I have watched with a certain amount of amazement the recent recall of Toyota automobiles due to a “sticky” accelerator problem. The press has crucified Toyota over this matter. Today, due to one consumer’s experience, the press is questioning whether the problem could be electronic or due to software, rather than simply the mechanical cause to which Toyota is now admitting. US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood even announced today that people should not drive their affected Toyotas until fixed, sending Toyota stock into a further downward spiral. He later recanted that position.
This is a serious problem, and it needs to be fixed. However, uncommon intermittent problems do take time to identify and resolve. Toyota, in my opinion, took the high moral ground by admitting there was a problem, and very publically proceeded to stop sales until the issue was identified and solved.
Toyota is known for quality, not perfection. Man-made machines will always have problems, including those made by Toyota and Rolls Royce. My confidence in Toyota is not shaken, because when they identified a problem they were willing to put the company at significant financial risk to resolve it. In public. I admire that.
Compare this to Ford.
I own a 1994 Econoline E150 Club Wagon van. On Thanksgiving weekend of 2008, with 165,000 miles, it had a catastrophic failure of the frame and steering box. My family, six of us plus the dog, were driving on a steep narrow winding icy mountain road at Mount Baker, in Washington state. As we prepared to park near the ski lodge, something in the steering went snap. At that point the steering wheel turned freely, without the corresponding turning of the tires. The bolts that attach the steering box to the frame completely sheared off, rendering the steering completely useless. Had this happened moments sooner or later than it did, we would all be dead. The good Lord must have paid His guardian angels overtime on that day.
Investigation showed that the frame was full of cracks, especially around the bolt holes, and the structural failure of the frame led to increased pressure and torque on the steering box; eventually the bolts failed.
I filed a report with Ford and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A search for similar events found many occurrences of the same identical failure have been reported to the NHTSA. Some included serious injury. Yet there is no recall. In fact, neither the NHTSA nor Ford will even acknowledge that there was/is a problem. My report is found here.
It is my guess that such failures have happened without this cause being identified. Assume that such a steering failure leads to a high speed front-end or head-on crash. Such a crash would normally rip the steering box away from the frame. How many of these have been ruled a result of a crash rather than the cause? How many people may have died, and the accident report has mistakenly assumed that the driver fell asleep or failed to pay proper attention?
All I want is for Ford to acknowledge my problem, and launch an inspection of similar vehicles. So far, they have only tried to sell me a new vehicle. At this point, I will never own another Ford again.
I wonder what Toyota would have done in my case?
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