at least four U.S. investigations of unintended acceleration by company vehicles in the last decade, warding off possible recalls, court and government records show.
There are records of it so it is NOT an allegation.
Please go back to the first grade and get some reasoning skills after you complete the class on "learning how to read and comprehend what was read"
what part of Former regulators hired by Toyota Motor Corp. helped end at least four U.S. investigations of unintended acceleration by company vehicles in the last decade, warding off possible recalls, court and government records show.
There are records of it so it is NOT an allegation.
Please go back to the first grade and get some reasoning skills after you complete the class on "learning how to read and comprehend what was read"
Please stop with the nonsense.
#411
Chapter Leader (Southern Region)
#413
Honda Fanboy
Toyota exec. boasts of saving $100M avoiding recall
Toyota exec. boasts of saving $100M avoiding recall
by Peter Valdes-DapenaFebruary 21, 2010: 8:44 PM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A Toyota executive boasted of saving the company $100 million by negotiating a limited recall for Toyota Camry and Lexus ES cars over a problem that could cause unintended acceleration.
In an internal Toyota (TM) document used as part of a company presentation on its government relations, dated July 6, 2009, the phrase "Negotiated 'equipment' recall on Camry/ES re: [sudden acceleration], saved $100 million+ with no defect found" is among a bullet-pointed list of "wins."
An "equipment" recall is a more limited type of recall, often to repair an accessory or non-essential part of the vehicle.
The presentation was given by Yoshi Inaba, Toyota's top North American executive.
The reference was apparently to a Sept., 2007, recall to secure floor mats that could trap the cars' gas pedals.
In August, 2009, the month following the presentation in which the executive boasted of saving $100 million over a full recall, a family of four was killed in a Lexus with its gas pedal stuck under a floor mat.
In November, 2009, Toyota had full recall to reconfigure the gas pedals of numerous Toyota models to prevent such incidents.
Toyota's troubles: A timeline
Among other "wins" listed were "Avoided investigation on Tacoma rust" and helping win delays in various new federal safety regulations.
A copy of the presentation was provided to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee which is set to grill Toyota president Akio Toyoda on Wednesday. It is unclear who provided the document to the Committee.
"If anything but the safety of America's drivers influenced the decision-making process, the entire purpose of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be undermined," said Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Neither a Toyota nor a NHTSA spokesperson was immediately available to comment for this report.
by Peter Valdes-DapenaFebruary 21, 2010: 8:44 PM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A Toyota executive boasted of saving the company $100 million by negotiating a limited recall for Toyota Camry and Lexus ES cars over a problem that could cause unintended acceleration.
In an internal Toyota (TM) document used as part of a company presentation on its government relations, dated July 6, 2009, the phrase "Negotiated 'equipment' recall on Camry/ES re: [sudden acceleration], saved $100 million+ with no defect found" is among a bullet-pointed list of "wins."
An "equipment" recall is a more limited type of recall, often to repair an accessory or non-essential part of the vehicle.
The presentation was given by Yoshi Inaba, Toyota's top North American executive.
The reference was apparently to a Sept., 2007, recall to secure floor mats that could trap the cars' gas pedals.
In August, 2009, the month following the presentation in which the executive boasted of saving $100 million over a full recall, a family of four was killed in a Lexus with its gas pedal stuck under a floor mat.
In November, 2009, Toyota had full recall to reconfigure the gas pedals of numerous Toyota models to prevent such incidents.
Toyota's troubles: A timeline
Among other "wins" listed were "Avoided investigation on Tacoma rust" and helping win delays in various new federal safety regulations.
A copy of the presentation was provided to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee which is set to grill Toyota president Akio Toyoda on Wednesday. It is unclear who provided the document to the Committee.
"If anything but the safety of America's drivers influenced the decision-making process, the entire purpose of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be undermined," said Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Neither a Toyota nor a NHTSA spokesperson was immediately available to comment for this report.
#414
Knowingly covering up a defect like that is neglegence and having people die as a result is criminal.
seriously if that had happend to YOUR family memebers, I seriously doubt that you would be saying the same thing........
common sense, do you and Moog-Type-S have any? I think not.
