Report of Administrator Strickland

Here is a link to the statement of the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission to Congress on May 20. David L. Strickland reports his investigators have found no incidents of either entrapped pedals or sticky pedals after correct repairs have been made. This should be at least somewhat reassuring until such time as a more complete and permanent report is made.


http://energycommerce.house.gov/documents/20100520/oi/Strickland.Testimony.05.20.2010.pdf

Cosmic Rays and Toyotas!

The exclamation point above seems appropriate. Who would have thought that cosmic rays might play a role in the sudden acceleration problem plaguing Toyotas? Yet this is, indeed, the focus of a new investigation by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The article referenced here tells more.

Of course, cosmic rays have nothing to do with defective floor mats. (They may, however, have something to do with bad drivers who seemingly have managed to drive their Toyotas into walls. But this is another story.) The upshot is that Toyota remains culpable for numerous cases of sudden acceleration.

It will be interesting to see the results of this unexpected hypothesis involving cosmic rays.





http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011361800_toyota17.html

Blog Continues

I had been planning to close this blog after the Congressional hearings into the safety of Toyota automobiles. However, because of the continuing reports of problems, even after repairs, I have decided to leave the blog open for awhile longer. Let us hope the problems with Toyota can be rectified in short order. I plan to post information here as warranted.

Lentz Testimony Makes News

In Congress' first hearing into Toyota safety issues, James Lentz, head of Toyota's US sales operation, told representatives that the fixes now being done on Toyota vehicles may not solve the sudden acceleration problem. He said the company was still researching the matter to see whether there might be other causes, including electronic problems or human error.

The testimony was at times emotional as persons, including Lentz, spoke of car accidents which had touched their lives.

The link to the New York Times article is below. Be prepared to view (or skip) an ad before bringing up the article.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/business/global/24toyota.html?adxnnl=1&ref=us&adxnnlx=1266984023-rBy0GzsXbGu0nsGRd7vOQw

Toyoda Agrees to Testify

The story at the following link tells about the decision of Toyoda to testify before
Congress. You may also click on the title above.


http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/toyotas_president_akio_toyoda.html

Audio of Toyota, "Safe and Sorry"

You can now listen to this report from On the Media directly on my site:

Toyota as Safe and Sorry

Safe and Sorry -- that's the Toyota of today, according to the National Public Radio Program, On the Media. Never before has Toyota faced such a crisis of confidence as in these past weeks. And with the belated media face-saving campaign, never before has Toyota gone on such a public relations blitz. You can hear all about this by listening to the report shown on the following web page.

http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/02/12/01

Chairman Towns, Issa Reschedule Committee Hearing

It was announced this week by Chairman Towns, and ranking member, Issa, that the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform would hold a rescheduled hearing to "Examine Toyota’s Sudden Acceleration Problem and the Federal Government’s Response" according to a press release from the committee.

I am reprinting the press release below. We can be grateful for such hearings and the fact that the chair is a Democrat and that the ranking Republican has joined the call for an airing of this most important matter.

Here is the press release:


WASHINGTON – Chairman Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY) and Ranking Member Darrell Issa
(R-CA) have agreed to reschedule the House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform hearing titled: “Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public at Risk?” The hearing is rescheduled for Wednesday, February 24th at 10:00 a.m.

The hearing will examine the Federal government’s response to the recall of millions of Toyota vehicles due to reports of malfunctioning gas pedals, and to gain a better understanding of the nature of the sudden acceleration problem in Toyota vehicles and what should be done about it.

“Due to the inclement weather set to impact the DC Metropolitan area tonight and tomorrow, Ranking Member Issa and I have agreed to reschedule the hearing on the Toyota gas pedal recall,” said Chairman Towns. “I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on February 24th.”

Toyoda for Toyota

Unaccustomed to problems of this magnitude, Toyota was initially slow to communicate fully and openly with its customers. Now Chairman Toyoda has apologized. Here is a report from Reuters with some video of Toyoda. Will this be enough to quell concerns?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAz0JqGfi2o

Energy & Commerce Committee Requests More Information on Toyota Recall

It is clear the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Chaired by Henry Waxman is concerned about conflicts between statements made by Toyota officials to committee staff last week and comments made by Chief of American sales, James Lentz, on The Today Show. Toyota officials claimed it was very difficult to tell what had caused the unexplained acceleration events, though it was clear enough some events had been caused by floor mats getting into the wrong position. Lentz, however, stated Toyota was now confident the problem had been identified. The letter by the committee to Mr. Lentz states the matter clearly.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1883:energy-a-commerce-committee-requests-more-information-on-toyota-recall&catid=154:correspondence&Itemid=55

Getting Started

People are confused, disappointed, and angry. One of the most highly-regarded automobile brands is suffering with, first, a large recall, and now a huge shut-down. The Toyota fiasco will likely go down as one of the biggest catastrophes to hit a major car-maker in this new decade.

This web log will focus on the hearings now scheduled to take place in late February. The blog will be fully functioning within the next few days.

Plan to check back here for up-dates on the Congressional hearings on this still-developing major issue.