Toyota Still Ranks Above US Manufacturers Despite Congressional Kabuki Theater

Shares of Toyota Motor Corp. fared better Thursday in the wake of the company’s iconic president’s testimony to a U.S. congressional panel. In December 2009, Toyota retained Exponent, one of the country’s leading engineering and scientific consulting firms, to help the company evaluate reports of unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles equipped with the Electronic Throttle Control System with Intelligence (“ETCS-i”) system. Instances of unintended acceleration can be caused by many factors and they are not all sudden or sustained. The category is very broad, affects all major automakers, and can include issues involving cruise control, air conditioning, transmission surges and pedal misapplication.

Democratic lawmakers are grilling Toyota this week over the these safety concerns. 31 of those Democrats quizzing Toyota got UAW campaign cash. Hmm. And, of course, democrats believe the solution is more government control. Democrats want regulatory law bolstered by giving the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration more power. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) told POLITICO he is looking at strengthening the TREAD Act, a 2000 law that makes it criminal not to disclose defect information and also allows NHTSA to track defect information to provide the public with early warnings.

Despite this Congressional kabuki theater, Consumer Reports ranked Toyota as the third best car manufacturer. Not a single American manufacturer cracked the top 10 of overall best manufacturers including Government Motors.
The New York Post reported:

Honda and Subaru were ranked the best overall car manufacturers in the new Consumer Reports auto survey released yesterday — but recall-battered Toyota did surprising well, too, coming in a close third.

Honda and Subaru tied for first place with a total score of 77 based on reliability, performance, comfort and utility — while Toyota was next with a score of 74, the report said…

As for Toyota, Consumer Reports tested all of the recalled models but said it wouldn’t be recommending any of them at this point because of the situation.

But that didn’t stop them from naming Toyota’s Prius IV, which sells for $26,750, the best family car despite a recall for a software glitch in its braking system.

“Based on the data we have — and there is no bigger databank — the cars are reliable,” said Jeff Bartlett, an auto editor with Consumer Reports. Still, “obviously, some issues have been identified.”

Not a single American manufacturer cracked the top 10 of overall best manufacturers. Ford came in at No. 11 with an average score of 64. General Motors had a 57 average score and Chrysler an abysmal 46.

Yesterday, the FBI raided Toyota Supplier Denso in an antitrust probe. Glenn Reynolds added: “It might be a coincidence, and not a coordinated attack on a Government Motors competitor and non-UAW shop. But in an era of state-crony capitalism, all motives become suspect.”

#1 February 25, 2010 at 7:40 am
Tom in CA commented:

I will never buy a GM car. Support Unions and Obama? I would rather walk.

Oh, where is the outrage over the GM CEO’s 9 million dollar package?
#2 February 25, 2010 at 7:41 am
Corporal Vere commented:

The next car I buy likely will be another Toyota Highlander.

The only US manufacturer I will consider is Ford, F-250.

I bet dollars to donuts the FBI will never raid Guvmint Motors.
#3 February 25, 2010 at 7:47 am
Redwine commented:

This whole thing against Toyota is so trumped up. Toyota workers in the US aren’t unionized. The Marxists is the WH and their Democrap flunkies are out for blood.
#4 February 25, 2010 at 7:48 am
Aitch748 commented:

You know, we’ve been getting more and more government control over things for the past five or six decades (and some would argue it goes back even further) and yet we keep having problems that cry out for even MORE government control.

Well, maybe somebody needs to ask: Why is it that all the past impositions of more government control AREN’T WORKING? Why do new problems keep cropping up? What makes you think MORE control will fix the problem when the control that government already has didn’t work?
#5 February 25, 2010 at 7:49 am
Taqiyyotomist commented:

This is good, and is to be expected, with Barack “Reverse Midas” Obama having made his choice, yet again. What can be said? He’s just got that touch!
#6 February 25, 2010 at 7:56 am
JR commented:

American-made American-branded cars are fine. Help your fellow Americans – buy American whenever you can.
#7 February 25, 2010 at 8:05 am
Trob commented:

American made cars? Yikes. Bought a brand new one in the 80′s – it was the first brand new, off the lot car I ever owned, made by GM.

Biggest piece of junk on the planet. Started falling apart shortly after I drove it off the lot and only got worse from there. Went through one “transaxle” a year on a fairly regular basis regardless of how much it was babied.