#415
CRAZY Toyota steering wheels now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLHWgAmx3Iw
#416
Punk Rocker
that's OK it's all coming out in the wash and Toyota is going to suffer becuase of it. Working with the Government agency to remove the most serious cases is bad and this is going to bite them in the ass.
Knowingly covering up a defect like that is neglegence and having people die as a result is criminal.
seriously if that had happend to YOUR family memebers, I seriously doubt that you would be saying the same thing........
common sense, do you and Moog-Type-S have any? I think not.
Knowingly covering up a defect like that is neglegence and having people die as a result is criminal.
seriously if that had happend to YOUR family memebers, I seriously doubt that you would be saying the same thing........
common sense, do you and Moog-Type-S have any? I think not.
#417
So tell me, how much more stuff has to come out about how Toyota screwed people over before you realise what was going on here?
Yeah that's right mr big nuts, they wanted to save a buck instead of take care of their customers by doing the right thing........
Well that's OK cause they are going to pay.....and dearly at that
1. Bad reputation
2. Potential to loose upards of $5 BILLIONS in lawsuits
3. Plants are already being idled as their sales drop
the fact that you and so many others are willing to put up with crap like this from companies are the major reason they put out crap and do not fear the consequences of making mistakes that kill people
btw, do you know what the Chinese governemnt did to the President of the company that knowingly used a toxic chemical in their milk to boost protien? They executed him. Needless to say, that company won't be doing something like that again.
and as for family memebers driving a toyota, if any of them were thinking about getting one, I am sure they will be thinking about another brand of car now that all of this stuff about how Toyota has handled the situation has come out.
Last edited by YeuEmMaiMai; 02-21-2010 at 10:21 PM.
#418
Punk Rocker
You need Ritlin my friend. Here's an idea; get off of the computer for a while and have a life. You don't even have to think about Toyota at all. Try it and maybe your blood pressure will go down...
#419
^lol take your own adive
#421
yeah OK go ahead and keep Toyota's nutsac in your mouth all the while the executives at the company are boasting about how they saved 100 millions on the recall by working out a deal.....
Dear Toyota if you are going to do stupid shit, please continue to make power point presentations that will eventually get shown to the public......
Dear Toyota if you are going to do stupid shit, please continue to make power point presentations that will eventually get shown to the public......
#422
Race Director
If you have a big enough business (or you are the gov't) you probably already have a figure of what a human being is worth (less than $10 mil probably). But for other considerations (like the gov't makes you, other costs down the road), why would any business incur a higher cost to fix the problem than to just ignore it and pay the lower cost the problem is causing?
Anyone with any kind of common sense would look at this situation and realize that there's no way Toyota ignored the problem knowing the potential down side. The problem is that Toyota didn't know the size of down side.
#423
The sizzle in the Steak
That's the thing - they will be doing it again - just like Toyota and any other company that thinks it can get away with it and it costs less than the alternative. If the death penalty is such a deterant you'd think no one would ever commit a crime punishable by the death penalty. Same with a business - until the costs of fixing a problem are higher than just ignoring it, the problem will likely continue.
If you have a big enough business (or you are the gov't) you probably already have a figure of what a human being is worth (less than $10 mil probably). But for other considerations (like the gov't makes you, other costs down the road), why would any business incur a higher cost to fix the problem than to just ignore it and pay the lower cost the problem is causing?
Anyone with any kind of common sense would look at this situation and realize that there's no way Toyota ignored the problem knowing the potential down side. The problem is that Toyota didn't know the size of down side.
If you have a big enough business (or you are the gov't) you probably already have a figure of what a human being is worth (less than $10 mil probably). But for other considerations (like the gov't makes you, other costs down the road), why would any business incur a higher cost to fix the problem than to just ignore it and pay the lower cost the problem is causing?
Anyone with any kind of common sense would look at this situation and realize that there's no way Toyota ignored the problem knowing the potential down side. The problem is that Toyota didn't know the size of down side.
He mixes his emmotions with the facts...and it gets muddy.
