Unintended acceleration or angry customer?? Toyota truck owner flips out
02-01-10, 02:48 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Unintended acceleration or angry customer?? Toyota truck owner flips out
I just saw this story and thought you guys would want to check this out as well
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/01/u...river-reporte/
Seems as everyone's getting miffed at Toyota these days. Customers are angry over the millions of recalls and/or sudden yet unintended acceleration, readers are ticked at Toyota for taking our focus away from more exciting car news and we're frankly annoyed at having to write about the ailing Japanese giant every time we switch the computer on. But none of us are as miffed as one man in Louisiana.
If we may get all Don the Rum on you for a moment, here's what we know and what we think know: A man was returning his truck to All Star Toyota in Baton Rouge, LA when the truck rammed into the dealership. The Baton Rouge Police Department is placing the blame squarely at the feet of a "stuck accelerator pedal." However, things sound a little fishy.
Upon hearing about the ThrottleGate recall, the owner of the truck in question decided he didn't want his Toyota anymore, and attempted to get All Star Toyota to take the truck back and refund his money. The dealership, obviously, felt different, and offered instead to repair the man's accelerator pedal and give him a loaner. In fact, the dealership had to explain to the owner three separate times that he could not get his money back. Three separate times on the day of the incident.
In fact, it was after the third such explanation (and third refusal by the owner to accept a loaner vehicle) that the owner of the truck experienced a stuck gas pedal and rammed into the dealership. The building received only superficial damage. The truck however, is in a pretty bad shape. When asked if they felt the accident was intended or unintended, the dealership said, "no comment."
Found the story at another web site
http://jalopnik.com/5461514/man-unin...ealer-showroom
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/01/u...river-reporte/
Seems as everyone's getting miffed at Toyota these days. Customers are angry over the millions of recalls and/or sudden yet unintended acceleration, readers are ticked at Toyota for taking our focus away from more exciting car news and we're frankly annoyed at having to write about the ailing Japanese giant every time we switch the computer on. But none of us are as miffed as one man in Louisiana.
If we may get all Don the Rum on you for a moment, here's what we know and what we think know: A man was returning his truck to All Star Toyota in Baton Rouge, LA when the truck rammed into the dealership. The Baton Rouge Police Department is placing the blame squarely at the feet of a "stuck accelerator pedal." However, things sound a little fishy.
Upon hearing about the ThrottleGate recall, the owner of the truck in question decided he didn't want his Toyota anymore, and attempted to get All Star Toyota to take the truck back and refund his money. The dealership, obviously, felt different, and offered instead to repair the man's accelerator pedal and give him a loaner. In fact, the dealership had to explain to the owner three separate times that he could not get his money back. Three separate times on the day of the incident.
In fact, it was after the third such explanation (and third refusal by the owner to accept a loaner vehicle) that the owner of the truck experienced a stuck gas pedal and rammed into the dealership. The building received only superficial damage. The truck however, is in a pretty bad shape. When asked if they felt the accident was intended or unintended, the dealership said, "no comment."
Found the story at another web site
http://jalopnik.com/5461514/man-unin...ealer-showroom
Last edited by I8ABMR; 02-01-10 at 02:57 PM.
02-01-10, 03:12 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
I'd bet 99% that it was deliberate.........especially if it was a fairly low-speed impact, and he was not hurt in the crash.
P***ed-off customers can get pretty hot under the collar sometimes. Here's another example.....a guy at a Bentley dealership.
P***ed-off customers can get pretty hot under the collar sometimes. Here's another example.....a guy at a Bentley dealership.
Last edited by mmarshall; 02-01-10 at 03:36 PM.
02-01-10, 09:07 PM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Well, the posted article may not tell the whole story, but, from the way it is written, I'm not sure those "issues" are justified. The dealer offered a repair, at company expense, and a loaner....that is certainly reasonable. The dealer or automaker is NOT obligated to buy back a vehicle under lemon laws, or return the purchase price (maybe minus some depreciation, depending on the state), unless the vehicle has been worked on, unsuccessfully, at least three times (again, depending on the state) for a safety-related defect or other defect that would make the vehicle unsuitable or difficult to drive. Again, though, the article may not be telling us the whole story.
Now, if this guy had owned a new Saturn, or a few other makes that have a money-back guarantee, and the vehicle was undamaged within a certain period of time (30-90 days), that would have been a different matter.....the dealership and manufacturer would have had to agree to the deal. But no new American-market Toyota model, to my knowledge, has that guarantee.
Now, if this guy had owned a new Saturn, or a few other makes that have a money-back guarantee, and the vehicle was undamaged within a certain period of time (30-90 days), that would have been a different matter.....the dealership and manufacturer would have had to agree to the deal. But no new American-market Toyota model, to my knowledge, has that guarantee.
Last edited by mmarshall; 02-01-10 at 09:14 PM.
02-01-10, 10:15 PM
#7
some people have anger problems. i agree with mmarshall. guy was offered a free fix, free loaner. still angry for what?
now he's out $30,000
reminds me of this video
http://www.break.com/index/man-fight...his-truck.html
now he's out $30,000
reminds me of this video
http://www.break.com/index/man-fight...his-truck.html
Trending Topics
02-01-10, 10:23 PM
#8
Lexus Champion
some people have anger problems. i agree with mmarshall. guy was offered a free fix, free loaner. still angry for what?
now he's out $30,000
reminds me of this video
http://www.break.com/index/man-fight...his-truck.html
now he's out $30,000
reminds me of this video
http://www.break.com/index/man-fight...his-truck.html
02-02-10, 05:11 AM
#10
Related Topic
Did not want to start a new thread so this is kinda on-topic: I know it is no laughing matter but I have to wonder if this guy is going to try claiming unintended acceleration as a defense?
