Auto Trends

Toyota Landcruiser Rollover, originally uploaded by alco_dl500b

The rumors have been flying recently, leaving a trail behind them indicating that Toyota may be in a wee bit of trouble. Well, as if lagging sales and plateaued corporate development weren’t bad enough, Toyota is facing a series of lawsuits according to Automotive News.

Former Toyota Lawyer, Dimitrios Biller, is set to step into court with evidence that Toyota was withholding incriminating documentation for hundreds of liability suits, involving among others, rollover accidents. The basic gist of Biller’s lawsuit, is during these other product lawsuits, Toyota was ordered by the court to present information towards each individual case that they either purposefully held back or had destroyed.

An example of this type of cover-up, offered by CBS News, is claims (lawsuits) that Toyota’s roof internal standard does not meet government regulations. Toyota repeatedly testified that a standard for their roofs did not exist, while Biller claims many of their cars and vehicles just plain flat did not meet the standards. The New York Times added that Biller has suggested that Toyota concealed the results of rollover crash tests, stating that they failed to meet the requirement of a 2-inch space above the head of the crash-test dummy.

Toyota claims that Biller does not have a leg to stand on and is counting on his sorted past of mental conditions and lack of evidence to weaken his case beyond just getting out into a couple of news story. Biller on the other hand intends to take the case all the way, claiming that the mental breakdown he suffered was due to the pressure that he was given by upper suits to keep quiet or his career with Toyota would be ended rather unpleasantly. Biller worked with Toyota from 2003 to 2007, before receiving a nice $3.7 million severance package.

The news of Toyota’s resistance to follow courts orders, has prompted a Texas vehicle safety lawyer to revisit and refile 15 lawsuits (six years old) against Toyota last week, which could be the first of many more as evidence surmounts. Toyota has requested that any of the documents held by Biller be withheld from the public eye (seal the case), but the court has yet to decided whether or not it will grant them this request or not, and they probably won’t make a final decision until later this month..

And so now await the final verdict…

Source: Automotive News

Toyota Prius, originally uploaded by duncandavidson

In the green community, there is usually not too much bad to say about the Toyota Prius. It is reasonably affordable ($22,000), gets great gas mileage (50 mpg average), and has had a pretty good track record over the years (so far, anyway).

Well all that could be about to change. The disgruntlement of Prius owners this month is not about gas expense or engine/battery maintenance, but rather those nifty, cool, high-intensity headlights that are all the rage. It seems that these upgraded Toyota Prius headlights have a tendency to break over time, leaving consumers with a rather hefty mechanics bill.

Toyota is not quite ready to call these headlights faulty, as that would ensue the need for a recall. Instead they are taking a backseat to the problem, leaving many consumers with repair bills ranging anywhere from $400 to $1,700 (depending on the extent of the repair and how good they are at making Toyota feel responsible for their inconvenience).

Two months ago (late April 2009), Toyota actually befell a lawsuit by a group of Prius owners who were fed up with this treatment. They claimed the defects “dangerous” and are requesting that Toyota extend their warranty to cover the cost of the repair. With 338 complaints piling up on their desk, the U.S. Department of Transportation has finally got up off their duff and decided to take a closer look into the situation.

As it stands today, if the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA) decides that the headlights indeed pose a safety hazard due to their early demise, Toyota could be held accountable and forced to perform scheduled recalls. If this happens, Prius owners will be given the option to have Toyota replace any headlight systems found defective, free of charge.

Let’s recap what we have going on here:

We have America’s most eco-friendly vehicle, the Toyota Prius, in the midst of launching its third-generation hybrid, only to be found treating its faithful, good-hearted consumers from the past, like a pack of rats in a laboratory cage. Big mistake, considering the average Prius driver prides themselves in doing what’s right by society. Why would they want to hold patronage for a car manufacturer who themselves refuses to do right by society.

Toyota still has a chance to turn this fiasco around by issuing a bulletin alert to Prius owners. They would be invited to bring their vehicles in for a safety inspection regarding the headlight issue, replacing any defective parts under an extended warranty. This motion of customer appreciation would thereby restore any wavering consumer confidence. There is no indication at the moment as to whether or not this is the direction Toyota will decide to go, but the continued squeaky-clean image of the Prius may very well depend on it!

Source: Autoweek.com

Tesla Roadster, originally uploaded by erdero

Appropriately, the words “slapped” is used in this title, as right now the electric car industry is very much under a microscope by the public’s eye. There are many non-believers that think an electric car has just as much possibility to make it over the long haul as a dog hanging out in the alleyway of a Chinese “all you can eat” buffet.

What is exactly is the recall for? Well, just a simple bolt on the steering seems to be the trouble for about 345 Tesla Roadster’s that have actually made it out of the factory so far. What did Tesla do to cover their rear end as any other corporation would have done? Why they blamed it on somebody else of course.

One of Tesla’s first public statements after the recall notice was that Lotus was at fault for improperly assembled steering mechanism. Lotus has gone public with their own recall for a number of Elise’s and Exige’s for a similar problem, so they certainly weren’t afraid to own up to a few improperly executed turns of the wrench.

There has been no word as to the actual danger level of the current steering situation, but Tesla has announced that they will personally be traveling to each and every one of the owners driveways to do the repair. I guess that’s the kind of service you should expect with a $100,000-plus vehicle.

One owner, whose name shall remain anonymous, was the originator of this recall after calling Tesla and complaining about their vehicles poor steering response during certain maneuvers. To rectify the situation, each of these owners who received a Tesla between the months of March 2008 and April 2009, can expect the repair, a complimentary inspection, and an upgrade to the Roadster’s software, all free of charge (well, of course).

Considering the few clientèle who have actually received one of these anomalies, folks such as George Clooney and Matt Damon. The technicians bestowed this honor could practically find themselves on a tour of the stars homes/garages or on an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

So is this going to hurt the little-electric-car-company-that-could at all? Heck no. These things happen, everybody knows that. What the future buyers of these vehicles are really waiting to see, is the longevity and cost of the battery systems over time. This is most likely the monkey on the electric car’s back that will either make or break it in the marketplace!

Source: Left Lane News