As we have been saying since the beginning ALL car companies are in the business to make $$$$$$$. Safety is secondary to them.....to a point. There is a $$$ value on human life...each car maker considers this cost.
Business ethics? Do they exist? It varies from car maker to car maker.
There is a difference between ethics and morals versus legal obligations.
Toyota is not going to have a good time going in front of the Feds.......every other car maker that will be watching is going to have a "better them than us" mentality....because they all know they would have approached Toyota's situation in a similar manner.
#425
The sizzle in the Steak
#427
I just don't get people who fail to see the severity of the problem for Toyota..... I never said Toyota sucks, I do hower say the way Toyota has handled thos whole mess sucks.....
btw what's this I see in the news?
By KEN THOMAS and DAN STRUMPF, Associated Press Writers Ken Thomas And Dan Strumpf, Associated Press Writers – Mon Feb 22, 5:53 pm ET
WASHINGTON – Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Toyota Motor Corp.'s safety problems and the Securities and Exchange Commission was probing what the automaker told investors, the company disclosed Monday. Newly released internal documents showed that Toyota officials visited with U.S. regulators years ago who "laughed and rolled their eyes in disbelief" over safety claims.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100222/..._toyota_recall
btw what's this I see in the news?
By KEN THOMAS and DAN STRUMPF, Associated Press Writers Ken Thomas And Dan Strumpf, Associated Press Writers – Mon Feb 22, 5:53 pm ET
WASHINGTON – Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Toyota Motor Corp.'s safety problems and the Securities and Exchange Commission was probing what the automaker told investors, the company disclosed Monday. Newly released internal documents showed that Toyota officials visited with U.S. regulators years ago who "laughed and rolled their eyes in disbelief" over safety claims.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100222/..._toyota_recall
#428
lol wow that is some giant pile of crap right there.......more and more documents are getting released that are showing Toyota knew and just plain didn't give a rats ass about it.....even laughing about it with US regulators.....
#429
Just stop...YeuEmMaiMai can't wrap his head around how business is conducted....and how decisions are made.
He mixes his emmotions with the facts...and it gets muddy.
As we have been saying since the beginning ALL car companies are in the business to make $$$$$$$. Safety is secondary to them.....to a point. There is a $$$ value on human life...each car maker considers this cost.
Business ethics? Do they exist? It varies from car maker to car maker.
There is a difference between ethics and morals versus legal obligations.
Toyota is not going to have a good time going in front of the Feds.......every other car maker that will be watching is going to have a "better them than us" mentality....because they all know they would have approached Toyota's situation in a similar manner.
He mixes his emmotions with the facts...and it gets muddy.
As we have been saying since the beginning ALL car companies are in the business to make $$$$$$$. Safety is secondary to them.....to a point. There is a $$$ value on human life...each car maker considers this cost.
Business ethics? Do they exist? It varies from car maker to car maker.
There is a difference between ethics and morals versus legal obligations.
Toyota is not going to have a good time going in front of the Feds.......every other car maker that will be watching is going to have a "better them than us" mentality....because they all know they would have approached Toyota's situation in a similar manner.
so far I have provided links to news stories backing up what I said. even if you choose to gloss over them, that's fine but it does not mean that the facts are not what they are.
#430
Honda Fanboy
Congressmen Say Toyota Misled Public About Recalls
Monday, February 22, 2010
TOKYO — House investigators believe Toyota intentionally resisted the possibility that electronic defects caused unintended acceleration, and then misled the public into thinking its recall would fix all the problems.
Representatives Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak, chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the panel's investigative subcommittee, respectively, also said documents and interviews demonstrate the company relied on a flawed engineering report in its statements to reassure the public.
In a letter to the company, Stupak said a review of consumer complaints produced by Toyota shows that company personnel identified sticking pedals or floor mats as the cause of only 16 percent of the unintended acceleration reports.
Also Monday, federal prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Toyota's safety problems, the company acknowledged Monday as it prepared to answer questions on Capitol Hill about its widespread vehicle recalls.
