Thursday, February 18, 2010

Toyota - Part 2

I don't really understand all the buzz about Toyota.  I've got a 2009 Camry and it has been a fine car.  Today I scheduled an appointment with the dealership to get it serviced.  They looked up my car and said it was subject to two recalls.  They are going to put the brackets on the throttle and reprogram the computer (so if the brakes are on, the accelerator will be cut) for the first recall, and then they are going to shorten the accelerator pedal by 1/2 an inch.  I think the reprogramming is a smart thing to do and should have been done long ago.

I know that Toyota is getting hammered, but give me a break.  All car companies have issues.  The Congressmen that want the president of Toyota to testify is just overkill.  They are doing it for political points and to bash and humiliate Toyota.  What will it accomplish?  Will it fix the problem any faster?  Will it make Toyota be more careful in their designs?  Will it bring back the lives of those who died in Toyota vehicles that had issues?  I really don't think it will solve any of these problems.  Toyota has learned a hard and valuable lesson.  They will be better in the future.  And if all the other Toyotas are like the dealership I have to deal with, customers will be taken care of.

Like I said, all this frenzy about the "quality" problem and customers leaving the brand are just the press in hyper-drive.  Once the recalls stop and the press quiets down and some other big topic of the day comes up, people will forget about the problems.  Haiti attention has dropped off the map as the press moves on with other "hot" stories.

So I'll keep my Toyota.  My only regret is that I don't have money to go and buy another Toyota vehicle, as I'm sure there are some pretty good discounts on the cars these days.

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