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It Doesn't Take a Rocket Scientist, or Does It?
Apparently it DOES when it comes to Toyota’s still unsolved “sudden unintended acceleration” problem. NASA and the National Academy of Sciences are now teaming up with the government in an attempt to once and for all determine the root cause of the problem.
Since Akio Toyoda appeared on Capitol Hill, there have been several additional incidents, some of which have shown up in the national news, keeping this front and center in the public’s eye. This can’t be good news for Toyota, who mostly was hoping that the news would begin to subside after Mr. Toyoda’s appearance.
The initiative to bring NASA into the picture is being driven by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s nagging suspicion that the problem is tied somehow to vehicle electronics, and not car mats or stuck gas pedals, and was announced by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood. In a separate study, the National Academy of Sciences will study the role of electronic vehicle controls in unintended acceleration across all brands in the entire automotive industry.
Just the fact that that the root cause hasn’t yet been tied down assures that the adverse publicity that’s now plaguing Toyota isn’t going away anytime soon. In light of the disasters that have come Toyota’s way since the onset of this problem, one has to wonder what the discussion must be like around the conference room table Toyota reviews their COQ (Total Cost of Quality). My bet is that it won’t be a pleasant conversation.
Posted in Miscellaneous