The Japanese automaker said Monday it received a subpoena from a federal grand jury in New York seeking documents related to unintended acceleration in its vehicles and the braking system of its Prius hybrid.
Toyota also said it received a subpoena and a voluntary document request from the Los Angeles office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC is seeking documents related to unintended acceleration as well as to its disclosure policies and practices, Toyota said.
The subpoenas are the latest demand for documentation from Toyota. Over the weekend, the company turned over documents to congressional investigators, with some boasting it saved money by obtaining a limited recall from regulators in 2007.
The documents could create a big challenge for Toyota President Akio Toyoda, who is scheduled to testify at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday. Two House committees are holding hearings this week on the Japanese automaker's recall of 8.5 million vehicles since the fall to deal with safety problems involving gas pedals, floor mats and brakes.
Toyota said it received the grand jury request from the Southern District of New York on Feb. 8. It received the SEC requests on Friday. It disclosed the latest requests in a filing with the SEC on Monday and said it intends to comply with the requests.
Toyota declined to comment beyond its disclosure with the SEC.
A spokeswoman with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment, saying it does not confirm or deny its investigations as a matter of policy.
The government could be looking into product safety law violations or whether Toyota made false statements to a federal safety agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, involving unintended acceleration or the Prius braking system, said Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University in Detroit.
"In their prior submissions, if there were false statements made in there, that could be the basis" for the investigation, said Henning, a former Justice Department and SEC lawyer. In addition, the SEC likely is looking into whether Toyota disclosed all of its problems in required regulatory filings, he said. Both agencies could be working together as well, he said.
Eric Dezenhall, a crisis management consultant in Washington, said the subpoena might cause Toyota to limit its testimony because apologies are admissible in court.
"On one hand, heavily-lawyered testimony may anger members of Congress," Dezenhall said. "On the other, no matter what Toyota does, their testimony will be deemed inadequate. That's just the nature of the beast. Congressional hearings are not fact-finding missions, they are scolding forums. Toyota's goal is to survive, not 'win.'"
He predicted that in this week's congressional hearings, company officials would walk a line between testimony carefully phrased to avoid legal liability, and enough disclosure to describe the cars' mechanical problems and the steps Toyota is taking to make the vehicles safer.
A spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said the actions by the SEC and U.S. Attorney's Office don't change the Committee's expectation for a transparent and candid discussion with Toyoda.
"Toyota has maintained they have nothing to hide and we expect them to provide straightforward and honest testimony," said Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for Issa.
Claims by Toyota in internal documents that it saved money by obtaining a limited recall from regulators in 2007 will also create problems for the automaker's president when he testifies before U.S. lawmakers this week.
Toyota, in an internal presentation in July 2009 at its Washington office, said it saved $100 million or more by negotiating an "equipment recall" of floor mats involving 55,000 Toyota Camry and Lexus ES350 vehicles in September 2007.
The savings are listed under the title, "Wins for Toyota — Safety Group." The document cites millions of dollars in other savings by delaying safety regulations, avoiding defect investigations and slowing down other industry requirements.
The documents could set off alarms in Congress over whether Toyota put profits ahead of customer safety and pushed regulators to narrow the scope of recalls.
"You can feel that the staff were thinking more about company profits than customers," Mamoru Kato, an analyst at Tokai-Tokyo Securities, said in an e-mail after viewing the documents.
The documents were turned over to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee — which is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday — and obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday. The presentation was first reported by The Detroit News.
The world's largest automaker has been criticized for responding too slowly to complaints of sudden acceleration in its vehicles that are threatening to undermine its reputation for quality and safety.
Toyota said in a statement: "Our first priority is the safety of our customers and to conclude otherwise on the basis of one internal presentation is wrong. Our values have always been to put the customer first and ensure the highest levels of safety and quality."
The internal presentation was dated July 6, 2009, less than two months before a high-speed crash near San Diego killed a California highway patrol officer and his family and reignited concerns over sudden acceleration in Toyotas.
In October 2009, Toyota issued its largest-ever U.S. recall, involving about 4 million vehicles, over concerns of pedals getting stuck in floor mats.
