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Toyota's president apologizes for massive global recalls

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I told you the bowing will start soon. They still not worried? Now that the spotlight is on Toyota, there will be a closer eye on them. I predict other problems will start surfacing for Toyota soon enough.

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Apology or no apology, markets will punish Toyota Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere !

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i hv to point out global recalls just proves toyota cares more about ppl in the world than german car makers though i am fm china than japan.

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Today there is massive class action suit against Toyota already initiated in usa. Toyota posted latest over billion dollar profit so as american traditional sharing-stealing spirit they are suing whatever possible money grab.

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As long as he is sorry, that makes everything OK, at least in Japan. As long as they don't want to sell cars anywhere other than Japan, saying sorry is enough.

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Why would he be sorry, Toyota pushed out the same bug into so many cars, they obviously didn't care at all

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I'm wondering that Toyota had no idea to announce Prius brake problem, and wanted to conceal and to fix it on free inspections which car dealers offered on first and sixth months of the first year customers bought.

Mass media will seek problems and abuse Toyota. This is the best chance for Toyota to change its company culture!

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I like Nissan better than toyota. Hopefully other carmakers will learn from toyota's mistakes.

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Toyota is no longer "safety car" for "safety driving". Time to buy a Volvo.

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Sod Toyota and their awful carriages of death. I say all Brits should petition to bring back British Leyland so we can all drive in decent cars in safety.

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Here in the Philippines, two Toyota models (Fortuner and Innova) have been proven to have faulty D4D engines, and Toyota isn't doing anything for its owners.

Maybe they're waiting for a fatal car crash before they're forced to take action.

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They made US$10 billion profit a couple of years ago in a single year and almost as much in other years recently so they still have a bit of cash to cover these costs. Not pretty for them but they will survive.

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Asara- Toyota is going to lose its main customer base (US). Because Toyotas are not built tough like Ford`s. I think it is funny!

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I'm not promoting Nissan here, but a couple of years while in Vegas I asked a valet man at a prominent resort what car did he consider the best engineered and quality since he handled so many models in his line of work. Without a doubt, he said, it was Nissan's Infiniti. He considered it over and above any standard automobile made in the U.S., Japan and Europe. He couldn't comment on the Bugattis, Ferraris, and RR's since he didn't drive any of them yet.

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Even today americans or traditional american car users are calling Detroit big 3 as Detroit Small 3 for because of american car tech has hopelessly fallen behind their formerly looked down inferiors of japanese cars.

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Put this guy on suicide watch.

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By Japanese standards this was an extremely poor apology ! Fresh off the AP newswire just an hour ago-

"He bowed in customary Japanese-style greeting at the start of the televised news conference at Toyota's Nagoya headquarters but did not bow deeply when offering an apology as some executives, including his predecessor Katsuaki Watanabe, have done when under fire."

The photo above verifies this stance of defiance, backed by Toyoda's bold statement of-

"Believe me, Toyota’s cars are safe,"

Boy, this guy simply doesn't get it ! My opinion pretty much falls in line with many from both sides of the ocean-

"Masaaki Sato, an auto industry expert who has written books on Toyota and its Japanese rival Honda, said "He should have come out a week ago," "After all the foot dragging, he was pushed into a corner."

"Sato also criticized Toyoda for having to be prodded into action in the U.S. by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who called the Toyota president for talks."

"The issue is a huge problem in the U.S., far more serious than you might think," Sato said. "Those who are driving Toyota cars must be worried, and as Toyota CEO he has a responsibility to address their concerns and provide an explanation to the U.S. government."

Well stated Sato san ! As for me, I am disappointed at Toyoda's arrogance ! To apologize for worries and concern, to state that Toyota's are safe- but to make no direct apology to any of the families of those killed or customers maimed and injured was void of any compassion whatsoever ! I have a plethore of adjectives on the tip of my tongue to describe this vermin- yet this is public forum so I will maintain a degree of decorum. With lawsuits pending and Toyota's future in doubt, I will let the courts and public opinion have their go at the crumbling Toyoda empire.

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Its a shame this has happened to Toyota, Im sure theyve shot themselves in the foot. Theres no denying the underlying quality of their engineering though many would love to even against the evidence.

Toyoda didnt look comfortable. This will be sorted and I imagine a new quality management system is installed PDQ.

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Fiat and Ford went through similar recall phases, and it took years to recover. That said, Fiat, Ford, and Toyota are far superior to their competitors who cannot fix their cars or address safety even with a recall. Consumers only care about fixable issues, not fundamental safety problems like a D or F crash safety rating you'll find in many cars.

