subject: Winter Park Toyota News: Company Wants Abc Apology [print this page] Toyota demands an apology and I believe they deserve one. While ABC is penning Im sorry, they should go ahead and address one to the American public. Whats it all about? Mostly bad journalism, but since Toyota is an easy target right now who can resist? Winter Park Toyota customers agree that Toyota is getting kicked while its down.
It started with a college professor who supposedly tested the Prius and got it to accelerate on its own without leaving a code for mechanics to diagnose the problem later. ABC News reporter Brian Ross apparently edited the footage of the ride from hell and stuck in footage of a surging tachometer (filmed at a separate time when the Prius wasnt moving).
The professor, David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, also had been paid (very well, I might add) by lawyers representing the plaintiff in a case against Toyota. Now if that does not violate the premise of fair and accurate coverage I dont know what would. Dealers of Winter Park used cars promise more than fair, they promise service at a level that makes customers smile.
In defense of my alma mater and the campus newspaper for which I used to write, the Daily Egyptian at SIUC did an admirable job of telling both sides and was not biased by the fact that Gilbert is employed there. So it seems there are still some genuine journalists out there.
So, while Toyotas lawyers are trying, legitimately it seems, to clean up the recall mess they are being forced to deal with yellow journalists and faked test results. Of course, Toyota is the underdog brand right now. Arent we supposed to be loyal to the brands out government owns a majority of, like GM and Chrysler? Dealers of Winter Park used cars ask customers to come in and compare their inventory to other brands. Not only will they like what they see, but the deals right now are too good to pass up.
If I sound a bit paranoid, perhaps its because I remember a similar incident involving an NBC reporter and a GM truck. This took place almost 20 years ago, but the point it that there have always been issues with vehicles and there have always been unethical journalists. That said, Toyota has lived up to its promise to make things right with the Prius and with its customers.
In the case of the college professor, we later find that Gilbert had to change the wiring on the Prius to achieve the unintended acceleration. Obviously this is not a normal driving scenario and cant be compared with real-life acceleration problems which customers may have experienced.
Winter Park Toyota customers have indicated they are confident in their choices to drive Toyota and will judge for themselves. Most Toyota owners also agree that Toyotas reputation and years of reliability speak volumes. After all, as consumers dont we have to make our decisions based on more than what the media feeds us?
