Comments on: Toyota Needs To Accelerate

By: Kel

Kel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:49:46 +0000

hector, that would be great. his attorney’s name is bob hilliard. his email address is bobh@hmglawfirm.com. good luck!

By: Hector Fonseca

Hector Fonseca — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:35:56 +0000

The same thing happen to me, but no one got hurt. My insurance company said that since it was not the accelerator it, they cannot do anything. I want to contact the lawyer of Lee and help him out in this case. I have documentation where I send my car for repairs for the brakes and accelerator year ago and it was not fixed.

By: Kel

Kel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:52:35 +0000

meagan, something tells me you could talk your way out of any ticket!

By: Kel

Kel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:51:45 +0000

ben, chances are any brand that has fallen from grace either lost its key attribute or a competitor created a new attribute that trumped the previous one. segmentation usually forces the latter. that’s why there are thousands of kinds of toothpaste. one minute toothpaste & mouthwash in one was all the rage. the next minute its “plaque removal” then “whitening” then “fights gingivitis” then “enamel enhancing” then whatever. in terms of toyota, i would bet my life savings they will never be synonymous with quality again.

By: Kel

Kel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:41:49 +0000

jean, sad is an understatement. i think “appalling” would be more appropriate.

By: Kel

Kel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:40:15 +0000

amen sista’ ginny! great minds think alike.

By: Meagan Ellis

Meagan Ellis — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:54:25 +0000

Do you think this will make it possible for me to run red lights and get away with it now?

By: Ben Carcio

Ben Carcio — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:52:06 +0000

Kel, Awesome idea, but unrealistic given legal issues and a lack of balls. I hope Lee does get the proper justice. But, it will be interesting to watch the Toyota brand recover. Quality is their key attribute (sound familiar?), so what happens to a brand that loses its key attribute. Without it Toyota is just a bland but functional car manufacturer. Are their any other examples of major brands losing their key attribute?

By: Meagan Ellis

Meagan Ellis — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:43:00 +0000

As a Toyota driver, this makes me very afraid – what a sad story!!

By: Jean Butler Nickerson

Jean Butler Nickerson — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:40:41 +0000

Wow, great post! What a sad story.

By: Ginny Pitcher

Ginny Pitcher — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:41:21 +0000

The question is whether Toyota has truly learned its lesson. I think they treated a lot of their customers and responsibilities the same way that Tiger Woods treated his mistresses — with reckless abandon and no consideration. They have waltzed through this world with a certain sense of entitlement, just like Tiger, and as a result they have made grave errors. The right thing for them to do is apologize to Kuoa Fong Lee and work tirelessly to get him released. I’m not sure we’ll ever see this day, but maybe if we get loud enough they will.

By: Kel

Kel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:37:20 +0000

thanks michael. this has been a bad week for toyota. between the guy whose car accelerated to 90 mph on the highway and the elderly woman on the cape whose gas pedal got stuck and she drove through a building, toyota needs to bring some goodwill to their brand. they should start by getting this guy out of prison. bueller….anyone…

By: Michael Witwicki

Michael Witwicki — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:42:43 +0000

Another great post Kel!

By: Kel

Kel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:23:20 +0000

dexter, i think you are right. in a single move, toyota could raise the bar for corporate accountability. i also think it would knock the socks off its customers and really drive home the point that “we are here for you.” nothing will erase the damage that has been done to toyota’s brand. however, an act like this could certainly overshadow it. bring it!

By: Dexter

Dexter — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:39:32 +0000

incredible – had no idea this happened. your idea of Toyota getting behind the release of this guy is great. I’m sure there are teams of lawyers that won’t let them do it – but it would be a revolution in PR. It would also send a strong message that someone – or a company has taken a stand for personal responsibility. Given the climate of how people feel about their govt and banks (can you say term limits!?), seeing a company stand up and take accountability for themselves – no matter the consequences – would go a long way! May even inspire more companies and people to follow suit. Hate this stuff from the Patches O’Houlihan school of accountability: “Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and Dodge.”

By: Kel

Kel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:16:28 +0000

amy, yes it appears there was some type of investigation. at the trial the prosecutors had an engineer testify the brakes were operating normally and they didn’t find any evidence of acceleration. interestingly, they did find that the throttle was set open at 15%. it appears this is highly unusual. the prosecutors rationalized that it must have been set open as a result of the crash not as the cause of the crash. toyota has claimed for years that there was no evidence of acceleration problems and ignored the complaints. i’m not surprised that the investigation in lee’s case didn’t conclude there was a problem. it’s par for the course in this story that has affected millions of cars. so sad, but it’s never to late to make amends. toyota needs to do the right thing and do it immediately. i also think the prosecution should do the right thing and open this up for a second review.

By: Amy Bernstein

Amy Bernstein — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:47:34 +0000

Wow, Kelly. Thanks for bringing this story to light.I dont’ think I’d heard about it before (which I’m sure Toyota worked to make sure I didn’t)but I can’t believe this. It’s truly tragic in every sense of the word. I’m wondering how this trial went and what other “evidence” the jury found that he intentionally drove through the red light. Wouldn’t there have been some type of investigation of the brakes at that point, seeing as he claimed they didn’t work? I’m no legal expert,but I would think that’s how it went. In fact, I’m pretty sure that when a vehicle is in an accident, the insurance co. requires a thorough look-through of the vehicle. What was the outcome of this?