Author Topic: Why now Honda? (Read 1251 times)

Questor · « **on:** February 10, 2010, 03:14:13 AM »

Usually these recall notices get sent to car owners, the owner takes it in and gets it fixed, and that's the end of it. Let's see some of the GM and Chrysler safety recalls.

Here's part of an article from today's AP:
DETROIT (AP) -- Honda Motor Co. is adding more than 378,000 cars to an existing safety recall for air bag inflation problems, the company said Tuesday.

The company will replace the driver's side air bag inflator on the cars because they can deploy with too much pressure, causing the inflator to rupture and injure or kill the driver.

The recall now affects more than 822,000 vehicles, including certain 2001 and 2002 Accord sedans, Civic compacts, Odyssey minivans, CR-V small sport utility vehicles and some 2002 Acura TL sedans.

magooch · « **Reply #1 on:** February 10, 2010, 03:31:50 AM »

Actually, there have been a whole raft of recalls issued of late and many of them are far more serious than Toyota's. They have been mentioned in the media, but somehow Toyota is public enemy number one. I'm thinking there is a bit of a conspiracy going on and it wouldn't surprise me if it is coming right out of the Obamanation administration.

gwhilikerz · « **Reply #2 on:** February 10, 2010, 03:39:24 AM »

magooch do you mean like the government owns Government Motors and our Chicago thug-in-chief knows how to use a ball bat on the competition?

slim rem 7 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 10, 2010, 03:41:39 AM »

well if he wants to take on the japanese.. he for sure didn fight in the pacific action during ww2. slim
not excusing what they did at pearl... but they are a very formidable enemy.. its said it may have taken a million men to take the island if not for little boy an fat boy..sad time in history ,,but neccessary in my humble opinion..

Questor · « **Reply #4 on:** February 10, 2010, 03:41:46 AM »

I think that's part of it. I think another part is that Toyota has such a strong reputation that the press wants to feed on anything that diminishes that reputation. It's the old "if it bleeds, it leads" idea.

There's a web site that shows recalls by model for most car brands and recalls are not unusual for Toyota, or any other brand of car.

I've got a 1999 Ford and I still get the occasional recall letter.

scootrd · « **Reply #5 on:** February 10, 2010, 03:43:28 AM »

Quote from: magooch on February 10, 2010, 03:31:50 AM

Actually, there have been a whole raft of recalls issued of late and many of them are far more serious than Toyota's. They have been mentioned in the media, but somehow Toyota is public enemy number one. I'm thinking there is a bit of a conspiracy going on and it wouldn't surprise me if it is coming right out of the Obamanation administration.

I think they are all pretty serious.

Graybeard · « **Reply #6 on:** February 10, 2010, 05:05:18 AM »

Slim, Toyota is an American made product. These vehicles of theirs being recalled have been Made in America by Americans.

Last night on the news I saw them make a bit deal over reports by 78 people that their Corolla cars wander around a bit on the road. Well geewhiz I think every vehicle I've ever owned has done that to some extent. It's often a sign ya need to get the tires all aired to same level or to get them balanced or the front end aligned.

Give me a break 78 people out of the million or more of them owned have reported some vehicle wander. I doubt that there is a vehicle out there made by anyone that with some folks it isn't gonna wander. Heck some drivers just wander around regardless.

I'm not saying there are not some issues that need to be dealt with and it seems to me that Toyota and I guess Honda are dealing with them quite properly. That's more than I can say for the way GM has historically dealt with them.

I remember a recall on one of my Ford Bronco trucks I bought new. They sent me a card and said come in and they fixed it at no cost to me and handled it in not a lot more time than an oil change.

I seem to remembe something silimar they did on my Toyota Tundra also done during an oil change and it didn't add much if any extra time to the service. I don't even recall what it was.

Way too much is made of these things in my opinion. As long as they take responsibility and call them back to be fixed at their expense rather than ignore them and just pay off the liability claims when folks are hurt I figured they are doing an OK job. No one is gonna turn out only perfect products so it's how they handle it when a bad one crops up that matters to me.

rex6666 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 10, 2010, 05:59:28 AM »

Well the Toyota may be made here but i bet the money goes else where
and it is owned else where.
If you wanted YOUR car co. to do well and you had some power
would you do your best to point out the other folks short comings
would you jump at every chance to rub their nose in it and maybe not mention
YOUR car co. problems and maybe folks would buy more G. M.
BUY FORD AND DRIVE PROUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Questor · « **Reply #8 on:** February 10, 2010, 06:04:10 AM »

The profits go to Japan, which helps one of our greatest allies, gives a lot of people in otherwise poor states good jobs, and it also gives Toyota the money to keep designing and developing cars that keep getting better. No problem there as far as I can tell.

rex6666 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 10, 2010, 06:10:31 AM »

Quote from: Questor on February 10, 2010, 06:04:10 AM

The profits go to Japan, which helps one of our greatest allies, gives a lot of people in otherwise poor states good jobs, and it also gives Toyota the money to keep designing and developing cars that keep getting better. No problem there as far as I can tell.

