Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Automotive News & Views Brand problems swept under the rug
1140 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 7:12 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
|
Replying to: 210delray (Nov 07, 2009 4:14 pm) Some here did not believe me when I predicted this would bring them out of the woodwork. Maybe I can throw my skipping CD player into the Class action suit.  Probably not as the New NAV arrived from India yesterday, and will be installed Monday.
|
|
|
|
|
this whole thing is getting scarier and scarier...for Toyota. This, however, is not the only fatal crash resulting from sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus models. Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, Inc., has reported at least 16 fatalities and 243 injuries in crashes involving Toyotas that have been attributed to sudden unintended acceleration. In total, there have been more than 2,000 complaints of sudden unintended acceleration in these vehicles, culled from litigation and consumer-reported complaints to the automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). We have mentioned some 6 crashes since 2000 invloving stuck accelerators in Toyota vehicles, or was it 9 crashes. Doesn't matter how good our memories are, now we have this lawyer-culled information that lists 16 fatalities and 243 injuries and a total of more than 2,000 complaints. This still might just be accelerator pedals mushed in the "full on" position due to aggressive floor mats. To think that. When it's so easy ta let your mind wander to something else, like ECU's of some sort, huh? To be more accurate as to NHTSA releases, though, we have to make sure we mention that they're taking a close look at the floor pans installed in subject vehicles as well. In their workings with the pedals and mats. Pedals and mats and pans, pedals and mats and pans...oh pedals and mats and pans. Interesting how I can turn most anything in to a blues riff.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: gagrice (Nov 07, 2009 4:52 pm)  It was the driver`s stupidity and ignorance. Even if it was Chevy/Ford/Honda/Dodge -the same logic applies!! 
|
|
|
Replying to: gagrice (Nov 07, 2009 2:03 pm) Nobody with a real injury would be dumb enough to join in something like this...but all the scammers will be first in line for that free oil change. If the attorneys make any money on this you can be sure that every other car manufacturer might as well line up for their turn. Cigarettes used to cost 25 cents a pack and now I hear that they are about $5. Mostly due to lawsuits. I can't wait to plunk down $200,000. for a Yaris.
|
|
|
Replying to: iluvmysephia1 (Nov 07, 2009 6:23 pm) Just looked him up on his website: Who We Are Established in July 2004 by Sean Kane, Safety Research & Strategies, Inc., is staffed with research professionals who specialize in safety matters. Mr. Kane began his work in 1991 with the Center for Auto Safety, the advocacy organization established by Ralph Nader in Washington D.C. As a co-founder of Strategic Safety, and later, as president of Safety Research & Strategies, Mr. Kane has remained at the forefront of safety issues and trends, from Electronic Stability Control to aging tires. He continues to offer unique solutions to the problems of investigating and analyzing product defects and to federal agency investigations and rulemakings Mr. Kane’s work on behalf of clients and the public has prompted federal investigations, aided in the successful resolution of important litigation, and alerted the public of significant vehicle safety hazards. His investigations and analyses of defects have led to recalls of millions of vehicles and components that have inflicted serious and deadly injuries to consumers, ranging from heater core ruptures, engine fires, failed electronics, and tires. Mr. Kane was instrumental in revealing the Ford Explorer/Firestone tire debacle in the U.S. His research exposed Ford’s overseas recalls to the public in July 2000 and led to three campaigns to recall the tires. In 2006, subsequent research revealed that unused Firestone spares, never replaced in the 2000 and 2001 recalls, were being put into service, only to fail quickly causing more rollover deaths and serious injuries. As a result, Firestone launched an owner re-notification program in July 2006. Mr. Kane is the founder of the Vehicle Safety Information Resource Center, a company that provides researchers with the tools to locate and obtain vehicle safety data and documents from government sources, he is the editor of The Safety Record, a bi-monthly publication that covers the “inside baseball” of motor vehicle and product safety, and co-chairs the CDC-sponsored Massachusetts Prevent Injury Now! Network, a group that supports injury prevention efforts as the state level. Mr. Kane is a frequent source and commentator to the broadcast and print media and his work continues to serve as the foundation for successful identification and resolution of many vehicle and product safety matters. SRS research staff includes Tony Di Viesti Esq., BSME, Melanie MacDonald, Ann Boudreau, Lauri Stevenson MLS, Ellen Liberman, Felix Click MLIS, Marilyn Charest, Brad Pugh, Sharon Mitchell, and Ryan Gousie SRS also maintains contractors in Detroit, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Hmm, he started at the Center for Auto Safety and seems to have developed a rather large ego....Didn't know he was so "instrumental in revealing the Ford Explorer/Firestone tire debacle in the U.S." 
|
|
|
Replying to: houdini1 (Nov 07, 2009 7:58 pm) Off topic, but the huge increase can be blamed on much higher taxes, with the aim of getting people to quit now that we know how dangerous cigs are. Try $9 a pack in NYC. People still smoke there though.
|
|
|
Replying to: 210delray (Nov 07, 2009 8:12 pm) |
|
|
...you may not want to drive again (hint: it's not just Toyotas that have "sudden unintended acceleration"). See this (note: very small font, and infamous white letters on black background). |
|
|
|
|
The trendline of complaints for four manufacturers—Ford, GM, Chrysler, and Toyota, however, float above their peers with occasional spikes, leading one to conclude that either these manufacturers have a problem, or the most confused consumers gravitate to their vehicles. Oh, fine. Grasping for straws, the report surmised that the most confused drivers gravitate towards Toyota, Ford, GM and Chrysler products, because these SUA problems show up for these manufacturers more than the others. Or, and here's where there might be some hurting and pain going on, these carmakers really do have a problem in their designs systems somewhere that is causing these sudden acceleration problems. Ya think? I think that Toyota is the undisputed leader in these problems. |
|
|
Replying to: deltheking (Nov 07, 2009 6:33 pm) I would shudder to think that an incorrect floor mat could cause 4 fatalities. I know I wouldn't had bothered to check whether the mats could or would bind the pedal. Just suppose for a moment that it was your wife and kids killed in that car due to those mats. Would you consider her stupid and ignorant for not checking the mats or being unable to stop the car?
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Automotive News & Views Brand problems swept under the rug
