Free Republic

Ayn Rand couldn't have imagined it any better: a government with a majority ownership stake in a car maker lobbing sound bites that damage the "competition." While it's not Ray LaHood's fault that the U.S. government got into the car business, his comments suggesting that Toyota drivers should stop driving their cars did a nice job of underscoring the folly of this type of government intervention.

Software-designed cars don't always behave as expected in the real world. As Toyota dealers begin to repair sticky gas pedals on 2.3 million recalled vehicles, one question lingers: How did engineers miss the potential for friction in the pedal assembly--identified as the root cause of the problem--during the design process? One possible answer is that the simulation software widely used by automakers, aerospace companies and others to design and test products is only as smart as the humans who program it. To save money and speed development time, carmakers today design their vehicles virtually, using computer-aided design software, rather than...

We're all aware of the two mega-recalls of Toyota vehicles. The quick and easy explanation is that "cars are too complicated" and "cars have too many processors and too much software." Certainly, there is some truth to that (software-controlled cars creep me out), but the sticking-accelerator problem has nothing to do with electronics; it's a mechanical problem with a mechanical solution. But the real problem which designers of mass-market, high-volume products really face is the law of large numbers. When you have tens or hundreds of thousands of a product out in the market, some of its incredibly obscure and...

Federal officials review Toyota Corolla complaints The Associated Press Tuesday, February 9, 2010; 11:54 AM WASHINGTON -- Federal safety officials say they will look into complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers about difficulty with the steering on their vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received about 80 complaints from drivers of 2009 and 2010 Corollas. Many say their cars can wander when they drive on the highway, making it hard to stay in lanes. NHTSA says it will determine if a formal safety investigation is warranted. But agency officials also stress that it is standard procedure to review the...

More than 70 years ago, Toyota entered the auto business based on a simple, but powerful, principle: that Toyota would build the highest-quality, safest and most reliable automobiles in the world. The company has always put the needs of our customers first and made the constant improvement of our vehicles a top priority. That is why 80 percent of all Toyotas sold in the United States over the past 20 years are still on the road today. When consumers purchase a Toyota, they are not simply purchasing a car, truck or van. They are placing their trust in our company....

BEIJING -(Dow Jones)- Vehicle sales in China last month more than doubled from a year earlier to 1.66 million units, a semi-official industry group said Tuesday. Passenger vehicle sales more than doubled to 1.32 million units in January, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said in a statement without giving year-earlier figures. China's auto sales last year rose 46% to 13.6 million units, displacing the U.S. as the world's largest auto market.

Is it just me, or does this Audi "Green Police" ad succinctly summarize Obama's dream for America? It's a perfect melding of enviro-soviets and police state fascism.

The Car Allowance Rebate System certainly helped carmakers sell more cars this summer than they would have in this troubled economy. But six months later, there's evidence that some "Cash for Clunkers" buyers have a higher repossession and late payment rate than the average consumer. According to CNW Research, the repo rate among high-risk CARS buyers is more than twice that of the same category of consumers that didn't utilize the program. Of subprime buyers who used the government-funded program, nearly 5 percent have had their newly purchased vehicles repossessed. The same group of buyers who didn't use the program...

Be honest. It's what we're all thinking about the tree huggers' favourite vehicle and the tree huggers who drive them, ever since it was revealed just how easy it is to wrap one round a tree. The Toyota Prius "Not So Bloody Smug Now" Special Edition. Coming to a brick wall near you soon.

In addition to a pair of well-matched teams and a sufficient dose of fourth-quarter suspense concerning the outcome, yesterday's Super Bowl was the first in several years to feature an ad meriting comment in an energy blog. The subject of the ad was the new Audi A3 TDI clean diesel car, which was recently named "Green Car of the Year" for 2010. I was intrigued by the ad's tagline of "Green has never felt so right", positioning the car as painlessly green. Having had the opportunity to drive one at the recent Washington Auto Show, I can attest that the...

February 8, 2010 Toyota Prius Global Recall Fears Spread To Luxury Lexus Brand Leo Lewis, Asia Business Correspondent Toyota’s imminent global recall of the Prius over problems with the brakes could be expanded to cover a flagship model from the high-end Lexus range, say sources. Toyota is believed to be on the brink of a worldwide recall of its latest model of Prius that could affect as many as 300,000 vehicles. But sources close to the company told The Times that Toyota was also gearing up to warn owners of the Lexus HS250h and Sai hybrid sedan that their cars...

