THE DAILY BLADE: Toyota President’s Congressional Testimony Canned, Panned
In three hours of testimony last week before the House Energy & Commerce subcommittee investigating recalls of 10 million Toyota vehicles worldwide because of sudden, uncontrolled acceleration the company’s president, Akio Toyoda, 53, repeatedly apologized and took "full responsibility" for the company's recent quality control issues, explaining:
Toyota has, for the past few years, been expanding its business rapidly. Quite frankly, I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick.
I would like to point out here that Toyota's priority has traditionally been the following: first, safety; second, quality; and third, volume. These priorities became confused, and we were not able to stop, think and make improvements as much as we were able to before, and our basic stance to listen to customers' voices to make better products has weakened somewhat. We pursued growth over the speed at which we were able to develop our people and our organization, and we should sincerely be mindful of that.
I regret that this has resulted in the safety issues described in the recalls we face today, and I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced.
My name is on every car. You have my personal commitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to restore the trust of our customers.
It wasn’t enough for many lawmakers. "Where is the remorse?" asked Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH).
Nor did Toyoda’s remarks satisfy The New York Times, which demands “a complete explanation of why his company failed - for years - to fully respond to complaints about its cars’ sudden and uncontrolled acceleration” and “when and what the company told [NHTSA] about these problems.”
But in an op-ed for BusinessWeek, Ed Wallace, an automotive columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, disagrees:
If Congress really wanted to get at the truth, they should have called disinterested third-party engineers to study and get their opinion on this case. Nobody believes Toyota, even if the final facts prove it's correct. Everyone believes the witnesses, even when the engineering evidence often disproves their testimony. It is impossible to come to a scientifically valid conclusion under those two circumstances, which is why many individuals involved in this issue have described the proceedings as "witch hunts."
Maybe so, but Toyota has cut a swath of carnage through many American families – not only the 52 drivers and passengers who died in horrific car crashes, but also drivers who face charges - or were convicted - of reckless driving, vehicular homicide and similar felonies.
And while all this suffering was being inflicted from coast to coast, Toyota executives were patting each other on the back for “favorable recall outcomes” and “Toyota safety wins” - meaning, saving $100 million by convincing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that floor mats were to blame for the out-of-control acceleration problem, and getting the agency to sign off on a recall of the mats on 55,000 Toyota Camry and Lexus ES 350 sedans rather than the cars.
That Toyota leaked Toyoda’s testimony 24 hours in advance and “assembled a formidable lobbying force to build support on Capitol Hill and leverage longstanding relationships with key lawmakers” before the company’s president testified on Capitol Hill, makes his many apologies seem insincere.
The Stiletto has owned several Toyota cars – her current vehicle is one of the models that has been recalled – and has always had full confidence in the quality of the company’s vehicles. Why? Because Japanese culture compels a man of honor to commit seppuku for a screw-up of this magnitude. Think about it: What better guarantee of quality and value can a consumer possibly have?
But Toyoda brought shame dishonor to his company by permitting the manufacture of vehicles that killed and maimed customers - and worse, by trying to evade regulatory and legal responsibility (during the hearing, Rep. John Mica called the “safety wins” document “one of the most embarrassing … I've ever seen.”)
Words are cheap. If Toyoda truly wants to "take responsibility" and ensure nothing like this happens again at the company his grandfather founded … he knows what he must do to restore faith in Toyota’s good name. As it is, he and his company will suffer death by a thousand cuts once the tort lawyers are done.
Editorial Note: Post updated with additional links and latest information on fatalities.
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