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Um, no family was killed over this recall. You're thinking of the other recall.

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Branded at 02:33 AM JST - 6th FebruarAs for me, I am disappointed at Toyoda's arrogance ! To apologize for worries and concern, to state that Toyota's are safe- but to make no direct apology to any of the families of those killed or customers maimed and injured was void of any compassion whatsoever !

Think clearly. Toyota is in the middle of class action and individual lawsuits and on the advise of the Toyota lawyers, they are probably told to not make certain comments and this applies to direct apology to any of the families. Each case is still under investigations. This situation is exactly what is wrong with America with mounting lawsuits on every level. The lawyers have destroyed the competitive edge of America was. Look at the same care health care cost in U.S. that cost twice as more as Europeans or Japanese. Why? More legal litigations and lawsuits. America has become a hostile place to do business and unless some of the laws are changed, very few companies will be willing to take risks and market in U.S.

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When you get down to all the smash-ups in USA & Canada YES some people to families were killed. One flaw is that so many not only drove automatic transmissions, but drove around using their Cruse Control far, far to often which was another flaw. Thankfully I have only diven manual shifting cars/trucks in my 46 yrs of driving & yes my choice of my Subaru 'Forester' was with manual shifting.

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It is interesting that the U. S. Government is so ready to pounce on Toyota over safety issues now that it owns controlling stake in General Motors. Could this be an attempt on the part of the U. S. Government to stick it to the competition, after having for so many years accused Japanese car companies of unfair competitive business practices?

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My above comment is not to excuse Toyota for any of its failures to address safety concerns, of course. ostrichchaperon.typepad.com

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sfjp330- why is it I find myself "always" correcting you ?

"Think clearly. Toyota is in the middle of class action and individual lawsuits and on the advise of the Toyota lawyers, they are probably told to not make certain comments and this applies to direct apology to any of the families."

Wrong ! Toyota execs have already acknowledged the death of the off duty police officer and his family in an earlier statement- which is why it is stunning that the head CEO, Toyoda, wouldn't take this opportunity to recognize "all" the individuals affected. Cold, callous, coniving, money grubbing elite- I have nothing but contempt for those individuals and corporations that put their profit margin head and shoulders above the safety of the community.

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As for this comment-

"It is interesting that the U. S. Government is so ready to pounce on Toyota over safety issues now that it owns controlling stake in General Motors."

The US government has no vested interest in seeing thousands of tax paying Americans employed by Toyota in the US put out of work ! Can we stop with the conspiracy B.S. already ?

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Branded at 08:57 AM JST - 6th February. Wrong ! Toyota execs have already acknowledged the death of the off duty police officer and his family in an earlier statement- which is why it is stunning that the head CEO, Toyoda, wouldn't take this opportunity to recognize "all" the individuals affected. Cold, callous, coniving, money grubbing elite-

Again, what occurred earlier for off duty officer versus the magnitude of the problem has changed drastically. If direct apology didn't occur from CEO of Toyota, most likely on the advise of the Toyota lawyers, CEO and their executives were clearly advised, and press release statement was probably written by Attorney on the content of words and information that was released to public to minimize any damages and staying consistant of legal objectives.

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Toyota's handling of the issue is really not impressing anyone... even as an owner of a Toyota that is not involved in any of the latest recalls, I'm getting tired of waiting for a good response from Toyota, only to find out they're answer is "Believe me, Toyota cars are safe...", or no answer at all regarding the Prius brake issue. What Toyota needs to do now is to be transparent and SHARE up-to-date investigative information BEFORE the media shares its own version, and before people on blogs like this start talking and as a result, you have a media frenzy and a panic-situation like the sticky accelerator one. Here is a link to a great post by some blogger with a good perspective on another website.

http://www.quisenblog.com/2010/02/03/the-silence-is-deafening/

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"Again, what occurred earlier for off duty officer versus the magnitude of the problem has changed drastically."

Yes ! It's gotten worse ! And you'd expect Toyoda to humble himself in accord with his Japanese culture. He needs to face the facts- Toyota is going to face one huge class action lawsuit where millions will be handed out to victims and their families- we all know this. So why not face the music like a man and do the "humane" thing- apologize to those who have lost loved ones and acknowledge their grief ! Talking about how this is going to hurt his business is unforgiving ! And I guarantee the US judge in charge of handling this lawsuit will remind Toyota executives about this slight come the day of reckoning.

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Branded at 02:33 AM JST - 6th February

By Japanese standards this was an extremely poor apology !

What do you care about Japanese standards? If he had bowed until his forehead hit the ground, you would have patronized the Japanese culture of bowing and apologizing and said something like "Well that makes it all better doesn't it?"