A DUI suspect who is accused of crashing a Lexus into a block wall told Mesa police he knew he wasn't supposed to be driving on a suspended license, but that he wanted to test drive the uninsured car because he was thinking of buying it.
Jose Edgar Tovar Reyes, 37, of Gilbert, was found a block and a half away from the scene of the crash.
He initially admitted that he had been driving the vehicle and had drunk at least three beers, but he then became uncooperative.
Police said the Lexus struck a block wall in the 1000 block of East Vine Avenue Saturday night and fled. The homeowner was able to follow it, and flagged police down in the 1100 block of East Sixth Avenue, about a block and a half away.
The victim saw the driver get out of the passenger side of the car because the driver-side door was too damaged to open.
Reyes, who according to police reports has an extensive court record, admitted to driving the vehicle into the brick wall. As police continued to ask Reyes questions, he became extremely belligerent and was unable to stand still without heavily swaying, police said.
Police later found that Reyes' license had been revoked and had an outstanding warrant for felony escape, authorities said.
Reyes was booked on aggravated DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.
A DUI suspect who is accused of crashing a Lexus into a block wall told Mesa police he knew he wasn't supposed to be driving on a suspended license, but that he wanted to test drive the uninsured car because he was thinking of buying it.
Jose Edgar Tovar Reyes, 37, of Gilbert, was found a block and a half away from the scene of the crash.
He initially admitted that he had been driving the vehicle and had drunk at least three beers, but he then became uncooperative.
Police said the Lexus struck a block wall in the 1000 block of East Vine Avenue Saturday night and fled. The homeowner was able to follow it, and flagged police down in the 1100 block of East Sixth Avenue, about a block and a half away.
The victim saw the driver get out of the passenger side of the car because the driver-side door was too damaged to open.
Reyes, who according to police reports has an extensive court record, admitted to driving the vehicle into the brick wall. As police continued to ask Reyes questions, he became extremely belligerent and was unable to stand still without heavily swaying, police said.
Police later found that Reyes' license had been revoked and had an outstanding warrant for felony escape, authorities said.
Reyes was booked on aggravated DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.
Last edited by GS69; 02-02-10 at 08:15 AM.
02-02-10, 08:09 AM
#11
Lexus Champion
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: MO
Posts: 2,545
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This is the challenge for Toyota. All the other threads seem to focus on Toyota bouncing back in sales based on its previous reputation for quality. But the issue is one of image and now that people can actually make jokes about the product or the idea of owning a Toyota it becomes an image problem that the company didn't have before. It's kind of like the Tiger Woods thing. Whether this or that happened is unimportant next to whether the public "thinks" this or that happened. The guy's image is damaged either way and he'll have a ways to go to recover the status he once enjoyed.
The general public is not passionate about cars or brands. They are much more mercenary than many here want to believe. They will be loyal to a product because they feel they can trust it, not because they love the company that makes it. That's the difference between those who post here and those outside this community.
The fact that this guy thought he could crash his truck and claim that it was the vehicle's fault is a place Toyota has never been before and it will make news. From now on any accident in a Toyota will raise these thoughts. That's the reality of having your image tarnished.
The general public is not passionate about cars or brands. They are much more mercenary than many here want to believe. They will be loyal to a product because they feel they can trust it, not because they love the company that makes it. That's the difference between those who post here and those outside this community.
The fact that this guy thought he could crash his truck and claim that it was the vehicle's fault is a place Toyota has never been before and it will make news. From now on any accident in a Toyota will raise these thoughts. That's the reality of having your image tarnished.
Last edited by speedflex; 02-02-10 at 08:12 AM.
02-02-10, 09:27 AM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
Well, the posted article may not tell the whole story, but, from the way it is written, I'm not sure those "issues" are justified. The dealer offered a repair, at company expense, and a loaner....that is certainly reasonable. The dealer or automaker is NOT obligated to buy back a vehicle under lemon laws, or return the purchase price (maybe minus some depreciation, depending on the state), unless the vehicle has been worked on, unsuccessfully, at least three times (again, depending on the state) for a safety-related defect or other defect that would make the vehicle unsuitable or difficult to drive. Again, though, the article may not be telling us the whole story.
Now, if this guy had owned a new Saturn, or a few other makes that have a money-back guarantee, and the vehicle was undamaged within a certain period of time (30-90 days), that would have been a different matter.....the dealership and manufacturer would have had to agree to the deal. But no new American-market Toyota model, to my knowledge, has that guarantee.
Now, if this guy had owned a new Saturn, or a few other makes that have a money-back guarantee, and the vehicle was undamaged within a certain period of time (30-90 days), that would have been a different matter.....the dealership and manufacturer would have had to agree to the deal. But no new American-market Toyota model, to my knowledge, has that guarantee.
02-02-10, 09:45 AM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
And I happen to agree wth you, BTW, that the guy may be unstable.
02-02-10, 09:49 AM
#14
Lexus Fanatic
Sorry, but I don't see it as "trivia". I was simply explaining the reasons why I think it was probably a 99% sure deliberate move instead of an accidentally-stuck pedal.......that, as I see it, is topic-related.
And I happen to agree wth you, BTW, that the guy may be unstable.
And I happen to agree wth you, BTW, that the guy may be unstable.
No doubt he's got a loose screw (not in the truck).
Last edited by IS-SV; 02-02-10 at 10:32 AM. Reason: sp
02-02-10, 12:12 PM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
I think they will conclude that the driver had no mechanical issues and that he was committing a crime. This dude is so lame to think that he will get off of this onw. He called the dealership to get rid of the car 4 times. This is going to be hard for his attorney to keep him out of jail