Toyota Dealers Pull ABC TV Ads; Anger Over 'Excessive Stories' 'Punishment for Reporting' as Southeast Dealers Shift Commercial Money to Non-ABC Stations By JOSEPH RHEE and MARK SCHONE Feb. 8, 2010 Toyota dealers in five southeast states have pulled their commercials off ABC TV local affiliates, complaining about the coverage of Toyota safety problems by ABC News and its chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross. Executives decide whether to recall the Prius over software glitch.The ad agency representing the 173 dealers told ABC affiliates last week that the shift was due to "excessive stories on the Toyota issues." The dealers shifted...

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal wrote: “Hell, in modern imagination, is not a place of fiery lakes and acrid fumes. It’s a maze of deposition rooms you can’t escape, where nothing is what it seems. That’s where Toyota has landed.“ Welcome to hell. The Parker Waichman Alonso law firm , of Great Neck, NY, teamed up with the Becnel Law Firm, in New Orleans, LA and put on Businesswire that they “filed suit on behalf of several consumers who purchased Toyota vehicles subject to various recalls issued in January 2010 for defects in the vehicles’ gas pedals. The lawsuit, which...

I’m sure some idiot at Audi thought these “Green Police” commercials for the Super Bowl would be funny. I found them downright offensive and not the least bit funny. In the collection of ads below, you see a guy at the store pick “plastic” when the checkout gal asks “paper or plastic” and the Green Police immediately arrest the earth-destroyer for his intended assault on Mother Gaia. (Didn’t these enviro-idiots come up with the plastic bags some 20 years ago to save the earth from all the trees being killed for paper bags?) You also have Green Police digging through...

If you're like me, Audi's Green Police ad during yesterday's Superbowl was sort of a high point of creepiness -- and not just for its boomerific revival of a classic Cheap Trick song. No, the celebration of the right car purchase -- a "clean diesel" -- as a get-out-of jail-free card for a totalitarian eco-state sort of ruined car shopping for you while also hinting a bit too strongly at the direction in which the world is inching in its intolerant, lemming-like way. Our friends in Britain already have to worry about government snoops pawing through their garbage and forcing...

LINK TO SUPERBOWL AD AND ADDITIONAL MOCKING ADS FROM AUDI The Audi A3 TDI Diesel was named by Green Car Journal at the L.A. Auto Show as the GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR. Besides the staff of Green Car Journal and self-described environmentalists, the judges include Jay Leno and legendary muscle car icon Carroll Shelby. The TDI clean diesel gets 42 mpg. Gee, maybe we can have a balance of doing good environmentally, lessening dependence on foreign oil, and actually not destroying jobs and economies. Ya think? That is Audi's point in a series of ads about the Green...

Just how many people did Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood kill last week with his bizarre statement that people should quit driving their Toyotas until they can have them "fixed"? Of course he later issued the clarification — something about how he really didn't mean what he said, he just wanted people to be careful. But when a Cabinet Secretary leads the evening news, people react. If people aren't driving Toyotas, what are they driving? More importantly, if the Department of Transportation is spending massive amounts of time thinking about this trivial safety issue, what are they not doing? Begin...

Honda Recalls Thousands Of Cars Amid Fire Fears Honda has become the latest car manufacturer to recall thousands of vehicles amid fears that one of its models could catch fire. By David Millward 05 Feb 2010 Despite no complaints in Britain, Honda is contacting all drivers as a precaution. The Japanese motor company has recalled 171,372 of its Jazz models in Britain, as part of a larger worldwide recall, after several accidents including one in which a South African child died. Honda's recall comes after Toyota called in at least 180,000 cars amid concerns over faulty accelerator pedals and means...

Toyota owners stormed dealerships all over the country last week demanding "fixes" for "defects" described in wildly inflammatory press reports. Toyota apologized for "defects" that to date are still being investigated. Before whatever problems might exist had been determined and before any "fix" has been found, the government ordered Toyota to begin the largest recall of vehicles in automotive history. Toyota then shut down its U.S. plants and stopped selling eight of its popular models, including Camry and Corolla. Toyota claims these actions were "voluntary," but Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was quoted as saying the Obama administration had ordered the...

