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Toyota to recall 437,000 vehicles worldwide for Prius, other hybrids

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Oh good gracious lord have mercy.....my Lexus!

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2010 The Year of Toyota

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I pray for Prius (production and repairs) and Profits for Toyota !

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Thank god I drive a Maserati.

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Thank god I drive a Maserati.

Yeah thank god I drive a Diablo. We don't have problems like this.

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I find it ironic that they are simultaneously doing the new model release and recall of the Sai.

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this is proof that it's not only Americans picking on Japanese cars. I remember when the Pinto's started to blow up...

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It's not a big deal on the Prius as the problem only occurs when the ABS is active.

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It's not a big deal on the Prius as the problem only occurs when the ABS is active.

Ford has announced that their hybrids, Fusion and Mercury Millan, have brake problem, which is presumably caused by the same reason. They are secretly sending notices to affected customers, no announcement of recall at all and no coverage by major US media on this regard.

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Wow, you really must feel vindicated. This means Toyota really doesn't have a problem with the brakes on the Prius. Everything's fine...no fix required...

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If there had not been a problem and recall in the US I wonder if this wouldn't have just been swept under the rug and forgotten in Japan? Maybe all the media hype will result in a few (Japanese) lives saved!

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It's not a big deal on the Prius as the problem only occurs when the ABS is active.

That is exacly the situation, when you want the system to work perfectly as every meter counts.

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Now, I think finally we have seen the bottom of the problems.

I can not imagine what else could go wrong after accelerator and brakes. Except the car blows up unintenionally, or the seat-belt strangle the driver.

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"Ford has announced that their hybrids"

"Ford this", "Ford that" ! Can we give this "off topic" nonsense a rest? The difference between Ford and Toyota is that the Ford company was not involved in the foot dragging, finger pointing, delay and deny tactics- like Toyota did- after it's autos were involved in dozens of mysterious deaths, hundreds of injuries, and numerous lawsuits pertaining to such ! It's really not difficult to figure out. Toyota recalls are now more than 7 million, reaching over three continents, at record setting numbers- Ford ??? As the advert below says "Ford Focus Quality can't be beat by Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra or TOYOTA COROLLA". Now we have false advertising laws in the US if the Toyota fanclub would like to have a go- If not MYOB.

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At least thet have now taken the responsibility to have them repaired....

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It's not a big deal on the Prius as the problem only occurs when the ABS is active.

Yeah, great! It's only a problem if you need to stop quickly. They have airbags. No problem! :P

This has got to be a bitter pill to swallow after all the crap about the US making up the accelerator defects just to discredit the Japanese car manufacturers. There will be some great deals on new Toyotas very soon as they try to win back their market share.

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Thank god I drive a Maserati.

Yeah thank god I drive a Diablo. We don't have problems like this.

Yeaaaa, thank God I ride the bus. They don't have problems like this!

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"The difference between Ford and Toyota is that the Ford company was not involved in the foot dragging, finger pointing, delay and deny tactics"

Yeah, instead Ford said absolutely nothing and waited for Toyota to take the brunt of public criticism, while quietly fixing the same problem with its hybrids, while folks like you devoted all of your energy to tsk-tsking Toyota. Ford knew about the issue for as long as they have been producing their hybrids, and sat on it the entire time, choosing to say something only when Toyota's cars came under scrutiny.

Ford's explanation for the lull felt when switching over from electronic to hydraulic brakes was this: "Some drivers haved experiences the sensation of not having brakes for a time. That's not the case." Not a peep from the public.

But when Toyota said the very same thing about the very same problem, it get publicly tarred and feathered, with accusations of cover-ups and threats of lawsuits from we lawsuit-happy Americans.

Either the lull in braking "sensation" is dangerous or it's not. Either Toyata and Ford are in the clear or they are not. You can't pick and choose here.

That people can't or won't see anything even the slightest bit odd about this, much less Ford's quiet announcement coming right on the heels of the NHTSA's investigation into Toyota speaks volumes about the obvious double-standards at work here.

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some foreign media are reporting recall figures as 400,000+ vehicles that seems more accurate.

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Toyota is under the microscope. Their president can't even go to the bathroom without it being scrutinized. Only the hearings and investigations scheduled in the US this month will tell if Toyota is guilty of a cover up or not. Otherwise, it's just a media frenzy.

Those of you who think you're safe because you drive a different car, think again. There are safety recalls being issued almost everyday by automakers. Just go to this site, input your car make under "Search for a recall", and see for yourself if your car might be a hazard or not.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/

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Finally, an actual apology unlike the half-hearted one last week. Wake up, several of these problems have been in Toyota cars for years. Honda and Ford are having recalls too, but they didn't lie about them repeatedly for years like Toyota. Toyota flat out denied the three recall problems, even when every day we find out more documented cases going back years - including the problem with Prius brakes. They're still in denial.

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The chief problem is not that there are recalls - lots of car companies issue them. It's that Toyota knew about these problems for years, fixed them only in new production cars, and let people die and get injured because of them. Now they can barely muster a proper apology (today being the one exception) and continue speak arrogantly. Get your facts straight.

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Buy an Acura!

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recalls are pretty much standard these days - the problem is with trying to hide this stuff. oh how the mighty have fallen - especially when they try to hide, blame, etc. etc.

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In that picture he seems to be choking on his "pride". It must be a little too chewy for him.

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That is the image of a prime sempuki candidate.