Maybe the plant closings at G.M and people being ladoff will agree, bUy more foriegn
cars

gwhilikerz · « **Reply #10 on:** February 10, 2010, 06:45:37 AM »

.
Excuse me. Are you saying the administration, any administration for that matter, shouldn't promote American made industries and products when the opportunity arises...?

..TM7
[/quote]
You are excused. Toyota Tundra and Sienna are made in Princeton IN. Toyota Camry is made in Georgetown KY. Toyota has other plants in Texas and so forth. So is a Toyota made in America a foreign car? Or is a Chevy, Chrysler, Ford made in Mexico or Canada a foreign car? Aren't you really saying that a "true-blue" American should only buy the union made car?

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #11 on:** February 10, 2010, 06:55:39 AM »

Seems in past Consumer Guide publications Toyota were rated without testing . Seems they used past experince to rate them . This was in the news a year or more ago . Guess made in America don't mean what it used to . If a worker screws up the union protects them . If the company screws up the Govt. protects them with bail outs and making competition look bad .

gwhilikerz · « **Reply #12 on:** February 10, 2010, 07:16:39 AM »

About those Union auto workers who are laid off. Don't they draw 80-90% of their pay? Isn't that one of the reasons the big three are in trouble?

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #13 on:** February 10, 2010, 07:21:07 AM »

Well protected !

Mac11700 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 10, 2010, 07:42:47 AM »

Haven't heard much about the Honda recalls because they haven't been in the news as much but ordered recalls a lot quicker than Toyota..but have heard of tons of problems with the Toyota's..especially the 911 call where it killed the 4 people in it while the guy was talking to the 911 operator..http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7017760 If a person wants to,they can dig a little further and see where this is a lot more than just the floor mat pin involvement with the manufacture..This is the problem with cars that use the "fly by wire" controls..No brakes..No way of shutting the car off..No way of stopping a run-away vehicle,it's all computer controlled.Do a search on it and you will see where Toyota failed to meet the EU's safety standards and was the reason they stopped selling some of their line in Europe..didn't/hasn't stopped them here..even when they knew these problems existed.

Mac

scootrd · « **Reply #15 on:** February 10, 2010, 07:58:31 AM »

Quote from: Mac11700 on February 10, 2010, 07:42:47 AM

Haven't heard much about the Honda recalls because they haven't been in the news as much but ordered recalls a lot quicker than Toyota..but have heard of tons of problems with the Toyota's..especially the 911 call where it killed the 4 people in it while the guy was talking to the 911 operator..http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=7017760 If a person wants to,they can dig a little further and see where this is a lot more than just the floor mat pin involvement with the manufacture..This is the problem with cars that use the "fly by wire" controls..No brakes..No way of shutting the car off..No way of stopping a run-away vehicle,it's all computer controlled.Do a search on it and you will see where Toyota failed to meet the EU's safety standards and was the reason they stopped selling some of their line in Europe..didn't/hasn't stopped them here..even when they knew these problems existed.

Mac

Thanks MAC , was a bit hard to listen too , I believe I here the driver say he is in a Lexus in the first2-3 seconds of the Audio? do others here that as well or is it just my poor hearing?
Either way , Though recalls happen all the time .. This recall is pretty serious no matter who the Manufactuer if the same issue is happening to Toyotas. I can't imagine what I would do if I had received that call and it was my daughter in the car on the other end of that phone.

mrloring · « **Reply #16 on:** February 10, 2010, 08:27:27 AM »

Quote from: scootrd on February 10, 2010, 07:58:31 AM

Thanks MAC , was a bit hard to listen too , I believe I here the driver say he is in a Lexus in the first2-3 seconds of the Audio?

Yes he was driving a Lexus.

Lexus is to Toyota as Cadillac is to GM

Lexus is the luxury line of Toyota.

Cabin4 · « **Reply #17 on:** February 10, 2010, 10:11:59 AM »

Maybe the question is why are all the non-Union car companies getting beaten by the press & government??

Questor · « **Reply #18 on:** February 10, 2010, 10:43:14 AM »

Cabin4:

Because the union care makers are delivering a higher quality product at a lower cost, entirely using US material and labor, and with no recalls. Simple.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #19 on:** February 10, 2010, 10:48:50 AM »

Questor , got to inquire which American car co. makes cars out of ALL AMERICAN PARTS ?
I have over 40 trucks from Dodge , Ford , Chevy and toyota . And every one has parts from Canada , Mexico and any number of other places .

