Toyota has recalled 2.3 million vehicles for a problem reported, as close as I can gather, in somewhere around 12 actual cars and trucks. That’s a problem reported in .00005% of the eight vehicle types impacted by the recall; or one in every 191,667. The problem, according to reports, is that the accelerator is “sticky” and people may go faster than they intended to. Of course I’m not making light of this terrible, terrible situation, but as best I can recall, my Tundra already comes with a component that compensates for unwanted acceleration… it’s the brake pedal… That’s hooked to the very large disk brakes, that can drag my very large truck to a stop in short order from even speeds in excess of those posted for highway traffic.
I’m only going to say this once: A car or truck is a machine. Machines are, from time to time, prone to breakdown or the need for maintenance. The fact that these requirements come up occasionally does not constitute a “crisis” nor does it signal the impending collapse of a major manufacturer. It does, however, remind me that the media loves a good story more than any three people I know and that whipping the motoring public into a frenzy about Toyota’s Accelerator Pedal of Doom or Floor Mat of Chaos generates interest, fills column-inches and air minutes, and more importantly, increases revenue. How ‘bout we all start reading, watching, and critiquing the news of the day with a critical eye, kay? Yeah, that would be helpful.