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@Branded - You aren't suggesting that Ford is a whiter than white firm with the consumers interests as #1 are you? Time magazine did an article on the not so long ago Explorer recall that indicates they may have known the issues BEFORE it was even released to the public!! Please read.. http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,128198,00.html

I saw a demo of the current issue on TV this morning, and it would SEEM that the issue is more related to inappropriate driving skill as opposed to brake failure. When you brake hard, teh ABS system kicks in and you stop ASAP (the demo was on a greasy surface). When you try and break gently, the computer tries to follow the gentle braking command as oposed to trying to stop the car within the distance the driver is anticipating.

What I didn't understand is how you can fix this with software tweaks (any ideas anyone?) so when the recall happens, what exactly will they do? The situiation may be remedied by stamping harder on the brake pedal and let the ABS system do its job - I'd be very interested if anyone has any links to detailed stories on this so I can read more. As a driver of a hybrid with ABS (but not a recalled model!) I'm naturally very interested!

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gyouza,

Whether some one is an excellent driver or an OK driver is irrelevant. The car is suppose to do what it is suppose to do like decribed. If doesn't then it is part of the problem and not the solution when problems occur.

If it was really the fault of all these (so called bad drivers) then Toyota wouldn't be in this situation.

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Not defending Toyota - if it requires different driving skills, then they should educate. If you read my post, then you may have gathered that I can't see how they are going to fix the problem!

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Toyotas are great! But this is why I always buy used ones!

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At least Toyota is not the same as MLC. That stands for Motor Liquidation Company.......the old name of GM before they went bankrupt.

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At least Toyota is not the same as MLC. That stands for Motor Liquidation Company.......the old name of GM before they went bankrupt.

That's right GM are experiencing increasing sales units are Toyota the opposite. It's all swings and roundabouts.

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"the old name of GM before they went bankrupt."

Of course that should be "the NEW name before they went bankrupt"

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Toyota will shake this off in 2 years. Toyota is number 1 in the world.

Ford can't compete !!!!! Sorry !!!

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He worried he is going to lose his job, in Japan the leader always gets the chopped.

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Ford knew about the issue for as long as they have been producing their hybrids, and sat on it the entire time, choosing to say something only when Toyota's cars came under scrutiny.

Can you prove that in court? I dont think that you could, even with a Long Frigging Response Again, its Toyota who will be in court explaining why...

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This recall went from 150,000 to 437,000, Where will it end? Toyotorecall...

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Disillusioned - That is the image of a prime sempuki candidate.

Ummm, that is supposed to be 'seppuku'. Don't drink and type! Or, expect to stop a new Toyota.

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Toyota had 0 cars listed in the most recent safety tests. Ford was #1 and for some completely unknown reason, Chrysler, a company that no longer makes its own cars (as close to 100% outsourced production as is possible) had a few models in the list.

Toyota's reason for failing: new testing on the roof of the car in addition to the sides. Rollovers are the 4th most common cause of death in car accidents and Toyota did absolutely nothing of their own volition to provide safety in that regard.

If its not tested then Japanese car companies don't provide safety for it. Seems a bit like the education system here, but unfortunately that's the way it goes. US car companies came away with flying colors after the new tests were implemented. Why? Because they build safe roofs even though the roofs weren't being graded. More cost to produce the car and less profit, but somebody might actually live when one of their cars rolls over.

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What I didn't understand is how you can fix this with software tweaks (any ideas anyone?) so when the recall happens, what exactly will they do?

The only thing that they can do is to give up on efficiency and reduce the time the vehicle is in charge mode during slowing down and to increase the use of the breaks.

The basic problem though is not solved as in order to regain energy during the process of slowing down, the system has to overwrite the use of mechanical brakes and use the electro-motor (generator) instead to do the job.

The whole process and fine tuning is extremely complex and one reason why Honda and Mercedes did go for the mild hybrid. Furthermore, it is the reason why some experts see Toyota's hybrid leadership in jeopardy should their software fix not solve the problem, or reduce the overall mileage recognizable due to reduced energy recovery.

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A comment to the picture. The situation of Mr. Toyoda is a clearly visible dilemma.

He who was nominated as the hope and savior of the company who brings Toyota out of the red, must face the press and what ever he says is wrong. It either gives way to legal action when too much is said, or criticism that the row of apologies are only hot air.

He reminds me very much on the Empress who also can not state her true feelings and must follow the "recommendations" of her "staff".

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Two nice comments in the NY-Times:

“Even Toyota can fail. Even Lexus, even Prius, [...] our world-leading manufacturing industry may no longer be world-leading. This has a strong impact on the national psyche.”

"Toyota has also been Japan’s largest ad buyer, making the major media here afraid to criticize it."

This explains a bit why so many Japanese do not want to believe what can not be true; even their biggest icon is fail-able. But there is hope as one icon always remains and will never fail: Godzilla.

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There was a recall?

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Japanese cars are still far superior to their American counterparts, bottom line. Ford on the other hand pretends the problem doesn't exist and LETS Toyota take the blame. I have no doubt either that they'll look to Japanese superior technology on how to fix the problem, while simultaneously attacking them for it.

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This isn't about which car company is better or not. Boils down to high demands and over production; putting them out as fast as they can. Eventually, quality pays the price. Someone dropped the ball here. At least they are doing the right thing.

Feel sorry for Mr. Akio Toyoda that has to take the blunt of all criticism. I could understand if this had gone on for years and they knew about it. I'm being optimistic here and giving them the benefit of the doubt that they didn't.

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Japanese cars are still far superior to their American counterparts, >bottom line.

I have to agree with smith on this one. I would choose a post-recall-problem-corrected Toyota over a Ford any day. I believe that the vast majority of Toyota owners in the U.S. fgeel this way. Some of you are screaming about Toyota having known about it's problems and hid it. This is standard practice for all auto manufacturers to deny while gathering data and if and when the picture is clear push the recall button. As to whether Toyota is legally liable for deaths that is yet to be seen. Right now it's mostly media hype.

