Issues with Toyota

Has everyone seen the Toyota Truck commercial with the truck getting pushed off the cliff, landing on the rocks below, and then driving off as if it were indestructible? Or what about the commercial with the truck towing 10,000 pounds up a ramp and stopping all the weight as it goes back down? How many people have family members or friends driving around in a Toyota vehicle? Toyota has built a reputation for durability and reliability. They strive for top quality and being the best in the business while providing you with something affordable. It is no surprise that environmentally friendly products are the “it” things right now, so it was no surprise when Toyota came out with the eco-friendly Prius model. The Prius was promoted as user-friendly, eco-friendly car. The Toyota Tacoma was known for the long lasting durability. Now there is a major recall on the Prius; they have determined that the gas pedals are sticking and the brake lines are defective (or an electrical issue of that nature-they haven’t released it yet). The trucks had a recall a few years back dealing with the frame; they realized it was a problem and were buying the trucks back for up to double the blue book value. I know I have family members who own a Tacoma, Prius, Camery, etc. and I am concerned about the construction of their vehicles.

The Toyota cars have had several accidents over the last 2 years dealing with the sticking gas pedal. The extreme acceleration has led to deaths, why didn’t Toyota make the recall right away? Why did they continue to produce the model when they knew they were having problems? That doesn’t seem too ethical to me. Now they found out that the chip that controls the brake lines has a defect as well(still waiting for a comment on that). The newest commercial talks about how they are now working harder than ever to fix the problem, how they are shutting down the plant to figure things out, and how they are putting the customers first(here is the link to the newest commercial if you want it:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZoBfpm1zHg). My question is: why didn’t they do this 2 years ago? I know the American-made dealerships have their problems too, but when Toyota labeled themselves as on the most reliable cars, they needed to make sure they had their things in order. When they knew there were problems with the gas pedals 2 years ago, I feel they had a responsibility to address the issue and handle it; not push it off until it got worse. The economic responsibility, to make a profit, seemed to outweigh the legal and ethical responsibility. If you say your vehicles are of the “highest quality”, you have a legal and ethical responsibility of living up to it. Now I feel they have even more responsibility to deal with the heat, handle the customer complaints and face the music. My aunt called the dealership last week and asked if they could take a look at her gas pedal and their response was, “if we feel your vehicle is at risk, we’ll contact you”. How do they know that her vehicle isn’t faulty? And better yet, the new commercial talks about doing what’s best for the customer and working around the clock to fix the problem, when the reality is the customers won’t know if they need to replace their gas pedals for several weeks; they will receive a notice in the mail to drive down to the local dealership. Are their commercials telling the whole truth or are they just telling the customers what they want to hear? Is it false advertising? Have their commercials been lying for several years? I’m questioning the values of Toyota. How do you feel Toyota should handle this situation?

Toyota knows they made a mistake and that’s why they are putting on a full court press with their commercials on television. They are saying they have the “highest quality” and the “safest and most reliable” vehicles for over 50 years. I understand problems and recalls happen. I personally feel that you have an obligation to deal with the problems when they happen and not push them off. It seems to go against the ethical and legal responsibilities we read about in the book. How do you feel, what’s your take on the situation? Is Toyota living up to the Social Responsibilities-Economic, Philanthropic, Legal and Ethical? Is this blown out of proportion or is there more to this issue that I am missing?