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Toyota reaches $1.1 bil deal with U.S. owners over recalls

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Abe is rightly pressing BOJ for easy monetary policy....it's meant for big businesses anyway.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

“This was a difficult decision—especially since reliable scientific evidence and multiple independent evaluations have confirmed the safety of Toyota’s electronic throttle control systems,” Christopher Reynolds, Toyota Motor North America’s chief legal officer, said in a statement.

This is pathetic. The tests proved that the system was not at fault. When you read many of the complaints, a large number were "as I approached the parking space and braked, the car leapt forward". Does it sound like someone may have hit the wrong pedal?

Legal firm is 500million USD better off after taking their percentage, the rest spread across thousands of drivers, many of whom never actually experienced an issue, but just think the value of reselling their car may have not been optimal. Meanwhile Toyota is set to regain the accolade of being number 1 manufacturer again, suggesting that people stil trust them (I have one - no issues with car or trust in firm). Legal system sucks I think!

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Let me preface my comments that I don't reflexsively support big corporations, but while Toyota might have had some culpability regarding the floor mats, this settlement was basically extortion and Toyota's unwillingness to let continue a public relations nightmare that was partly out of their control.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

"Ma Toyota est fantastique" ! (and I drove the first one for 20 years !)

0 ( +2 / -2 )

This was an unfortunate case of mass hysteria where a (very) few isolated events got far more traction than they ever should have and blew up before Toyota could effectively control the damage to their reputation. It's unfortunate that individuals and businesses should even need to be so worried about information that's either mostly or wholly false spreading so quickly as Toyota's safety allegations. Never mind that Toyota's overall safety record is still excellent and they produce some of the safest and most reliable cars on the market.

In the US (and probably elsewhere) many non-Toyota dealers seized upon the FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) generated to try to boost sales. Unfortunate indeed...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The media did to Toyota what it did to Audi and largely got away with it.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Classic shakedown....Looks like Toyota got hit by the real American Yakuza carrying briefcases.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

My family bought into the Toyota brand many decades ago, and it is still our number one choice (trucks, vans, SUVs, and sedans). We have never once had a problem with Toyota. Not one! And most of our cars were driven until 400k+ from child birth all the way until high school, college, and so forth. It's a shame that a select few are making it so hard for the rest.

Toyota produces some of the safest, most reliable cars on this planet. And they do it at an incredibly fair price because they know how good their products are, and it's shown over the years due to them being consistently ranked number 1 (which in turn also drives their growth).

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Legal suits....Yeah my foot. Only in USA. I have never heard problems like this in Japan and other asian countries. ABOUT TOYOTAS. US lawyers got nothing to do but to look for an easy money to legally extort from big companies. In the case of floor mats trapping the accelerator pedal is one bull extortion. Don't they know how to check their floor mats before they drive or they are just lazy It's but pure common sense what to do if by chance the car speed up uncontrollably and problems with braking. PUT IN NEUTRAL GEAR AND SWITCH OFF THE ENGINE. Besides most of these Toyotas were assembled in USA under the noses of American workers and staffs.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

It only happened in US. Why that kind of sudden unintended acceleration in other countries? Now Toyota Company is becoming easy target for US customers and US Regulator recently. Toyota has pay the price for making good and reliable car.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

FYI,toyotas are now designed by "engineers" who have never had any real driving experience under extreme conditions,more like the video gaming generation.Better off buying VW,at least all german carmakers had the common sense to include brake override system from the beginning.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Sometime in life, we need to take a small loss for a big gain to move on. This is what Toyota is doing. Knowing how the US civil case works, this is a smart move by Toyota.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If you can't put a car into neutral or use a clutch =you should not be driving a car. If you are dumb enough to have a footmat jammed against the clutch and/or brake/ and/or accelerator =you should not be driving a car.

Companies like Porsche/BMW never have these LCD (lowest common denominator) drivers that Toyota has =Toyota must deal with them and maybe classes are needed to educate these wheel-holders into being excellent drivers. This is really an educational issue and not a $$$ issue.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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