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"I would choose a post-recall-problem-corrected Toyota over a Ford any day."

Tis your right- Hey, tickets for the Titanic were all sold out also.

"Some of you are screaming about Toyota having known about it's problems and hid it. This is standard practice for all auto manufacturers to deny while gathering data and if and when the picture is clear push the recall button."

I'd disagree ! The standard practice would be to notify the general public of the "possibility" of a problem. Toyota is in hot water-again- because they started making repairs to a defective design while ignoring the previously sold 270,000 ! It wasn't until they were backed into a corner that they admitted- OK, yes there are 270K cars out there with possibly the same defect- oops, sorry ! Sorry ? I guess ! Toyota has shown a pattern of not giving a damn about the safety of it's customers. None of these problems associated to Toyota are of their own revelation- they all had to be coerced out of the company and its executives- that is "not" a standard business practice, well- maybe in Japan, but not for the rest of the planet !

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The latest is that Nationwide has disclosed that it told the NTSB and Toyota in 2006 that it was seeing and "uptick" in claims based on uncommanded acceleration. There is another, less researched, report that goes back to 2003. There was a topic introduced today on the FJ Cruiser forum about strange happenings with brakes.

I have no data to support any of the above but I can say that it's going to be a long year for Toyota. Reminds me of the Ford Pinto.

The other problem is that Toyota is lashing out at the American media. That's about the worst p/r mistake you can make.

Was it just last year Toyota passed GM for the largest market share in the US? Or 2008? What a debacle!

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Appology = check Executive resignations = ???

Toyota in order to salvage what's left of their reputation needs to publicly announce the resignation of their executives who knew about this and reorganize IMO. As long as these Exec are still running the company trust in the Toyota will continue to deteriorate. Their desperate attempt to salvage their reputation in a commercial in the US was pathetic and made me even more angry.

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Exactly, it's a big mistake for Toyota to blame the media or one government, seeing as how multiple governments including Japan were investigating them and multiple agencies around the globe were tracking rising complaints against them for years. Bottom line, their apology can never be sincere so long as they deflect blame from themselves in such an arrogant fashion.

Toyota's getting a slap on the wrists compared to companies like Schindler, and even Ford when it was forced (by the US government) to do a massive recall years back. So get over it - you are not getting a hard time for what you did, if anything you're getting it easy.

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The standard practice would be to notify the general public of >the "possibility" of a problem.

At what point is there a possibility of a problem? If one customer brings in a car isn't that a possibility of a problem? Are you suggesting that the auto maker notufy the general public at this stage?

Toyota is in hot water-again- because they started making repairs to a >defective design while ignoring the previously sold 270,000 ! It wasn't >until they were backed into a corner that they admitted- OK, yes there >are 270K cars out there with possibly the same defect- oops, sorry !

It will be proven in time whether they carried out repairs that were identified then afterwards decided that the problem may be affecting the previously sold vehicles thereby calling for a recall. You have apparently decided that Toyota knowingly carried out its acts in a malicious manner. Perhaps you can explain how you are privy to this knowlege? Cause the media would want to interview you.

Toyota has shown a pattern of not giving a damn about the safety of it's >customers.

Guess that must be what drove them to the number 1 spot.

None of these problems associated to Toyota are of their own revelation- >they all had to be coerced out of the company and its executives- that >is "not" a standard business practice, well- maybe in Japan, but not >for the rest of the planet !

You mean that customers reported the problem first, rather than Toyota suddenly announcing a recall out of the blue all on their own? Got news for you - that's how ALL recalls by ALL CAR MANUFACTURERS happen.

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Problems or not, across the their lines, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Subaru still make better cars that Ford, GM (snort!), Chyrsler (triple snort), VW, Mercedes Benz, etc., etc. BMW might now produce the best built mass-produced cars (if you can afford one). Audi is up there, but both companies seem to think that gasoline still costs less than a dollar a gallon (your equivalency here).

While Ford seems to be emerging from bankruptcy, remember the only reason they we're not in as bad a shape as GM and Chrysler is because the F-100 pick-up truck (WTF?) has been, until last year, the best selling vehicle in America for a more than a decade. And this is the case, of course, because Americans are so selfish and stupid. Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro or Dodge Challenger anyone? Weeee! It's 1969 again!

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Ford has a very good model line-up and even the small Ford Focus uses Boron-steel to prevent roll-over damage. -These companies are not as backward as one thinks and many EU Ford models are going US or global. GM Chinese cars maybe going global soon also. =This is not a stationary market.

-as long as Toyota drivers put on their hazards when driving -I am ok with their faulty brakes and accelerators. Some warning is needed for other drivers sharing the road with Toyota drivers it seems.

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-as long as Toyota drivers put on their hazards when driving -I am ok >with their faulty brakes and accelerators. Some warning is needed for >other drivers sharing the road with Toyota drivers it seems.

How long ago did Toyota know of this problem which they deliberately witheld from the public? How many Toyotas have you seen go flying through objects, buildings and other cars have you seen in those years? Seems to me that for some people Toyotas suddenly became deathtraps overnight when they heard about the recall.

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Toyota is in hot water-again- because they started making repairs to a >defective design while ignoring the previously sold 270,000 ! It wasn't >until they were backed into a corner that they admitted- OK, yes there >are 270K cars out there with possibly the same defect- oops, sorry !

Now, the number is at 437,000 with possibly the same defect.

Toyota knew about these dangers, knowingly selling and producing dangerous cars. liability and courts, come into play, and triple lawyers fees entitled to the plaintiffs who win.