<p>Toyota's sales freeze last week intensified the focus on Elkhart, Ind.-based CTS since it was singled out after the world's largest automaker's Jan. 21 U.S. recall of autos whose pedals might "stick." CTS expressed "deep concern" on Jan. 29 about how its parts were being portrayed.</p>

Commerce: Now that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has served notice he's "not finished" with Toyota, how keen will other foreigners be to invest and create jobs here? This political show could cost us. The grandstanding against Toyota over a safety issue hasn't been limited to LaHood. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman also got out front the cameras to announce congressional hearings. And United Auto Workers, a big supplier of labor to General Motors and Chrysler, was out demonstrating. Everyone, it seems, is piling on Toyota over a fairly rare safety issue. But think twice about carrying the...

TOYOTA has offered a 'heartfelt apology" to customers over concerns about its accelerators and brakes and has assured the public that its cars are safe. The company is in a "moment of crisis" over the recall of eight million cars, the president of the world's largest car maker said last night, finally addressing a widely condemned refusal to break his silence on the issue. The company also admitted that it knew as long ago as last summer that its accelerator pedals were defective and had begun ordering their replacement five months before telling the public that the components represented a...

Toyota Motor Corp's (7203.T) massive safety recall comes as no surprise to Dimitrios Biller, a former company attorney fighting a lawsuit against the world's No. 1 automaker alleging Toyota has concealed evidence from courts and the U.S. government.

<p>NAGOYA, Japan—Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corp., broke his public silence Friday on the safety crisis battering his company, offering a "heartfelt apology" to customers, but offering little new on what steps the auto maker will take to resolve the doubts of car owners and lawmakers in the U.S.</p>

Is Toyota Motor Company paying the price today for their executives' failure to support Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign? One might draw that conclusion after examining campaign contribution records on the Federal Election Commission web site.

Ray LaHood is an idiot. How much he had to donate to Obama to get into the Cabinet, I have no idea. But he doesn't belong there. Obama's got a right to surround himself with liberals, if he wants to. But we can't afford to let him have morons, too. And that's what Ray LaHood is. A Republican, yes, but not a smart one. And his token backside should be fired. Yesterday was a good example. Sitting in front of a committee of Congress, talking about the Toyota accelerator recalls, he said that owners of a recalled vehicle should "stop...

TOKYO – Toyota's president apologized Friday for the massive global recalls over sticking gas pedals as the automaker scrambles to repair a damaged reputation and sliding sales. But Akio Toyoda, appointed to the top job at Toyota Motor Corp. last June, said the company is still deciding what steps to take to fix brake problems in the popular Prius gas-electric hybrid. Speaking at a hastily announced news conference that lasted an hour, a stern-looking Toyoda promised to beef up quality control. "We are facing a crisis," he said, publicly confronting the automaker's safety problems for the first time since the...

Toyota Motor Corp.’s head of U.S. sales plans to make U.S. television appearances today, starting with NBC Universal’s “Today” show, as the world’s largest automaker works to resolve its biggest recall crisis. Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA, is to speak on the morning news and talk program before holding a conference call with other media organizations, said a company official who declined to be identified because the plan isn’t public. Lentz may also appear on Bloomberg Television. The TV appearances will be the first for a U.S. audience after the automaker ran an informational ad in newspapers...

A friend of mine once had a Toyota that wouldn't die. The odometer had only a dim recollection of passing 100,000 miles, the body was dinged and the paint was faded and the interior was worn, but the thing just kept running. He finally parked it at the airport, removed the plates and walked away. But that was more than 20 years ago, long before Toyota became the world's biggest car manufacturer. Now the gas pedal doesn't work right on some of the company's models and the brakes don't work right on others. A brand name that once meant "indestructible"...

Toyota USA says it is evaluating brake problems with the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid, but no decision has been made about a recall. Company spokesman Brian Lyons says it's too soon to talk about a recall. He says the automaker is cooperating fully with a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration probe into the brake troubles. The government is investigating reports that antilock brakes can fail momentarily on some 2010 Prius models in slippery conditions or on rough roads. The company says it made a change in the 2010 braking system last month to correct cars in production. The company has...

