That shiny new Lexus you’ve seen on Desperate Housewives, or maybe your neighbor proudly driving, ain’t nothin’ but a Toyota. They’ve done a good job disguising it, but look closely and you’ll see that the Lexus that almost killed a retired Tennessee social worker is nothing but a Toyota Camry with an extra 10 grand added for fancy dressing.
Pity they couldn’t get an extra few grand worth of safety in it. But can you imagine the terror of a woman driving her shiny, expensive Lexus, alias Toyota, and suddenly being sped up to an uncontrollable 100 mph or more.
Here’s how it went Tuesday with Rhonda Smith’s testimony in congressional hearings: “Lawmakers first heard testimony from a retired Tennessee social worker whose Toyota 2007 Lexus ES 350 sped up to 100 miles per hour during a wild, six-mile ride in 2006. The car sped on even after the driver applied the emergency brake and shifted into neutral and then reverse.”*
And they say it’s not the electronics. But they say they’re not sure. If the accelerator AND the brakes AND the gear shift don’t work, all at the same time, maybe Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak isn’t so dumb after all when he says it’s the electronics.
Woz has a Prius or two. He’s calmly done his own simple experiment behind the wheel of one and pronounced it a computer problem. The Japanese hierarchy behind the corporate wheel of this automotive giant says it’s not the computer. Then they start fudging. They’re not absolutely sure what it is! Come, folks. If you’re not sure what it is, you don’t know what it is. You’re still trying to figure out a way to con us!
Wozniak is a computer genius. But when they’re trying to cover up something hugely wrong with this shiny, expensive toy – the prize they’ve spent so many years bringing out from under layers of distrust of anything made in Japan – who’s got time to listen to a genius?
It’s the computer, stupid.
This lady had a Lexus with less than 3,000 miles on it. She took it to her dealer. Nothing wrong they said. She took her story to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They came to Tennessee to explain that the problem was with the floor mat. No luck with her government. But what else is new?
Oh what a web they spin when they’re all desperately trying to come up with some slick CYA!
So who will ever trust Toyota again? Are you going out to buy a Toyota/Lexus today. Or tomorrow? Or Ever? And what does that mean for the economy. Toyota is the largest car maker in the world now. They have plants all over the world, including America. And we were so afraid of what would happen if GM came crashing down.
Well it’s for sure more CYA won’t cover the problem. And more government bailouts won’t do it, American or Japanese. You just can’t bail out, with money, trust that’s been lost through deceit.
via Toyota unsure how to solve safety issues – washingtonpost.com.