This is a slam dunk case against Toyoya. Class action and private lawsuits are rolling. Toyota knows this so they are recalling every dangerous car they ever made.

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You can bet your bottom dollar or Yen that President Obama & his gang are going after makers of cars in other countries rather then American desgned & make vehicles. He has to try & protect the American makers & get his propaganda people to lean heavy on ANY failure of a foriegn car/truck maker. Unfortunately Toyto was becoming the largest car maker in the world & its reliability bit of prestige sort of dropped.

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It is sort of like a Tsunami wave. Info goes around about in forums and people just start talking about the same problems eventually there is an accident with said problem and the media then gets a hold of it and do some research. =You probably had this problem for quite a few years until the Tsunami media wave hit and Toyota/Dealers probably have been looking at it for some time (they check the forums also).

Any retail product that has feedback is the same (Amazon.com etc).

Toyota: Known for reliability/quality and many sheep gravitate to that because it means a cheaper (cost) car over the longterm = save money!! Problem is that sheep also act irrational at times = Tsunami wave effect from many sheep following each other. =Right now best time to buy a Toyota =Don't listen to sheep or Tsunami media wave and read the owners manual and buy the service manual (educate yourself on cars if you drive them).

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why anyone would want to drive an American is beyond me, ugly things and this was on the cards for Toyota, look what happened to Mitsubishi a while back. Toyota got too big for its britches, even now its still very slow to admit fault. Toyota has itself to blame and has to be very quick now to try to repair its reputation.

Why would someone buy a Toyota now, its a company that refused to admit fault and attempted to blame drivers for the increasing complaints. If the US Govt hadn't intervened then Toyota would still be denying it.

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Badsey at 04:54 AM JST - 10th February -as long as Toyota drivers put on their hazards when driving -I am ok with their faulty brakes and accelerators. Some warning is needed for other drivers sharing the road with Toyota drivers it seems.

No one likes any of this and Toyota has not handled it well. But look at the claims being made trying to link deaths to faulty Toyota accelerator pedals - 69 deaths world wide over TEN years. Last year 35,000 people in the U.S. died in auto crashes.

Beginning in 1996, there have been hundreds of deaths and thousands of accidents yearly over a ten year period of time with the Ford Explorer and other SUVs.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/rollover/etc/before.html

Again, Toyota has handled this wrong, they are probably at fault for not responding quickly enough. But the deeper we get into this thing the more it looks like a witch hunt.

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Toyota knew about these dangers, knowingly selling and producing >dangerous cars. liability and courts, come into play, and triple lawyers >fees entitled to the plaintiffs who win.

Oh? This has been proven already? Could you post the link so we can all read it? Thanks.

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Ossanamerica- I must say some of your posts worry me.

"How long ago did Toyota know of this problem which they deliberately witheld from the public?"

Well, lets see, Toyota executives admitted to repairing the Prius braking system just last month, at which time they also admitted that as many as 270,000 previously sold Prius autos sold in the US and Japan had not been fixed, nor had they been recalled. Which is what accounts for this current additional 437,000 recalls. Wakaru ?

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Mummet;

"why anyone would want to drive an American is beyond me"

Maybe I can help. Two basic reasons I would imagine;

1) American cars go the speed you want them to.

and

2) American cars stop when you want them to.

Any questions ?

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What does this have to do with other car companies whatsoever? Most of the people criticizing Toyota have no recent problem with Hondas, Fords, and any other international car company. Toyota screwed up all on its own, in a quest to cut corners and costs. This is exactly why it's #1 and not a better car company like Honda.

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Branded you do realise there are many other countries in the world that produce cars that also do the same thing and are alot more attractive and practical. US car industry got in the crapper because they produce bad cars. US cars are not popular overseas, Japanese manufacturers on the other hand are sold globally.

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Smythe at 06:31 AM JST - 10th February You can bet your bottom dollar or Yen that President Obama & his gang are going after makers of cars in other countries rather then American desgned & make vehicles.

You might want to familiarize yourself a bit, Smythe, with the American automobile industry before jumping into the rhetorical deep end you've chosen. There are just three models of Toyota sold in NA not built in NA. Toyota now employs more people in the U.S. than does GM. Bash Toyota (or Honda, Nissan or Subaru) and you are bashing American employers, not just foreign owned companies.

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Branded at 07:09 AM JST - 10th February. American cars stop when you want them to.

Yeh, after 100,000 miles it stops. Look at the resale value. Public knows.

Regarding Toyota recall. When the dust settles after 6 months to 1 years, you will see that this was politics at worst. Prius, 1 accused accident for every 75,000? Sounds dangerous. Joke.

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"Toyota screwed up all on its own, in a quest to cut corners and costs."

Not that I atually expect any evidence to be forthcoming, but I would be remiss to not ask if can you actually prove that the defects are a result of cutting corners or costs. So . . . Can you? Prove it, I mean?

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Branded at 07:09 AM JST - 10th February

1) American cars go the speed you want them to.

and 2) American cars stop when you want them to.

American cars also catch fire, lose control of steering, and also do not stop when you want them to. Just check the NHTSA's endless list of recalls on all makes and models: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/

My point being, American cars, Japanese cars, European cars... they all have safety issues, so let's not start listing all of them here because it would be endless. Toyota responded very poorly to the unintended acceleration issue, now they're in the spotlight, now they're being cornered, and now every recall they make is in the headlines.

And as far as cover ups or negligence go, that is for the US courts to decide and not you Branded, and certainly not ABC news... though you're obviously entitled to your opinion.

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Tahoochi-

"My point being..."

Your point is obviously "hey stop picking on Toyota".