There's something inherently sleazy and suspicious about an WH administration mouthpiece that unequivocally states that Toyota owners should simply "stop driving" their cars until they've taken them to a dealership. In the wake of such an unprecedented fear mongering campaign, the mud slinging began, and within days, Transportation Sec'y Ray LaHood, was softening his harsh blow.But "just words" matter, and one of the nation's most popular vehicle manufacturers saw their shares fall as much as 8% on the heels of LaHood's explosive remarks. Obama's pet, Goldman Sachs, downgraded Toyota from a "buy" to "neutral". If you use AutoBlog's figures, it's...

The hybrid-electric Prius has long been Toyota’s “green car,” the symbol of the automaker’s engineering prowess and its big bet on the kind of car consumers will want to buy for decades to come. But on Wednesday, the Prius was drawn into the mounting crisis for Toyota, as Japanese officials ordered the company to investigate problems with the brakes on the 2010 model. American safety officials also said they had received dozens of similar complaints. The new questions surrounding the Prius raise doubts about a different problem in a model that was not part of the recent global recalls of...

That's what the Washington Examiner's editors are wondering, after President Obama's Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said all Toyota owners should "stop driving [their cars] and take it to a dealer." The attacks from the administration about various design flaws from the suddenly undependable automaker look awful suspicious.... LaHood, headline-chasing congressmen like Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and a chorus of Naderite auto safety nannies led by former National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration Administrator Joan Claybrook are demanding that Toyota submit to a punishing new round of subpoenas, hearings, and media inquisition.... Given the Obama administration's catering to one of its...

Big Government: Is it just us, or is there something off about regulators' big public show against Toyota over a safety issue? Might that be a conflict of interest between Government Motors' owners and a foreign rival? That some car companies are more equal than others in the eyes of federal regulators became obvious Wednesday, when Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood urged everyone who owns a Toyota to "stop driving it, take it to a Toyota dealer because they believe they have a fix for it." LaHood, whose government also owns Toyota rivals General Motors and Chrysler, was referring to a...

Here are some of the headlines from my Ward's Auto Subscriber newsletter... January's U.S. Sales Gain Largest Since July 2005 Ward’s estimates Toyota’s sales stoppage cost the auto maker 20,000-25,000 units at month’s end, likely reducing the SAAR by about 200,000 Feds Say LaHood Comments Misconstrued; Prius Brakes Investigated Toyota Grapples With P.R. Bungles, Tarnished Brand Ward's Blogs: Recall's Impact on Toyota's Image? Toyota Blames Overly Sensitive ABS for Prius Brake Problems The software code that will allow the brakes to override the throttle in the Camry is ready to be added. Toyota January Sales Dragged Down; Lowest January...

We’ve all heard of the massive Toyota recall regarding the accelerator pedals, but it seems that they aren’t the only automaker that is getting plagued by the problem. It was recently announced that Ford will be stopping production altogether of their Transit in China due to the same problem. You may be thinking this is quite the coincidence but it seems that Ford actually gets the accelerator pedals from the same supplier that Toyota does.

http://www.richhumor.com/wp-filez/PerhapstheBestFordCommercia.wmv

Here we go..

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Wednesday said he wants to talk directly with Toyota Motor Corp Chief Executive Akio Toyoda about the safety concerns involving Toyota cars and the company's handling of those issues. "This is very serious," Mr. LaHood said at a breakfast with reporters in Washington. "After I talk with him, they'll get it. We're going to keep the pressure on." Mr. LaHood also defended the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's handling of invesitgations into reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles. The NHTSA "stepped up here," he said. Some safety advocates have questioned why NHTSA didn't...

Apple's Wozniak: Toyota may have software trouble Tue Feb 2, 10:22 pm ET WASHINGTON (AFP) – Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak suggested Tuesday in media interviews that Toyota's troubles with a defective accelerator pedal may have to do with software, after his Prius sped up while in cruise-control. "Since my foot never touches the pedal," Wozniak told ABC News, the problem "cannot be a sticky accelerator pedal.... There might be some bad software in there." He said the problem in his Prius might be related to the random acceleration issue that has forced Toyota into a massive recall of eight million...

