Toyota Steps in it Again!
Following Toyota Motor Corp.’s Sudden Acceleration Recalls, Toyota is under pressure for braking matters for the Prius, Toyotas favorite hybrid. According to Ray LaHood, Transportation Secretary, Transportation agents will begin an investigation after write ups were incurred that the Japanese authorities has initiated an investigation in brake misfunction complaints, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.
Reported by a complaint registered with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): My 2010 Toyota Prius has a serious braking problem, the car lunges forward after (I) apply my brakes over a bumpy surface. This is very unexpected and luckily no one was in front of me otherwise I would have hit them. This already happened several times, took my car to the dealer and no solution, I dont know what to do with a brand new (car) like this. There are many complaints with similar descriptions around problems when encountering even minor bumps and potholes with the 2010 Prius.
This topical matter is on top of Toyotas recall of 3,800,000 automobiles in November ‘09 to mend accelerator pedals plus software system to treat what Toyota described as sudden acceleration troubles, which was pursued by the latest sudden acceleration recall on Jan. 21, 2010 when Toyota announced a recall for 2,300,000 cars. According to a USA article titled “100 Toyota drivers filed complaints before recall”, there were more than 100 complaints registered before Toyota made the recall announcement.
Lately, Ray LaHood made statements which call into question Toyotas follow through on the sudden acceleration matter. According to LaHood, “Today, Toyota is apparently taking the right steps to address these safety issues. Unfortunately it took much effort to get to this point.” During a Congressional hearing on February 3, 2010, the Transportation Secretary articulated that drivers of recalled Toyotas should end driving the cars until the cars are remedied.
And now Toyota papers, which the company is attempting to hold back from the populace may indicate a possible cover up. A onetime Toyota lawyer, Dimitrios Biller, as portion of his legal complaint against Toyota has asserted that Toyota has hid safety evidence involving rollover hearings. During Dec., Biller advised Toyota that he would furnish a thorough copy of the papers he controlled to the L.A. Times. Toyota replied by asking a CA arbitrator to block Biller from showing the written documents to anyone. If Toyota possesses nothing to hide in the rollover suits and has provided another lawyer the exact papers that Biller has, as Toyota has suggested, what does it have to conceal?
These most recent series of issues, the Prius braking problem as well as the onetime attorney insinuating that Toyota hid written documents, in addition to the Transportation Secretarys comments concerning the car makers treatment of the sudden acceleration recall are contributing to a significant amount of scrutiny on Toyota, questioning the car manufacturers believability. Can the car manufacturer be able to regenerate its reputation?
