I seem to remember making a claim, back when the Toyota recalls started, that it was interesting how the owners of GM (Federal government) have the ability to run investigations and make safety claims against their competitors.
I was lambasted for making the claim..........................
This is from today's Patriot Post:
Government's Tire Treads All Over Toyota
Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced this week that after a 10-month investigation, eight million recalls, hundreds of lawsuits, congressional hearings and $48.8 million in fines, Toyota's vehicles were not in fact accelerating on their own. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with the help of NASA engineers, conducted the 10-month study to determine Toyota's culpability in the now well-known scandal involving cars that would accelerate out of control. Their conclusion was that it was due to, as LaHood delicately put it, "pedal misapplications" -- otherwise known as "driver error."
The initial panic began in 2009 when a Lexus dealer put the wrong floor mats in a loaner car, causing the gas pedal to stick. Soon, the government was demanding that Toyota recall millions of vehicles to fix defective gas pedals. No wonder LaHood had such trouble using plain English. Maybe he's as uncomfortable as we are about the inherent conflict that arises when the owner of one car company leads the investigation into another car company.
