The American Spectator

gmneedssales| 2.3.10 @ 7:20PM

Since GM is about to lose a ton of business from China over Obama sending all those arms to Taiwan, they gotta get new customers from somewhere, so if Obama can Naderize Toyota, wallah! instant customers for GM.

Pete| 2.3.10 @ 7:33PM

Buy Ford stock. This will only drive more customers to Ford as many folks, like me, will never again patronize Gubmint Motors.

Patrick| 2.3.10 @ 8:41PM

Toyota has failed to report a number of incident s going back well before 2007. American consumers were led to believe that Toyota could do no wrong and that their products were perfect. Contrary to popular belief, Toyotas, Fords, and Hondas share many components manufactured by the same Tier 1 suppliers. Toyota made its bed and it will have to sleep in it. They can’t blame the supplier since it was TOYOTA who approved the final assembly and design. In the end, this is looking a lot worse than the Ford Pinto fiasco or the flipping Explorers.

Margie| 2.3.10 @ 9:11PM

What incidents would they be?

James Lee| 2.3.10 @ 11:06PM

How about Suburban and Yukon as the worst rollover in record. In my daily commute from Valencia, Calif., to downtown LAX I often see Suburban or Yukon laying in the side.

Margie| 2.3.10 @ 11:49PM

Those aren't Toyota.

Margie| 2.4.10 @ 12:02AM

Sorry, James. I realize you were probably speaking generally about vehicles, not Toyotas. My mistake.

Kevin | 2.3.10 @ 10:16PM

Good question Margie. This is the LA Times' story and it is full of anecdotal "incidents." What statistics they provide are vague, inconsistent, and poorly (if at all) sourced. Where is the statistical analysis one would expect to accompany these claims. There may indeed be a serious problem but it is curious, isn't it, that the UAW is now protesting Toyota's closing of its California (UAW staffed) plant? Chicago Style, indeed.

Ran / Si Vis Pacem| 2.3.10 @ 11:01PM

Mr Chesser, you ask a necessary question. One wonders if Toyota's largely "right-to-work" labor status plays into the equation. There has been a lot of bullying and downright theft by this administration already.

I hope Toyota's management has the guts to tell LaHood and the Hood in Chief where to park.

SC Mike| 2.4.10 @ 7:56AM

Toyota is screwed and will probably suffer a little less that Audi did after the 60 Minutes hatchet job in 1986; it took Audi sales 15 years to recover. The cause of the unintended sudden acceleration? Driver error. That's true in 99.999% of cases.

Whatever the cause in Toyota’s case, a vehicle’s brakes will always stop it no matter how fast the engine is running.

Eric Damon| 2.4.10 @ 8:23AM

What about the now reported problems with the brakes on the Prius? It seems that both Toyota and the feds knew about the problems months ago and the feds (after meeting with the Toyota people in Japan) allowed them to NOT notify their customers to the problem! So where does LaHood (a Chicago-way name if ever there were one) and company now get off acting as if they are outraged at what has happened at Toyota? They were complicit in keeping Prius owners in the dark about a brake problem, but they are suddenly zealous in chasing down "leads" about electromagnetic accelerator interference! Whay hypocrites!

bluecollarbytes| 2.4.10 @ 9:32AM

I couldn't imagine GM ever taking the drastic step Toyota has taken- ceasing sales, public apologies, etc in an effort to save its reputation and take its responsibilities seriously.

jim Spence| 2.4.10 @ 11:47AM

Recently, during the auto show in St. Louis, MO, union thugs picketed aginst Toyota. I thought at the time, this is a government motors operation. Everything from that point on leads me to believe this is the future. Also, I have noticed that the Post Office has a new fleet of Chevy vans, how much of the reported sales of GM can be attributed to these new vehicles. Did Ford get to bid?

jim Spence| 2.4.10 @ 11:54AM

I have driven Toyota's for many years, find them to be the most reliable, well engineered vehicles in the world. If people are driven away from this trustworthy brand I hope they are smart enough to go to Ford!

bluecollarbytes| 2.4.10 @ 12:13PM

Two Ford trucks later, I know Ford quality & reliability in trucks to be at least as good as any others. It includes a now 12 year old Ranger with 130,000 miles and not so much as an oil drip, original clutch and 1- $400 mechanical repair.

Other truck is 05 F350 that is humming along nicely after 60,000 miles.

Pete| 2.4.10 @ 11:59AM

I wonder which criminal faction will win out with respect to Ford. Will Gubmint Motors badmouth Ford (like Toyota) to increase sales/market share, or will it bow to unionized labor even if it is at a not-yet nationalized car company? Tough call...the answer could make one a lot of money in the stock market. I would love to see the trading accounts of the "czars" involved.

Richard Baker| 2.4.10 @ 12:34PM

Long past time for Chapter 11 for GM and Chrysler. All that the Kenyan and his brood can do is run their mouths. That no one in his senior staff has ever run so much as a lemonade stand is being demonstrated daily, ergo, Chapter 11 is needed. Throw out the government management team (truly a contradiction in terms) and let the free market decide the viability of these companies. If they join Crosley, Studebaker, Kaiser, and Packard, among many others, in the history books then so be it.

David| 2.4.10 @ 1:56PM

Toyota is doing damage control, primarily because the audio on this car crash is so horrifying, so vivid, they figure they will lose that case no matter what.

Listen: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=247148