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #20 on:** February 10, 2010, 10:50:17 AM »

Oh yea we have had recalls from all in the past year .
OH was that satire ?

30-30man · « **Reply #21 on:** February 10, 2010, 10:57:11 AM »

I think the real reason they are doing a recall now is to avoid bad press. Recalls are costly to any company; nobody with good business sense wants one. It can ruin a company. All auto companies have dragged their feet with them even though people die. It's the almighty dollar at work.

As far as the big three going belly up: well, I have always driven one of them. I started with Cheverolet, then to Ford, and the past 15 years I have been in a Dodge. I've bought the biggest pieces of crap from all three. It only takes one bad experience to lose a customer for life. My wife now drives a Honda, and to be honest my next truck will more than likely be Toyota. The big three are going broke because all they can do is make trucks. The constantly turn out crappy cars that nobody wants. You can't make it off the trucks alone.

Questor · « **Reply #22 on:** February 10, 2010, 11:03:09 AM »

I never thought of it that way before. Makes a lot of sense. Honda and Toyota and Hyundai and Volvo and VW all seem to do pretty well by selling cars instead of (many) trucks.

teamnelson · « **Reply #23 on:** February 10, 2010, 11:31:17 AM »

... because the government has its own auto manufacturing company, that's why.

Alot has happened in the last 25 years since Toyota, Honda, BMW and other foreign makers have opened factories in the US, giving jobs to millions of Americans. Many plants have avoided unions, and continue to produce quality product that remains the top selling in their class. UAW has tried for years to get into the Toyota plants, and the employees aren't biting? Why is that? perhaps they feel Toyota treats their employees fairly without outside influence. Something that couldn't be said of the big 3?

Graybeard · « **Reply #24 on:** February 10, 2010, 11:42:54 AM »

Quote from: Questor on February 10, 2010, 10:43:14 AM

Cabin4:

Because the union care makers are delivering a higher quality product at a lower cost, entirely using US material and labor, and with no recalls. Simple.

Dream on Rudy. Dream on. In fact none of that is factual and in fact it's just the opposite.

Cabin4 · « **Reply #25 on:** February 10, 2010, 12:41:41 PM »

I think this administration is going after the non-Union companies because it scores political points with American Union workers in general and with those Americans concerned about job losses. It’s that simple. For anyone to suggest that US cars are better quality than the imports, it’s just not true nor is it true they use all US materials. I wish it were true, but it's just not.

This administration has taken an ownership in GM, an interest in brokering a deal to sell Chrysler and has a vested interest in appealing to Unions and the job loss issue in general. Beating the crap out of foreign company names is good politics. The fact is these companies make an excellent product and most of them do it with American workers and equal or similar US sourced material percentages as a GM, Ford, Chrysler.

Just another reason why Washington should keep its nose out of running private business. It’s simply a conflict of interest. How can we ever trust Washington to properly and or ethically police this stuff?

ironglow · « **Reply #26 on:** February 10, 2010, 07:45:48 PM »

Another thing to think about;
When OIbama took over the auto companies (GM & Chrysler)..(just like Hitler, Stalin & Castro did)..his friends were all yakking about making sure any new vehicles were economical to run and clean running cars.
Then, they turn around and keep the Caddies and the big suburbans..but dump Saturn..one of the most economical and "green" cars in their lineup..

Why do you suppose they did that ? Couldn't be simply because the Saturn was being built by contented NON-UNION workers, or could it ?

ironglow · « **Reply #27 on:** February 10, 2010, 07:50:07 PM »

Quote from: Graybeard on February 10, 2010, 11:42:54 AM

Quote from: Questor on February 10, 2010, 10:43:14 AM
Cabin4:

Because the union care makers are delivering a higher quality product at a lower cost, entirely using US material and labor, and with no recalls. Simple.

Dream on Rudy. Dream on. In fact none of that is factual and in fact it's just the opposite.

GB;
You sure hit the nail on the head there..time to squash those UAW rumors...They can't make an equivalent car for the same price, since $4,000 goes right off the top of any new car built by the UAW..just to cover medical & pensions for already retired union members..

teamnelson · « **Reply #28 on:** February 10, 2010, 08:21:41 PM »

IG, wow! That's alot. When they fix that and make a car worth driving we might see some profit out of our company.

Questor · « **Reply #29 on:** February 11, 2010, 03:13:53 AM »

Worse than that, it has the effect of inflating the prices of Toyotas and Hondas because if the US companies could charge $4k less, then other companies would have to adjust their prices downward too.