Takata airbags

[3930dave]

The vehicle manufacturers spec the parts they need to build a vehicle, then they get bids from venders who build the parts. Lowest bid wins. Consumer looses.

Follow the Money is the reality...... the irony of this being a "safety" device seems to be lost on the regulators that control our markets.

Being forced to put more complex content into vehicles is another cost vector driving this mess.

Rgds, D.

 

[fried1765]

I'm not affected by these recalls, but as I was reading fried's posts I was thinking "Can't use the passenger seat, in a 5 seat vehicle. So that means it's OK to only pay 80% of your monthly car payments, until the repair is done ?"

I'd suspect fried's car is paid for, but there will be people affected who are still making payments. Loss of use seems pretty clear.

I remember the Pinto being on the roads. Technology has advanced since then, but business practices, not much.

Probably a better lesson for the industry would be having to supply free unaffected vehicles until repairs are done.

Rgds, D.

Yup!
Unfortunately, the Corolla was paid for when it left the dealership.
That said: It is now 9 FULL MONTHS since the passenger seat was declared by Toyota to be UNSAFE for use!
There is no apparent recourse!

 

[PILOON]

Yup!
Unfortunately, the Corolla was paid for when it left the dealership.
That said: It is now 9 FULL MONTHS since the passenger seat was declared by Toyota to be UNSAFE for use!
There is no apparent recourse!

Perhaps in future we should lease or buy using dealer finance, that way we could simply abandon the recalled car claiming defective and unsafe.
(would make for some fun lawyer time)

 

[PILOON]

If my passenger in an airbag recalled car was injured or killed would I be charged with manslaughter? or worse?

 

[chriswheeler]

Point I'm trying to get across is that we paid good money for a vehicle, the dealer and manufacture made a hefty profit from that sale, and placed the customers at risk. Great that the recalls were called for, hate to drive around with a hand-grenade in front of me in the center of the steering wheel, but that's what happened. The notice comes of the recall, and you quit using the vehicle you paid good money for, or reduce using it because of the hand-grenade in front of you and your passengers. The recalls are ending up being strung out for a long period of time, sometimes a year in the case of my truck. ( my jeep was 8 months ) Now the feds are passing the fine money to the auto manufactures ?? Think the fine money should go to the customers that were deprived of full use of the vehicles they bought. Am I thinking about this wrong ?? Auto makers already made a profit on your vehicle, now they get paid twice ?? The bad airbag inflators were put out the door with the manufactures knowing that they were defrauding the customers and putting them at risk, fines should be split among the customers affected is my opinion.
Chris

 

[Snowback]

There is a solution here. Our 2011 Toyota Sienna which we REALLY love has the recall and no end in sight for the bag availability.

Soooo.... With four kids and two adults it is next to impossible to go anywhere without the front passenger seat being used. If y'all read the fine print in most of those notices is says not to use the the passenger seat. For many this is not practical. Keep reading... The manufacturer will provide you with a loaner vehicle in most all cases.

Now get this - most all of the Siennas have the same problem, so the rental company could not source one of those for us. After hemming and hawing for weeks and weeks I finally dropped the hammer and gave Toyota Corporate an ultimatum. A couple days later the Enterprise Rental office in the local Toyota shop had a low mileage Chrysler Town and Country for us.

We have had it for over a month now and the Sienna is sitting nice and clean in our garage waiting for the part to be available. We start it up and get the mail once a week and have no fears of the Takata Grenade going off when someone is in the front seat in the event that someone runs into us.

Just be PERSISTENT and your will get your replacement vehicle. Also demand the same style and size. This was not your fault.

Good luck all! :thumbsup:

 

[3930dave]

Point I'm trying to get across is that we paid good money for a vehicle, the dealer and manufacture made a hefty profit from that sale, and placed the customers at risk. Great that the recalls were called for, hate to drive around with a hand-grenade in front of me in the center of the steering wheel, but that's what happened. The notice comes of the recall, and you quit using the vehicle you paid good money for, or reduce using it because of the hand-grenade in front of you and your passengers. The recalls are ending up being strung out for a long period of time, sometimes a year in the case of my truck. ( my jeep was 8 months ) Now the feds are passing the fine money to the auto manufactures ?? Think the fine money should go to the customers that were deprived of full use of the vehicles they bought. Am I thinking about this wrong ?? Auto makers already made a profit on your vehicle, now they get paid twice ?? The bad airbag inflators were put out the door with the manufactures knowing that they were defrauding the customers and putting them at risk, fines should be split among the customers affected is my opinion.
Chris

IMO, if the auto manufacturers want money, they can sue Takata directly. Obviously they'd prefer the govt do it - in a civil case, the auto manuf would be challenged about why their own QA/QC dept was (allegedly) asleep at the switch.

The people who put their trust in these manufacturers when they bought these vehicles were the ones who were placed in (known) harm's way, and in some cases seriously injured, maybe worse. That is where any compensation should flow to.

I don't totally absolve the govt either - they are the ones mandating that an explosive device be placed near my face.

Rgds, D.

 

[The Fred]

Knowing what we have learned about this saga, and that your vehicle was one in the recall, would you get them deactivated? I wouldn't, since the life-saving capacities are great and the shrapnel is hit-or-miss. A buddy of mine had his disconnected as it made him feel less safe. You all?

LOL wear a full faced helmet?

 

[fried1765]

LOL wear a full faced helmet?

Damx:
Gave my Navy flight helmet to a grandson lotta years ago!
Wore it in the T-34, T-28, and S-2
Shouda saved it for the Toyota!

 

[chriswheeler]

I'm somewhat surprised that some attorney has not turned this into one of those " class action lawsuits " yet. In this world of lawsuits for almost anything, the loss of use to COMSUMERS, not the government, is obvious. Time between the notices sent out for defective airbags, and the time the actual repairs are done has stretched out well beyond what one would expect for a safety defect. The loss of value, loss of full use, or in some cases, risks taken by the owners is a no brainer, almost a no contest in court. Consumers didn't get what they paid for. Products Safety commission charging a heavy fine to the manufactures and them pocketing the fine doesn't get it, consumers affected should be apportioned the fine baised on how long it took to get the repair/replacement done. Problem with all of this is the attorneys usually end up pocketing most of the settlements.
Chris