WASHINGTON -- Toyota has hit another pothole. The company has gotten over 100 complaints in the US and Japan about brake problems involving it popular Prius hybrid, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said. Two involved crashes resulting in injuries. Japan's transport ministry ordered an investigation early today. The complaints are the latest in a spate of quality troubles for the auto maker as it grapples with massive global recalls due to sticking accellerators. The Prius is not part of that recall of nearly 4.5 million vehicles.

Toyota Motor Corp., reeling from two recalls and suspension of sales of many popular models, sold 18,500 fewer vehicles in the U.S. in January . Meanwhile, General Motors Co. saw its sales rise 14.6% to 145,804. Sales of its core Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac nameplates rose 30%, GM said. Ford Motor Co. sales jumped 24.4% in January to 112,149 vehicles compared with last year, according to Autodata Corp., which compiles the numbers. Toyota continued to apologize to customers and said it was concerned about lasting damage to its market position. Analysts said it was unlikely that Toyota would allow...

Obama Administration Says It Is 'Not Finished With Toyota' By JOSH MITCHELL And NORIHIKO SHIROUZU The Obama administration toughened its stance toward Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday, saying it is still reviewing possible safety defects in the company's vehicles and weighing other actions. "We're not finished with Toyota and are continuing to review possible defects and monitor the implementation of the recalls," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. Another DOT official said the agency is considering a civil penalty against the Japanese auto maker. Mr. LaHood, in his statement, said "while Toyota is taking responsible action now, it...

In an Interview, U.S. Chief Jim Lentz Insists Toyota Didn’t Hide Acceleration Problem WATCH...

Attorneys from a Texas law firm file a class action lawsuit against Toyota over the company’s gas pedals. They are filing the suit on behalf of a Texas family. WATCH VIDEO...

It turns out that the “bad guy” in the Toyota recall may not be such a bad guy after all, and according to experts may actually benefit from the mess. CTS, originally founded in 1896 under the name Chicago Telephone Supply, is widely reported to have made the gas pedal units at the center of the massive recall by No. 1 Toyota across several of its most popular models. But, wait a minute, CTS executives on Friday sought to set the record straight on just what the company did and did not do in the gas pedal mess. CTS Sets...

Toyota is the latest Japanese corporate icon making headlines for all the wrong reasons. News of the automaker's massive vehicle recalls over faulty gas pedals in the U.S. came just days after Japan Airlines, a once proud flag carrier, filed for bankruptcy, saddled with billions in debt. Sony has lost its lead in consumer gadgets to the likes of Apple Inc. and has suffered its own quality mishaps. Honda, Japan's No. 2 automaker, is recalling 646,000 cars worldwide because of a faulty window switch. Taken together, Japan Inc.'s stellar reputation for quality has taken a hit — just as China...

January 29, 2010 US Congress to investigate Toyota after 19 deaths The US House of Representatives has announced an investigation into Toyota’s faulty accelerator pedals and other problems that may have caused 19 deaths over the past decade and triggered a global recall of nearly eight million vehicles. A month from now Toyota will face a cross-examination from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce over whether it responded soon enough to reports that accelerator pedals could become stuck. The committee has sent letters to Toyota’s American subsidiary requesting documents and e-mails related to the matter. Information has also been...

At General Motors, they used to call their surging competitor "Mr. T," as if intimidated by a muscular rival who seemed able to seize market share at will. But Toyota suddenly looks pretty meek, thanks to a mystifying safety problem that has led to a huge recall, an unprecedented production shutdown, and an ugly dent in a once sterling reputation. This corporate nightmare has mushroomed since last fall, when Toyota recalled about 4 million vehicles because of floor mats with a propensity to slip down into the driver's side foot well, potentially interfering with the pedals and causing sudden acceleration....

"Toyota has come under extreme public scrutiny for its handling of the situation, as it initially continued manufacturing and selling affected models even after the recall was announced. Then on Tuesday, Toyota halted the production and sale of eight models in North America, including the popular Camry and Corolla, while redesigned parts are produced and distributed to factories and dealers. To date,Toyota says that no accidents have been linked to the problem."