Well, that's not going to happen. They have produced record recalls on three different continents ! Their products klll, maim, and cause undo stres to the public. Their corporate executives have veered from responsibility till they were backed into a corner by a very angry American public. You can keep trying to steer the story to other manufacturers all you want- it won't take the heat off Toyota, as I do believe 3 more new stories have sprung up here at Japantoday. Sorry to say Tahoochi- but you are in the vast minority on this one.

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Branded,

Your point is obviously "hey stop picking on Toyota".

Actually, no. The point is to stop manipulating and ignoring facts in order to portray Toyota as being somehow measurably and definitively worse than other auto manufacturers on the planet -- which is exactly what's happened with this, complete with the no-so-subtle racism of "How Japanese of them to do this" that permeates nearly every dialog on the subject.

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mummet;

"US car industry got in the crapper because they produce bad cars. US cars are not popular overseas, Japanese manufacturers on the other hand are sold globally."

I believe the US auto maret got "in the crapper" for a) producing cars that exhibited "too much" quality. Subsequently instead of Americans buying a car every 3-5 years they now wait a good 10 years. We have all seen the 100k mile 10 year guarantees provided by the big three over the past dozen years. b) 100% open access to every auto manufacturer in the world- many of which targeted the US consumer to the point of saturation. Both of these topics have been discussed in great detail here in the US- I simply agree with them, as do countries like Japan and Korea. Both of these nations make it very difficult for foreign auto makers to operate in their countries, now how fair is that ? I'd like to see the US put quotas on foreign auto companys like Toyota, Hyundai etc. Sometimes too much competition damages the domestic market- This has happened in the US.

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Oh no- here we go again,

"The point is to stop manipulating and ignoring facts in order to portray Toyota as being somehow measurably and definitively worse than other auto manufacturers on the planet -- which is exactly what's happened with this"

The only facts that have been manipulated seem to be coming from Toyota. "It's not the design of the pedal, it's improper placement of the floormats". "It's not a poor design problem, it's that the pedals wear down after- 35,000 miles". "There's nothing wrong with the Prius brake system"- "at least nothing that a computer program can't fix" ! Anyone else see a pattern here ?

"complete with the no-so-subtle racism of"

Nonsense ! There is nothing racist about this problem and nobody is catering to that dialogue whatsoever. This is about faulty defective products that have killed and injured- plain and simple.

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Branded You may think US cars are too good fine for you, but i think the rest of the world agrees with me. Try opening your mind a bit and see that there are many other good Automotive companies out there. BMW, Audi, Fiat, Skoda, volvo etc etc

As to the timeline of events over the past recalls this is from a Guardian article.

State Farm, America's largest car insurer, today said it warned federal safety regulators about a rise of reports about the accelerator fault in late 2007.

Toyota GB has said it knew about accelerator problems, which have caused its cars to speed up suddenly, from the end of 2008, but could not say when it received first reports of the Prius brake problem.

There was also anger at Toyota's refusal to admit a recall of the Prius was imminent in recent days.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/feb/10/prius-brakes-recall-toyota

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mummet; "Try opening your mind a bit and see that there are many other good Automotive companies out there. BMW, Audi, Fiat, Skoda, volvo etc etc"

i never said there weren't good auto companies out there- but why do they all have to focus their sales on the US market, while many protect their own markets at home in the process ?

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@mp516 said, Their desperate attempt to salvage their reputation in a commercial in the US was pathetic and made me even more angry.

May I ask why the Toyota Commitment TV commercial made you upset? I understand Americans would most likely never make a commercial like that. Toyota is a Japanese company, I think the message of the commercial was clear Toyota have taken responsibility and Toyota value their customers safety. I would like to know what people think Toyota should have done instead if not the Commitment TV commercial?

ToyotaUSA Youtube have videos on the "stopping procedure" video for the sticking gas pedal. There are other videos like "Electronic Throttle Control" video for drivers to understand how a Toyota car work. I find these videos informative and useful.

This is ABC's article titled Toyota President Expresses Regret Over Fatal Crash http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=8730525

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skipbeat-

"Toyota have taken responsibility..."

No they haven't "taken" responsibility. And here is where the problem lies. Toyota is being forced to accept responsibility by the US government- who gave them one opportunity after another to do something about these defective cars that are killing and injuring American citizens !

As far as the Toyota commercial that aired during the Superbowl- lame ! No Japanese executives appeared. All we got was the motherly voice of some lady as words appeared on the screen. One thing I did like though was the driving effect as the words appeared. The road and side streets became foggy, almost like we were entering into some soft white clouds. It reminded me of the way Toyota is handling this crisis- totally in the fog !

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Branded at 05:42 PM JST - 10th February

Toyota is being forced to accept responsibility by the US government- who gave them one opportunity after another to do something about these defective cars that are killing and injuring American citizens !

Over the period of 6 years, the NHTSA opened and closed 6 unintended acceleration investigations involving Toyotas with no findings of a vehicle-based defect. Despite the NHTSA not having found defects, Toyota has issued recalls in 2007, 2009, and now in 2010. Admittedly, the NHTSA is now looking at fining Toyota for the late recall in 2010 regarding the sticky gas pedals, but that's still under investigation.

Here is what the NHTSA had to say on a letter issued 10/20/2009:

In our view, additional investigation is unlikely to result in a finding that a defect related to motor vehicle safety exists or a NHTSA order for the notification and remedy of a safety-related defect as alleged by the petitioner at the conclusion of the requested investigation. Therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize NHTSA’s limited resources to best accomplish the agency’s safety mission, the petition is denied. This action does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency will take further action if warranted by future circumstances.

http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/document/NHTSA_Filing.pdf

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This action does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency will take further action if warranted by future circumstances.