I have a plethore of adjectives on the tip of my tongue to describe this vermin- yet this is public forum so I will maintain a degree of decorum. With lawsuits pending and Toyota's future in doubt, I will let the courts and public opinion have their go at the crumbling Toyoda empire.

Well thank you for your kindness Branded... and I'm sure the courts and everyone else is honored that you have let them form their own opinions of Toyota.... does this mean we won't be hearing from you again?

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Tahoochi- please show some respect.

"If he had bowed until his forehead hit the ground, you would have patronized the Japanese culture of bowing and apologizing and said something like "Well that makes it all better doesn't it?"

I have never tried to put words into your mouth or make assumptions of what you would do or say- I expect the same civility. In my opinion if Toyoda had done a deeper bow, one more appropriate for the current situation and in line with Japanese culture, I would have said nothing. The fact that he didn't though just stins of arrogance ! And to take time to remind consumers that "Toyota's are safe" instead of offering condolences to those killed or injured is just shocking. Remember people this is his first public announcement- and all we get is a "salaryman" level bow- like this is a business meeting ? Tahoochi, I'd like to say you won't be hearing from me on this issue ever again- When Toyoda and his ilk are behind bars and Toyota is under new management- one that respects the American consumer and the American way !

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Pity though that it hit a firm that prided itself in REALIBILITY & was leading the rest of the car makers in the world.

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Apologizing is seeing as a sign of guilt in the eyes of the court. They are trying not to get sued too badly.

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Biglittleman: This is true. While in the US, I've had numerous people tell me that if I were ever in a car accident, NOT to apologize to the other person even if it was clearly my fault, NO MATTER WHAT.

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"Sorry everyone! We'll try our best to hide the problems better next time."

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Could this be an attempt on the part of the U. S. Government to stick it to the competition, after having for so many years accused Japanese car companies of unfair competitive business practices?

Yes and most likely the American government ordered CTS to produce the gas paddles so that they stick after some time. But please this is secret so go back to your cellar with your alien and other conspiracy theories and do not tell anyone.

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I still remember how the German management had to bow in front of the press several times for the FUSO truck accident that killed one JAPANESE women. Nearly weekly they had to answer dumb questions of the Japanese media.

That after they took over Mitsubishi FUSO and had not even been responsible for the corrupt vehicles produced. But they showed dignity, even visited the family and gave condolences.

My theory: For Westerners universal moral dignity and responsibility means something, while for Japanese it is all business. Who cares about these American customers as they are only 他人 and so no one has any obligation. As long as they lemming like believe in the product safety all is fine.

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To MR. A. TOYODA. I'm sorry about your car troubles. But. the American government insist that the computer has some chips that can control the computer ( like ONSTAR ) the computer also has to have by LAW a GPS chip. so they know where the car is at all times. These chips give them control of the car at all times. Like when someone stole a car the Police Officer said, that when they stopped the car by using onstar . that not only did they shut the motor down but they locked the windows and doors so the sucker couldn't get out. They put the breaks on.to stop it. Now you don't have to be a computer expert to realize that if you can start and stop a car you can also prevent it from stopping, you can turn it's lights o n or off or anything. Mr. Akio Toyoda it is about time you made your own computer design. Remember Japan wants the American out of is country, And America ill do anything to pressure your government not to leave. and also force you to buy worthless U.S. Treasury Bonds that are only payable in private federal dollar bills. and they have nothing backing them. Mr. Akio Toyoda You make great cars and trucks, please keep it up.The Next on to go will be HONDA as The American oil companies will not stand by while you make cars that do not use gasoline or an oil fuel

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Mr. Toyoda was not made president for any reason but to make him the fall guy. He was set up. This problem took a little longer to come out than I exepected - most people, including Mr. Toyoda, were simply stupid and blind to not realize the crisis. The people who didn't change the product design eight years ago are the ones holding the blame - they're all out of Toyota now. Left poor grand son holding the smoking gun... Toyota lawyers are just as ignorant of the cause so they're saving their careers. They're not dumb enough to say anything to Toyoda - he's virtually on his own. Fair weather friends it turns out the Japanese media have been to Toyota. Where's Rajkumar and the rest of the posters who called me crazy for calling this crisis two years ago? I only got back to JT because the comments I'm reading are so far off the mark... I'll give you all one last hint of a similar technology flaw - Airbus.

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But he bowed and said Im sorry. Shouldn't that be the end of it? I thought thats how it how it works in Japan. Get down low and say honto ni gommenasai and all is forgiven.

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