The documents also show a company expecting tougher regulation under the Obama administration.
Toyota highlighted some challenges it faces, including an "activist administration & Congress — increasing laws & regulation," "massive government support for Detroit automakers" along with "continuing economic difficulty."
Under a heading titled "key safety issues," Toyota called the Transportation Department and NHTSA under Obama "not industry-friendly" and said the auto industry expected "a more challenging regulatory and enforcement environment."
The presentation lists Yoshi Inaba, Toyota's chief executive in North America, on its cover. Inaba is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, along with Toyoda. The committee is also expected to hear from LaHood, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland and safety advocates.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday with Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA, LaHood and Strickland. A Senate committee is planning a March 2 hearing.
TOKYO — House investigators believe Toyota intentionally resisted the possibility that electronic defects caused unintended acceleration, and then misled the public into thinking its recall would fix all the problems.
Representatives Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak, chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the panel's investigative subcommittee, respectively, also said documents and interviews demonstrate the company relied on a flawed engineering report in its statements to reassure the public.
In a letter to the company, Stupak said a review of consumer complaints produced by Toyota shows that company personnel identified sticking pedals or floor mats as the cause of only 16 percent of the unintended acceleration reports.
Also Monday, federal prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Toyota's safety problems, the company acknowledged Monday as it prepared to answer questions on Capitol Hill about its widespread vehicle recalls.
The Japanese automaker said Monday it received a subpoena from a federal grand jury in New York seeking documents related to unintended acceleration in its vehicles and the braking system of its Prius hybrid.
Toyota also said it received a subpoena and a voluntary document request from the Los Angeles office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC is seeking documents related to unintended acceleration as well as to its disclosure policies and practices, Toyota said.
The subpoenas are the latest demand for documentation from Toyota. Over the weekend, the company turned over documents to congressional investigators, with some boasting it saved money by obtaining a limited recall from regulators in 2007.
The documents could create a big challenge for Toyota President Akio Toyoda, who is scheduled to testify at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday. Two House committees are holding hearings this week on the Japanese automaker's recall of 8.5 million vehicles since the fall to deal with safety problems involving gas pedals, floor mats and brakes.
Toyota said it received the grand jury request from the Southern District of New York on Feb. 8. It received the SEC requests on Friday. It disclosed the latest requests in a filing with the SEC on Monday and said it intends to comply with the requests.
Toyota declined to comment beyond its disclosure with the SEC.
A spokeswoman with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment, saying it does not confirm or deny its investigations as a matter of policy.
The government could be looking into product safety law violations or whether Toyota made false statements to a federal safety agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, involving unintended acceleration or the Prius braking system, said Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University in Detroit.
"In their prior submissions, if there were false statements made in there, that could be the basis" for the investigation, said Henning, a former Justice Department and SEC lawyer. In addition, the SEC likely is looking into whether Toyota disclosed all of its problems in required regulatory filings, he said. Both agencies could be working together as well, he said.
Eric Dezenhall, a crisis management consultant in Washington, said the subpoena might cause Toyota to limit its testimony because apologies are admissible in court.
"On one hand, heavily-lawyered testimony may anger members of Congress," Dezenhall said. "On the other, no matter what Toyota does, their testimony will be deemed inadequate. That's just the nature of the beast. Congressional hearings are not fact-finding missions, they are scolding forums. Toyota's goal is to survive, not 'win.'"
He predicted that in this week's congressional hearings, company officials would walk a line between testimony carefully phrased to avoid legal liability, and enough disclosure to describe the cars' mechanical problems and the steps Toyota is taking to make the vehicles safer.
A spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said the actions by the SEC and U.S. Attorney's Office don't change the Committee's expectation for a transparent and candid discussion with Toyoda.
"Toyota has maintained they have nothing to hide and we expect them to provide straightforward and honest testimony," said Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for Issa.
Claims by Toyota in internal documents that it saved money by obtaining a limited recall from regulators in 2007 will also create problems for the automaker's president when he testifies before U.S. lawmakers this week.