It would appear that the aforementioned, future circumstances, have arisen. Toyota can bet its bottom dollar on a medieval anal probe by the NHTSA.

Japan might retaliate on the US auto industry? Thats a scary thought, all those lost jobs, due to lost Japanese auto sales, Ford, GM, Tesla, must be quaking in their boots.

Toyota Mad Car, must not infect Americans, safety is the USA highest concern, and the United States government must carefully, and with out pressure, thoroughly investigate this cover up by unscrupulous Japanese auto makers.

It would be a shame if Japans auto industry is devastated, as was the American beef industry, due to protectionism, but like they say if you mess with the bull, you get the horns, beep beep.

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"Over the period of 6 years, the NHTSA opened and closed 6 unintended acceleration investigations involving Toyotas with no findings of a vehicle-based defect."

Hmm, that was the Bush administration wasn't it ? Get with the times people. Presidents change, focus changes with them- tis true everywhere around the world. I saw a story on msnbc the other day about some mysterious billboards popping up around America- asking the public "Do you miss me (Bush) yet" ? Boy you better believe the Japanese manufacturers of autos do ! They never had it so good when Bush was in office- a one way ticet to the US markets. Which is maybe why so many posters here keep bringing this up, "the American beef industry", No doubt that was an unfair situation, you really have to wonder if Obama will go after that injustice anytime soon. In the meantime, I would say the writing is on the wall with this new president- "America comes first".

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"Time" magazine is reporting today that;

"over 1,300 complaints filed about the Prius models on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website as of Monday."

and...

"Toyota's North American president Yoshi Inaba is scheduled to testify in Washington on Wednesday over the company's safety record at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing."

As we can see, this operation is hardly being run by any Americans within top managment. "Time" is also reporting that "Toyoda" is about to embark on an apology tour throughout America in the near future. I would love for him to come to my part of the country- I have some questions and comments I'd like him to hear ! Ha-ha

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Branded at 01:17 AM JST - 11th February

In the meantime, I would say the writing is on the wall with this new president- "America comes first".

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oops, my bad ↑

Branded at 01:17 AM JST - 11th February

In the meantime, I would say the writing is on the wall with this new president- "America comes first".

You're absolutely right Branded. Seriously, I agree with you here because that's exactly how it would be if the roles were reversed (in Japan). But why don't you tell that to the 300,000 Americans working for Toyota mfg. plants, dealers, and suppliers and see what they think? I'm sure they'll agree with the "America comes first" part of your message, but how do you think they would react to your "In-your-face" celebratory attitude of Toyota's struggles?

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@Branded said, "No they haven't "taken" responsibility. And here is where the problem lies. Toyota is being forced to accept responsibility by the US government- who gave them one opportunity after another to do something about these defective cars that are killing and injuring American citizens! As far as the Toyota commercial that aired during the Superbowl- lame ! No Japanese executives appeared. All we got was the motherly voice of some lady as words appeared on the screen. One thing I did like though was the driving effect as the words appeared. The road and side streets became foggy, almost like we were entering into some soft white clouds. It reminded me of the way Toyota is handling this crisis- totally in the fog!"

Branded did we watch the same "Toyota Commitment TV commercial?" The voice-over narrator was a male and it talked about the stopping of production, and having a fix for the recall, 50 years of making auto, the let down of quality expectation for the customers and Toyota, and the promise to regaining back the customers trust. Therefore, the commercial is saying indirectly Toyota has taken responsibility. There was no "motherly voice of some lady as words appeared on the screen." and "Also, there was no reference about the driving effect as the words appeared. The road and side streets became foggy, almost like we were entering into some soft white clouds" in the "Toyota Commitment TV commercial." Again, we are not on the same page. The "Toyota Commitment TV commercial" is posted on ToyotaUSA Youtube. What you saw was a Toyota commercial for one of their car. Please check it out first before making inaccurate replies to my post. I believe you are spinning what I say like the media did Toyota.

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Tahoochi-

"But why don't you tell that to the 300,000 Americans working for Toyota mfg. plants, dealers, and suppliers and see what they think?"

Gladly ! I think the 300,000+ workers know the American way- with it's open competition and free market enterprise. These workers know full well that in America you are only as good as your product. This isn't Japan with it's protected markets- you screw up in the States and it will cost you dearly. Do you really think the employees at Toyota don't now this ? Personaly, I wonder how many are getting their resumes together, ready to jump ship.

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Skipbeat- you continue to disappoint me.

"Branded did we watch the same "Toyota Commitment TV commercial?"

Obviously not ! I've found both on the internet ! So...

"Please check it out first before making inaccurate replies to my post. I believe you are spinning what I say like the media did Toyota."

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Branded: Please address my question. How do you think American workers at Toyota plants would react to your "In-your-face" celebratory attitude of Toyota's struggles?

Free market you say? Yes, I'm sure they know that. Only as good as your product? I think they know that as well, and are willing to bet that their cars are AT LEAST EQUAL in quality as other brands. Toyota employees getting ready to jump ship you say? You mean they're going to go BACK TO GM???

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Tahoochi- I already answered your question.

"How do you think American workers at Toyota plants would react to your "In-your-face" celebratory attitude of Toyota's struggles?"

My response-"I think the 300,000+ workers know the American way- with it's open competition and free market enterprise. These workers know full well that in America you are only as good as your product. This isn't Japan with it's protected markets- you screw up in the States and it will cost you dearly. Do you really think the employees at Toyota don't now this ? Personaly, I wonder how many are getting their resumes together, ready to jump ship."

