Transportation Secretary on Toyota’s Troubles
EmailFrom debilitating snow up and down the east coast to the Toyota recalls, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has a full plate these days. Still, he managed to find time to join me on GMA this morning to stress that for the DOT safety is priority #1 “Safety is always our number one consideration. We have not been asleep at the switch when it comes to Toyota.”
In fact he took credit on behalf of his department for some of Toyota’s recalls, “There are three recalls going on right now,” he says, “two of them as a result of our people either going to Japan or me on the telephone with the president of Toyota, holding their feet to the fire on this. I’ll take a back seat to nobody…when it comes to safety.”
Last week Secretary LaHood had to back track on remarks he made telling Toyota owners not to drive their cars. This week? “My message is our safety people are holding Toyota’s feet to the fire. We will make sure every car is safe.”
Watch the entire interview here:
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George, I was just passing by the Television, when you alluded to The Transportation Secretary as to whether the Totyota Corporation has been truthful to the American Public, I can only say one phrase “Remember Pearl Harbor” At Dawn we Slept, and a few others.
Suffice it to say. I believe in my gut and my heart of hearts that they knew o these problems and the attorneys stall with just about everything until it was too wide spread and then allowed it to come out.
To me (and you may take anyway you wish), but this is no difference than when the Japanese Embassy in Washington stall to get their information out but it was too late because, they had already attacked Pearl. This as I say is no different, as these minor incidences continued to increase, they stalled until it the mess could not be covered anymore.
But George, the irony of it all, we as Americans wanted these vehicles, we bought these vehicles, and now we will be paying in the long run, because as Americans when something goes South, we do not acclimate to it in the future.
Now when these other industries really start choking you will see (hopefully) a massive turn around to purchase and create jobs back here in this Country.
Posted by: Rabbitt | February 10, 2010, 10:56 am 10:56 am
All I can say, is that the Japanese cars I have owned, irregardless of whether manufactured in japan, or the US, were no better built, nor more reliable than US owned company cars are.
Since a high percentage of Japanese car buyers are young, it leads me to wonder, if they even understand that the product really isn’t any better.
Being near retirement, and having owned a fair number of cars, over the years, I really doubt any cars are truly well built. Nor are they truly very safe, as most cars today, are mostly plastic, which shatters upon impact.
Car makers need to go back to basics, and make a sound product, with fewer bells and whistles, that will give years of reliable service, and actually provide value for their extremely high cost.
The average car today, costs 3 times what my first house cost. Not a good comparison.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | February 10, 2010, 11:48 am 11:48 am
Perhaps the larger issue to explore should be why Japanese auto makers were never called on the carpet before now. Is it merely a coincidence or could it be that THIS administration has been working to change the way government works?
Posted by: Nancy Vangsness | February 10, 2010, 7:04 pm 7:04 pm
I have a concern, my mother is 69 and has a 2010 camry. She just bought it about 3 months ago. SOme of her friends bought them to.. Why dont they take the cars back, we got to look out for the elders. There saying shifted in N if it acts up. Tell me how fast are they suppose to go. If this was your mom what would you do? Right now my mother scared to drive and she driving my van.
Posted by: Cindy | February 10, 2010, 7:30 pm 7:30 pm
When it takes 3 yrs, to get a recall, for a known problem, someone’s asleep at the wheel.
Just like it took years for Ford’s SUV/Truck fire problem to be recalled, when there were obvious problems being reported by the insurance industry.
People’s homes were being burned down, because no one accepted the responsibility to make the recall happen. Least of all….Ford.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | February 11, 2010, 9:31 am 9:31 am
I have bought 2 Toyotas during the period of 1994-2002. I sold the ’94 last year. I’m still driving the 2002 as my only transportation. I have never had a bit of trouble with either of them to date. Sold the truck last year after driving it all over the country since 1994. Getting the van serviced today. That’s all it’s ever been in in the shop for. It’s been driven across country several times and plan to make it more.
Both Toyota vehicles I have owned were made in the USA. Why not buy one?
Is someone somewhere trying to boost
the sales of other vehicles?
Posted by: SC | February 11, 2010, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
Why is no one covering the recalls concerning the rusty frames on the Toyota trucks. Many of these trucks are not driveable due to the frames being rusted thru in areas. What happens when you are in an accident with one of these trucks? The insurance company blames the damage on the fact that the truck has one of these rusty frames and Toyota blames the accident… Once again Toyota is leaving its customers in the learch….
Posted by: Terri LIneback | February 12, 2010, 11:06 am 11:06 am
With the US Government now a major stockholder of GM and Chrysler, and the ruling party beholden to the automaker’s union, no mater what the US Transportation Secretary says, his motives will be suspect because we don’t know who he is trying to protect, his investment or the American public. Until the government gets out of the business of owning these companies, it can’t be trusted to be acting in the best interests of the public.
Posted by: DeLoss McKnight | February 13, 2010, 3:00 pm 3:00 pm
“Damage” to Toyota is the media darling this week, but once again overstated. Car owners understand recalls, no big deal. One part out of hundreds, rest working great… — saw a cool site; Balkingpoints ; incredible satellite view of earth
Posted by: rfield | February 13, 2010, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
what about those of us who became afraid to drive these vechichles and went out and got rid of them and had to pay hard earned money to boot to get rid of them im57 yrs old had a 2009 camery pd for got afaid to drive it called my dealer he said cant do anything about it til u get recal notice now they tell me it was never on recal list because it was an xle i told them on 1 ocassion i had noticed a gas pedal issue nothing major but defitnley a concearn i pd 5600.00 to boot to get an american made car i transported my grandchildren a lot in the camery how many other people in this country have been faced with this same issue shouldnt toyata have to do some kind of reimbusement for people like me in an already bad econmey who had no intentions of ever trading cars am now an extra 5600 .oo in debt because of the fear in these cars for me and my family what does toyata have to say to us
Posted by: lyvonna hall | February 17, 2010, 8:15 am 8:15 am
Nice sayings that two of them as a result of our people either going to Japan or me on the telephone with the president of Toyota, holding their feet to the fire on this. I’ll take a back seat to nobody, when it comes to safety by the public works energy.
Posted by: public works energy | May 6, 2010, 12:40 pm 12:40 pm
Toyota is really stepping it up on design.
Many of these trucks are not drivable due to the frames being rusted threw in areas.these minor incidences continued to increase, they stalled until it the mess could not be covered anymore.
Posted by: Used 4x4 pickup trucks | August 28, 2010, 1:06 am 1:06 am