Cause and Effect

How Toyota's problems effect their buyers and their company, and will it become the problem for someone else?

Over the past several weeks Toyota has been working on an acceleration problem with their new 2010 model vehicles.
Cause: Unintended acceleration, aka sticky gas pedal, aka computer failure, aka BIG problem.

But don't worry because Toyota plains to fix it, or don't they. Toyota says they have a new team in place to fix the problem. "The Swift Market Analysis Response Team, or SMART, will try to contact customers within 24 hours of receiving a complaint of unintended acceleration to arrange for an onsite vehicle analysis".(Yahoo finance, AP) Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles due to gas pedals getting stuck under floor mats or in a depressing position. My pedal on my Saturn Ion gets stuck under my too big floor mat, maybe I should have a talk with the President at Saturn, get my car fixed and washed for free. Maybe I'll just get some better floor mats, hint hint.

HOLD ON!!!! Toyota does have a solution to fix the computer problem that causes the pedal to stick and the brakes to fail. What an unlikely coincidence by the way. Ah yes, the new Mazda hybrid, that's right. Mazda is going to buy the hybrid technology from Toyota,"Hybrids are spreading fast in Japan, and launching a model in the domestic market has become an urgent task", "That is one of the reasons why we decided to seek this agreement with Toyota"(Mazda VP Masaharu Yamaki). Now there's the way to get rid of the problem, give it to someone else.
"Mazda said it aimed to begin selling a vehicle that combines Toyota's hybrid system with its own next-generation gasoline engine in Japan by 2013. Key components such as battery packs, controls units, inverters and regenerative braking units will be procured from Toyota suppliers"(Reuters Update 3). Check out the "Key components," isn't that the "Key problem" with the Toyota's? And Mazda wants to buy them, good thing I got a new Saturn Ion instead.

Still think the 2010 Lexus GX 460 is cool? You ever wonder where the 460 comes from? Think maybe its because it rolls over 460 degrees? Lexus,which is a Toyota product, is now having problems with their safety roll over features, causing the vehicle suspension to alloy it to roll over, 460 degrees haha. Lexus has a solution too though, accourding to Mark Templin, Lexus Group Vice President and General Manager: “For more than 20 years, Lexus has made customer safety and satisfaction our highest priorities.
We are taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and
correct the issue Consumer Reports identified. At this time we have asked our dealers to
temporarily suspend sales of the 2010 GX 460. For any customer who has purchased a 2010 GX 460 and is concerned about driving their
vehicle, we will provide a loaner car until a remedy is available" (Templin) .Now there's a solution, if you don't own a GX 460 don't get one, if you already own one take it back and get something else. Or Lexus could just sell that safety technology to Nissan.

Who does this effect then?
Effect: Toyota dealers, Lexus dealers, customer buyers and owners, and even innocent people involved in the accidents caused by these problems.