Drivers "stick" with Toyota

“I will never buy a Toyota because of their unsafe vehicles!”  What would make Bradford senior, Becky Wynne, utter this phrase in such distress?  Well, it would most likely be attributed to the many recalls Toyota has sent to their customers. 

   Toyota issued their first recall this year due to a loose floor mat on the driver’s side that would interfere with the gas pedal and cause unwanted acceleration.  While Toyota workers tried to fix that problem, another arose.  The gas pedal in other cars without floor mats stuck because they would become “mechanically worn” and would slowly return to their idle position.  Toyota recollected these cars and hoped for the worst to be over. 

   After their second recall, yet another problem was made apparent.  In recent news, the company was taking Toyota Prius and other hybrid vehicles back because the brakes would delay in cold conditions and on some bumpy roads.  This chain of recalls has made owners and other drivers alike question the safety of the world’s largest automaker.

   In response to this, Becky Wynne says, “It’s a disgrace!  It makes me feel incredibly unsafe, like my own car could be recalled!”   She also expressed some agitation towards the company.  “They shouldn’t be allowed to sell cars to us anymore!  Time and time again they proved their vehicle making skills faulty and unprofessional.” 

   Another Bradford student, Jessica Roop, stated, “I will never buy a Toyota!”  It seems as though both Becky and Jessica agree on this subject.  Jessica added, “I think that Toyota will continue with their recalls because they’ve had so many.”

   It seems as though Toyota has taken quite a blow from these situations.  Some have lost faith in this company, while others remain to stay loyal.  I personally have decided not to buy a vehicle from Toyota, simply due to these past occurrences.  The safety that they have pledged to their customers has been in vain.  I hope that they can fix these problems, learn from this incident, and strive to do better.  If they continue to make foolish mistakes, I predict that other automakers will take advantage of this and Toyota’s sales will plummet to an all time low, causing them to be taken over or forcing eventual bankruptcy.

 

by Steven Carlson