Toyota, in an internal presentation in July 2009 at its Washington office, said it saved $100 million or more by negotiating an "equipment recall" of floor mats involving 55,000 Toyota Camry and Lexus ES350 vehicles in September 2007.
The savings are listed under the title, "Wins for Toyota — Safety Group." The document cites millions of dollars in other savings by delaying safety regulations, avoiding defect investigations and slowing down other industry requirements.
The documents could set off alarms in Congress over whether Toyota put profits ahead of customer safety and pushed regulators to narrow the scope of recalls.
"You can feel that the staff were thinking more about company profits than customers," Mamoru Kato, an analyst at Tokai-Tokyo Securities, said in an e-mail after viewing the documents.
The documents were turned over to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee — which is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday — and obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday. The presentation was first reported by The Detroit News.
The world's largest automaker has been criticized for responding too slowly to complaints of sudden acceleration in its vehicles that are threatening to undermine its reputation for quality and safety.
Toyota said in a statement: "Our first priority is the safety of our customers and to conclude otherwise on the basis of one internal presentation is wrong. Our values have always been to put the customer first and ensure the highest levels of safety and quality."
The internal presentation was dated July 6, 2009, less than two months before a high-speed crash near San Diego killed a California highway patrol officer and his family and reignited concerns over sudden acceleration in Toyotas.
In October 2009, Toyota issued its largest-ever U.S. recall, involving about 4 million vehicles, over concerns of pedals getting stuck in floor mats.
The documents also show a company expecting tougher regulation under the Obama administration.
Toyota highlighted some challenges it faces, including an "activist administration & Congress — increasing laws & regulation," "massive government support for Detroit automakers" along with "continuing economic difficulty."
Under a heading titled "key safety issues," Toyota called the Transportation Department and NHTSA under Obama "not industry-friendly" and said the auto industry expected "a more challenging regulatory and enforcement environment."
The presentation lists Yoshi Inaba, Toyota's chief executive in North America, on its cover. Inaba is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, along with Toyoda. The committee is also expected to hear from LaHood, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland and safety advocates.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday with Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA, LaHood and Strickland. A Senate committee is planning a March 2 hearing.
#431
Race Director
...when they thought it was cheaper to ignore the problem (the same as most other businesses would have done). Once they realized the real costs involved, they started doing something about it.
#432
Team Owner
Expert reproduces electrical problem by introducing short circuit.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/video/...1363488&page=1
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/video/...1363488&page=1
#433
Chapter Leader (Southern Region)
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Fan, Shit.. do the math.
Fan, Shit.. do the math.
#434
Race Director
^ that's the problem with today's cars - almost everyone depends on error codes in the ECU to diagnose a problem. Just as I thought - this is not a mechnical issue or a gas pedal problem. So Toyota was right when they said that no faults show up in the ECU when if fact there is a problem. The firmware in the ECU needs a serious make over.
#435
Chapter Leader (Southern Region)
I definitely want to see more details about the trigger, if it's an I/O issue, programming or lack of redundancy in the programming, etc.. & what can be done short of replacing the units to prevent such ua events.
#436
Race Director
Yes - it would help a lot to know what he was shorting to cause that issue. It would also be interesting to see what happens if he throws it into Neutral at that point.
#437
Race Director
It's times like this that I wonder if some lay mechanic can recreate the problem why a Toyota engineer can't?
I would think an ECU firmware upgrade would be cheaper than the gas pedal and other things (floor mats) Toyota is currently doing.
I would think an ECU firmware upgrade would be cheaper than the gas pedal and other things (floor mats) Toyota is currently doing.
#438
The sizzle in the Steak
That's what I've been saying all along....changing out all the pedals makes no sense when if it is a software "issue"....an update would be far cheaper and more simple than the pedal replacement.
#439
The sizzle in the Steak
#440
Race Director
The thing is they'll probably recall a lot of cars to install their brake override system anyway - which is already on some newer cars. Why install a gas pedal fix that doesn't fix anything but not install the brake over ride system that will get rid of any such problems.
Last edited by biker; 02-23-2010 at 01:53 PM.