I could be way off on this one, but logic suggests I'm probably not.
It was a mechanic who, when I was shopping for a new car last year, suggested there was an issue with Toyota's recent models which was being suppressed. At the time, there were 'unintended acceleration' issues some clients had. Since the cars were under warranty, and he wasn't a Toyota mechanic, he never actually serviced one. But as in any other trade, the folks share stories.
Fortunately, the Audi 5000 debacle has not been re-lived by Toyota. Basically. Minus the 60 Minutes expose in particular.
Yeah, at first, driver error was blamed. Until it couldn't be.
Then it was floor mats. Until they couldn't be.
In the Audi case, an arrogant German manufacturer was basically telling its international clients they were stupid. Until they couldn't do that anymore. It doesn't help to tell people who feel they are smarter than buyers of less expensive, non luxury vechicles that they don't know how to drive - Audi's first response. The very clumsy and off-putting reaction by Audi nearly destroyed the brand. It took years to recover any customer trust. There are many who still won't buy an Audi because of the company's handing of the 5000.
But back to Toyota's mystery.
Some reports have suggested they knew there was an issue in some very popular models going back to 2007. Only last year did the company openly admit something bigger was going on.
If Toyota knew its vehicles were defective, they could be fined $6,000 per defective vehicle sold after the point (which would need to be proven) that they knew. And last year, that was over a million total (not all models are affected.) [Side issue, imagine if the US subsidiary of a foreign company bought enough of congress to ditch that bill. Would Alito still shake his head?]
So the recall happened. And the damage begins.
* 2009-2010 RAV4,
* 2009-2010 Corolla,
* 2009-2010 Matrix,
* 2005-2010 Avalon,
* Certain 2007-2010 Camry
* 2010 Highlander except hybrid models,
* 2007-2010 Tundra,
* 2008-2010 Sequoia
But I'm guessing, based on the models recalled, Toyota hasn't gone far enough.
The Matrix, one of the affected models, has a cousin in the Scion line, and in partnership with General Motors, produced the Pontiac Vibe in an affected model year.
And Lexus, their crown jewel, has several models which share parts with Toyota nameplates. {Notice the Avalon.}
So how did they get spared? Is Toyota still crossing its fingers or trying to solve a problem.
Coverage of the recall has also been odd. The New York Times and New York Daily News gave little column space to this week's recall. The Times actually 'hid' the story on the last possible business section page, left, on the innermost column. (The sports section started on the right page.) Physically, if you were holding the paper by its spine, you might have missed it. How not to tick off a major advertiser, 101.
And as has been typical of the media, no one has raised any good questions about what's going on. If the electronics of the vehicle is suspect, why no investigation about who made the computer or chips used? What kind of security exists for coding, loading, and manufacturing the chips? How would Toyota know it wasn't a victim of a scheme to damage its reputation by someone who deliberately sabotaged the brain of the best selling car line in the world? Or that the code Toyota controlled had a mistake?
For certain systems in the car, I recall my mechanic saying, certain parts really don't change much. So did Toyota change the computer, or parts supplier for the computer, since 2007? No reporting I've seen has even started to address that basic question.
Since I have family members who have Toyota models in the affected years, I hope they figure this out. No company wants to wish ill on them or gloat (well, maybe the Pontiac Vibe's parent company GM does...) But I just have this nagging feeling their problem is bigger than they need or want their customers to believe.
Like Audi did.
And...
Toyota extended the recall to Europe.