Swore I’d never buy a new GM then, haven’t since. With most things I do buy american, but with cars, most certainly not. If the american car companies want my business again they’ll have to convince me they can build a vehicle that is as reliable as their competition. Thus far that hasn’t happened.
#9 February 25, 2010 at 9:09 am
Ginger commented:

How do we get Toyota’s e-mail address? I think we should let them know that we are behind them 100% We need to make sure that they DO NOT let the corrupted union and fraud of a president force them to go union or to leave America. Protect the work force at Toyota and Ford! DO NOT BUY GOVERMENT MOTORS Let’s put the UNIONS out of business!!!!
#10 February 25, 2010 at 9:11 am
Scott commented:

I spent $3300 dollars replacing the transmission on a three year old Ford Explorer with 88000 miles…It went on to cost me a couple more thousand in repairs before I sold it…
#11 February 25, 2010 at 9:12 am
true commented:

Henry Waxman- now he pristine example of honesty and integrity.

Ah- the unions… who would have dreamed the union issue would be involved?
#12 February 25, 2010 at 9:14 am
Scott commented:

So the fools in Congress with a ten percent approval rating want to “straighten out” the No. 1 car company in the world…What’s wrong with this picture???
#13 February 25, 2010 at 9:14 am
Ginger commented:

Oh, the fraud is speaking now about all the letters he gets from people because of their health care!!!! What a joker!!! Hey, moron tell them about the letters and e-mails you get about stop craming your health care that will destroy our health care as it is! Under your control we will be thrown under the bus and you will control us! That’s all it’s about. Your control and a way to steal more of our money for your evil ways.

Boo hoo , all about you! Hey moron prove your mother had cancer.
#14 February 25, 2010 at 9:14 am
Angela commented:

I can’t wait to buy my next car. It will be a Toyota.
#15 February 25, 2010 at 9:19 am
Andreas K. commented:

This whole thing is a farce.

I don’t remember any hearings over GM’s or Ford’s recalls. Where is the hearing about Volkswagen? My father had three recalls on his new Passat (pretty much one per year so far) and when my parents where in Switzerland the electronics went totally wonky and the car locked them out. Imagine this would happen while driving. The results would be BAD.

Where are those hearings?

The second car my parents had was a yellow Renault 5. The car either wouldn’t start up in rain or it would simply stall. I still remember that. No hearings about that one either.
#16 February 25, 2010 at 9:20 am
Ginger commented:

I have a Honda Santa Fe, and I love it! It is a 2003 and it has never been in the shop. As far as Chrysler…I worked there for eight years and what I saw I would never buy a Chrysler product.
#17 February 25, 2010 at 9:30 am
mmm commented:

We should have seen this coming……level the playing field….eliminate competition….never let a crisis go to waste. I am disgusted with this administration.
#18 February 25, 2010 at 10:25 am
Spider commented:

Another ‘Crisis’ not going to waste. Just an excuse to layer on more and more regulations. That in the end will reduce our car choices and raise the cost of the fewer cars being produced.

I have been a life time GM owner, I still own a Chevy truck with 100K miles. When that dies, I will go buy a Honda or Toyota.
#19 February 25, 2010 at 10:57 am
Sheila commented:

This is just the latest jihad by Dear Leader. We currently drive two Toyotas and would not consider anything else. I grew up with Fords and more recently endured an awful Taurus (my manufacturer of choice had been Volkswagen); my hubby grew up with Chrysler and GM and was insistent on big American-made cars until the disaster that was a new LHS and Concorde. I fully expect the sheeple to panic and bankrupt Toyota and thus end up with the automaker they deserve – government motors. Own it, folks. Decline and fall.
#20 February 25, 2010 at 11:04 am
Corporal Vere commented:

JR #6

I buy American-made guns whenever I can.
#21 February 25, 2010 at 11:15 am
Spider commented:

Hondas and Toyotas are now made in America. I believe more are made here then anywhere else.

Let the free market decide what manufacturers survive or fail.

GM should have gone out of business.

That’s the normal free market system. We’ve allowed the government to short circuit the business cycle. Watch Glenn Beck’s 2/24 show he explains the Kondratiev Wave theory, and how our government has disrupted it.
#22 February 25, 2010 at 11:15 am
Chris Vehr commented:

Toyota is a Government Motors competitor and non-UAW shop.

Coincidence or government intrusion?

This is NO coincidence!

WHY CAN’T PEOPLE SEE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!