Toyota problems minor when recalling past recalls
Posted by: Hardie on February 9, 2010 at 5:20PM EST
Is it just me or have we gone completely overboard with the recalls involving Toyotas?
I am certainly not making light of the safety concerns of a sticky accelerator or dodgy brakes, but youd think this was one of the worst auto recalls ever.
For the sake of transparency, I drive a Toyota model sort of. My car is a 1999 Chevrolet Prizm, which up until 2002 was made in the same plant that the Toyota Corolla was made. It was basically a Toyota car with a Chevy nameplate with a cheaper price tag. That year is not involved in the latest recall dare I say yet?
The latest Toyota recall seems to grow in numbers each day, but the last count was more than 8 million cars worldwide. That seems like a lot, but it pales in comparison the No. 1 recall of all time issued by Ford in 2008 (according to www.mylemon.com) that affected 12 million vehicles made in the U.S. from 1993 to 2004. That recall was for a faulty cruise control switch that caused vehicles to catch fire even hours after the vehicle had been parked.
Ford also has the dubious distinction to be No. 2 on the domestic recall list with 8.6 million vehicles in 1996 covering fires caused by faulty ignition systems on many of its 1988-93 cars.
Remember the Pinto!
Fords and fires seem to be a recurring theme. How can we forget about the flaming fireball known as the Ford Pinto or the Mercury Bobcat? That 1978 recall was to fix fuel tank design defects that could cause a fire with rear-end collisions. How many of you recall the funny Pinto (Pinto crash) scene in the otherwise unforgettable 1984 movie Top Secret?
GM has not escaped unscathed. In 1971 it recalled 6.7 million vehicles because the engine mounts began separating from the frames and falling back onto throttles. Sort of makes a stuck accelerator pale in comparison.
GM also recalled 5.8 million vehicles in 1981 because suspension bolts loosened causing the loss of steering.
Ive driven two Pintos, a Bobcat and multiple Ford and GM vehicles subject to these recalls. Some of them were fixed. Others were not. I didnt feel any less safe or safer.
Lets face it. When you drive a car, you inherit risk. There is no vehicle that is 100 percent absolutely safe, especially when you factor in human error.
I also think that society in general enjoys when the top dog gets humbled. Perhaps thats the reason were paying so much attention to the Toyota troubles because there are some who revel in a sad sort of way that the company that was known for reliability is having some problems.
I think we have far more serious problems to contemplate than sticky accelerators just throw the vehicle in neutral and stomp on the brake. Of course some of the vehicles Ive driven over the years didnt have brakes at times, so Im probably not the person to ask.
Chris Hardie is the River Valley Newspaper Group executive editor. He started his journalism career in 1983 with the La Crosse Tribune and has worked in a variety of newsroom positions, collecting more than two dozen state and national journalism awards. Chris grew up on a dairy farm in rural Jackson County, where he now resides. Chris and his wife Sherry, married for 26-plus years with two grown children, live in the farmhouse built by his great-grandparents, where they also operate Brambleberry Bed and Breakfast. They also raise sheep, pigs, chickens and organic fruits and vegetables, along with enjoying fine wines. Chris finds therapy when he's digging in the dirt, walking in the woods or just sitting on the porch watching the sun slip beneath the horizon.