March 12, 2010
Toyota memo shows employees warned managers about safety concerns in 2006.
The Los Angeles Times (3/8, Glionna) reports that a group of six "veteran" Toyota union employees sent a memo to the company's senior management that they knew "could damage their careers. The workers had recognized a troubling trend. In recent years, the automaker had kicked into high gear to fill the booming U.S. demand for smaller, more gas-efficient vehicles," and in doing so, took "dangerous safety and manpower shortcuts to lower costs and boost production. ... From 2000 to 2005, their memo pointed out, Toyota had recalled more than 5 million cars -- 36% of all sold vehicles, a rate higher than other companies. Toyota's failure to act, the two-page notice warned, may 'become a great problem that involves the company's survival.'" The Times notes that despite the workers' fears, "Toyota never responded."
Toyota planning to demonstrate safety of electronics. NBC Nightly News (3/7, story 4, 1:20, Holt) reported, "Toyota plans to go on the offensive this week to try to control the damage from continuing safety questions," noting that the automaker plans to continue to refute allegations that electronic throttle controls are to blame for unintended acceleration in its vehicles. "tomorrow Toyota engineers will hold a demonstration. And they're going to broadcast it around the country." The piece reports that Toyota's goals are to "convince lawmakers and regulators in Washington that electronics are not the problem" and to "convince buyers out there who still might be a little skeptical that Toyota has fixed the problem."
USA Today (3/8, Woodyard, O'Donnell) reports that "A professor's experiment, demonstrated in an ABC News report and described in congressional testimony, alleged that Toyota Avalon's electronic controls were vulnerable to short circuits. Toyota's report today says the experiment's 'highly artificial conditions' would not occur in real use." This piece notes that House members investigating Toyota have demanded more stringent documentation on Toyota's investigations of potential electronic faults, noting that NHTSA reported last week that dozens of Toyota drivers are reporting cases of unintended acceleration after undergoing Toyota's recall process.
Family of Toyota crash victims set to sue. The Minnesota Lawyer (3/5, Lore) reported, "An attorney for the family of three people killed when their vehicle was struck by a Toyota Camry four years ago is convinced he'll be able to prove that a defect in the Camry was the cause of the crash. The case has already garnered national attention because the driver of the Camry, who has spent the last two years in jail, is seeking release based on recent revelations about acceleration problems with Toyota vehicles." The plaintiffs "are exploring claims grounded in product liability, wrongful death, negligence and strict liability, according to [attorney Michael] Padden, who, along with Texas attorney Robert Hilliard, represents Bridgette Trice, Carolyn Trice, and Quincy Adams."
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