Tahoochi- Americans are mature people. They don't jump off the deep end when their company goes bust- they move on, find work elsewhere- it's not the end of the world ! Japan I know is different, it is the end of the road and many choose suicide. Lets hope Toyoda is under the watchful eye staff and family. He is a prime candidate to jump.

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Tahoochi- Here's a question from me. Why are Toyota so thin skinned about this company's downfall ? You ask me "How do you think American workers at Toyota plants would react to your "In-your-face" celebratory attitude of Toyota's struggles?" I'd like to ask you, how do you think Americans felt way back when when Japanese companyies like Toyota and Honda started moving into the US, taking customers, and gloating over their success. I've said it before- seems we've come full circle- and Toyota supporters seem to be grasping at straws and blaming everything from the media to the US government for Toyotas plight. What a bunch of crybabys ! Toyota supporters sure like to dish it out but they can't take an ounce in return now can they. The facts are simple- Toyota products have killed Americans. The company has slowly admitted to the problems- way too slowly for a company that has experienced the kind of success as Toyota- a strong sign that something is wrong ! And instead of taking responsibilty and making things right- Toyota continues to drag it's feet and look for excuses- "too much snow in February so let's meet in March" ? WTF ! Toyoda needs to hop a plane tomorrow and first meet with victims and families. What a gutless coward this guy has turned out to be.

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Branded at 04:02 PM JST - 11th February

I'd like to ask you, how do you think Americans felt way back when when Japanese companyies like Toyota and Honda started moving into the US, taking customers, and gloating over their success.

"Gloating over their success"? If simply watching Toyota's success over the years makes you feel like they were gloating, then I don't think that you are one of those "Mature Americans" that you mentioned.

To answer your question, I think mature Americans would have realized it is a free market and made every effort to improve their own product rather than put down the imports... that is, of course, if they were mature.

Branded, it's really sh!tty that people have died in car accidents involving Toyota vehicles. The case in California last August was in particular very tragic. But do you know how many people die in car accidents every year? Please understand, I am NOT in ANYWAY trying to downplay these deaths of people in the sudden acceleration cases; hear me out:

If each of those cases (what is the number you say often, 19 deaths over ten years?) were directly linked to a repeatable safety defect of Toyota vehicles, then don't you think it would have been a cut and dry case from the very first case 10 years ago?... "Toyota responsible for fatal crash" Toyota issues recall, case closed. If the NHTSA or other branches of the US Government have found something NOW that changes things, then there's no doubt they will uncover whatever truth needs to be uncovered in the courtrooms and investigations that have recently been opened up. If then, and only then should Toyota be found responsible for those deaths, I could understand your feelings.

To admit responsibility of another human's death is a HUGE act of responsibility. Do you think anyone, whether American, Japanese, English, French or African will admit to something like that without sufficient evidence?

I agree with you on some things, and one of those include the fact that Toyota needs to get their heads out of their a$$ and start explaining, and fixing. Not much else I would agree with you on though.

BTW, did you ever hear about what really could have prevented the deaths of that family of 4 in California?

Please read this:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/04/report-loaner-car-in-fatal-crash-had-earlier/

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To answer your question, I think mature Americans would have realized it is a free market and made every effort to improve their own product rather than put down the imports... that is, of course, if they were mature.

You are of course talking about the US, not Japan, which is very clearly not a free market. Of course, that has no impact on competition between Toyota and its rivals on other markets...none what-so-ever right?

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Tahoochi- I will respond in kind,

"If simply watching Toyota's success over the years makes you feel like they were gloating"

You mean they weren't ? And all those posters here that insist, in light of 8.5 million recalls, that Toyota has done nothing wrong- that they are anything but insincere ? I7ve wored with these Toyota execs for many years- I know first hand of their "gloating".

"do you know how many people die in car accidents every year? Please understand, I am NOT in ANYWAY trying to downplay these deaths of people in the sudden acceleration cases"

Nonsense ! You "are" trying to downplay, minimize, shift blame, by saying- "aw heck people get illed all the time- what's the big deal" ?

So does this mean that we should just accept all these deaths from poorly designed and manufactured products ? I say no ! Toyota products kill ! It really is as simple as that. And the US government and the public in general have clearly stated that this has to stop- why is this so difficult for you to understand ? I mean what is this garbage ?

"did you ever hear about what really could have prevented the deaths of that family of 4 in California?"

I'm thinking- yes, what really would have saved that family of 4 in California would have been if they had rented any other car than a Toyota ! For Toyota to "admit" responsibility for these deaths is "not huge" ! It is a moral obligation- one that they continue to balk at. Now lets bring on the lawyers and teach Toyota some humility !

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Junnama: I see no issues with Toyota being put under the microscope in this fiasco because of the reason you state. I believe it was you that made me realize a while ago that if the situation was reversed, or let's say... Hyundai was in Japan for example, in the same position Toyota is in in the US, then Hyundai would be getting the same, probably worse treatment that Toyota is in the US now.

I was trying to answer Branded's question which I believe came up out of our conversation regarding American workers for Toyota... not the American public or the media, or the Government.

So, if we use the example I mentioned earlier about Hyundai in Japan, I don't think the Japanese people working for Hyundai would appreciate other Japanese people celebrating the fact that Hyundai was in such a difficult position... just as Branded has previously mentioned his delight and amusement of Toyota's current situation on some other posts. I'm not talking about Executives, or Engineers who have to take responsibility for the company's faults, I'm talking about the workers who make up most of the work-force.

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I see, my apologies for jumping in.

I have always been bugged by the situation: if Toyota is such a great company, then why do they need a closed home market? There is no good answer to this question...

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But to be fair, trade in this case is a zero-sum game. The bad fortune of Toyota is the good fortune of its rivals. Jobs lost at Toyota will be jobs gained elsewhere...

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"I have always been bugged by the situation: if Toyota is such a great company, then why do they need a closed home market? There is no good answer to this question..."

Possibly because they really arent such a "great" company. But merely one that took advantage of huge benefits in exchange rates early on. A company that has always bent the rules and acted selfishly to penetrate overseas markets to the detriment of the local economy. Don't get me wrong- Toyota had some value, back in the 80's. They did force American companys to become more efficient- but whose not to say the Germans would't have done that. The problem with Toyota is that they have simply overstayed their welcome. This could be an excellent oportunity for the US to show Toyota the door back to Nagoya- and if Toyota wants to, they can transfer all those loyal American workers- what a wonderful experience that would be. See, there is a ray of light in all this darkness.

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Branded at 05:47 PM JST - 11th February

I7ve wored with these Toyota execs for many years- I know first hand of their "gloating".

Again, what do you consider gloating? Were these American executives? Japanese? Did they formerly work for GM? I know there were a lot of them who defected to Toyota. Why are you blabbering to the people on the internet about pay back to a bunch of executives who you felt were gloating?

Nonsense ! You "are" trying to downplay, minimize, shift blame, by saying- "aw heck people get illed all the time- what's the big deal" ? So does this mean that we should just accept all these deaths from poorly designed and manufactured products ? I say no ! Toyota products kill ! It really is as simple as that. And the US government and the public in general have clearly stated that this has to stop- why is this so difficult for you to understand ? I mean what is this garbage ?

No, not nonsense. Why then did the NHTSA not find any safety defects over the course of 10 years and 6 closed investigations? And don't give me that "Bush Administration vs. Obama Administration" line, because that would be like Akio Toyoda addressing this current situation by saying that was Watanabe at the helm, not me.

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Junnama at 06:22 PM JST - 11th February

But to be fair, trade in this case is a zero-sum game. The bad fortune of Toyota is the good fortune of its rivals. Jobs lost at Toyota will be jobs gained elsewhere...

True. But I don't think we'll see that much of a loss in jobs... with the exception of some higher-ups. I guess we'll see.

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Tahoochi-

"Again, what do you consider gloating?"

Snide remarks about the competition.

"Were these American executives? Japanese?"

100% Japanese !

"Did they formerly work for GM?"

No, not to my knowledge- but I never asked. I did ask them on many occasions though if they had actually ever test driven an American car- a resounding no ! But boy they sure were experts on what they didn't like about them.

"Why are you blabbering to the people on the internet about pay back to a bunch of executives who you felt were gloating?"

Pay back ? Who said anything about payback ? And who are you to question my motives for posting my displeasure with Toyota. You, being in the minority position here, seem to have more explaining to do than I. My position is simple- Defective Toyota cars have killed American citizens and injured hundreds. The company responsible is trying to dodge and delay responsibility. This company also has a very negative history at home and abroad- why shouldn't I feel contempt for such an institution ? Sheesh !

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"how do you think Americans felt way back when when Japanese companyies like Toyota and Honda started moving into the US, taking customers, and gloating over their success. I've said it before- seems we've come full circle"

Nope, this disproportionate backlash has nothing to do with some Americans being pissed off about losing automotive manufacturing market share whatsoever. Nope, not at all. Sheesh...

Branded -- Your opinion does not become that of the majority simply by virtue of you, Junnama, and quest posting prolifically in response to anyone and everyone who disagrees that Toyota is the root of all evil in the automotive industry. I’m referring, of course, to the quantity versus quality conundrum: While you excel in the one, you fall far short in the other, relying largely on circular logic, hypocrisy, and answering most questions with blog-worthy canned rhetoric and blatant untruths to essentially bully the thread into letting your opinion hold sway.

There are plenty of posters here who disagree with you. But as you can see by how few are posting here anymore, they've likely gotten tired and bored with your implacable bias and moved on.

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"But as you can see by how few are posting here anymore, they've likely gotten tired and bored with your implacable bias and moved on."

i like to think it's more a case of the old adage that says "The wisest person speaks last"- think about it a bit before responding, cause your last attempt was just a bunch of false accusations void of any real substance. I mean what is this tirade all about-

"relying largely on circular logic, hypocrisy, and answering most questions with blog-worthy canned rhetoric and blatant untruths to essentially bully the thread into letting your opinion hold sway."

My posts are complete with quotes, verifiable numbers, and some fairly simplistic logic. Might I suggest you first get up to speed on what I've actually posted before ranting on. You have quoted this from my earlier post-

"how do you think Americans felt way back when when Japanese companyies like Toyota and Honda started moving into the US, taking customers, and gloating over their success. I've said it before- seems we've come full circle"

This was in response to this question-

"How do you think American workers at Toyota plants would react to your "In-your-face" celebratory attitude of Toyota's struggles?"

Your response-

"Nope, this disproportionate backlash has nothing to do with some Americans being pissed off about losing automotive manufacturing market share whatsoever. Nope, not at all. Sheesh..."

Is simply out of context. Now LFRagain, if you have something worthwhile to add to the discussion- fire away. But if you have just come here to criticize me- please don't I imagine you will get tired and bored with my implacable bias and move on.

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"The wisest person speaks last"

Whatever helps you get to sleep at night.

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LFRagain, now if you will excuse me- I see where Japantoday has posted yet another story about this Toyota debacle- this time it seems President Obama is chiming in. Should be another interesting read, there have been so many of these stories here, now what was that you were saying about quality over quantity. Never mind, I'm sure its just another example of blatant untruths to essentially bully the readers into letting their JT opinion hold sway, Yeh, I'm sure thats what it is.

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