CNN's fair and balanced Prius, Fusion hybrid coverage?
Did Toyota act any differently than Ford?So, Toyota knew there might be a glitch in their braking software for the 2010 Prius, but didn't offer a software update to consumers because they weren't sure it was really necessary since the brakes don't actually fail. Thus, CNNMoney ran the headline, Prius brakes: Toyota knew, didn't tell you.
Fair enough.
Interestingly, turns out Ford did EXACTLY the same thing. For months, Ford has also known about a very similar glitch in their Fusion and Milan hybrids, but also didn't tell consumers because the brakes don't actually fail. However, CNN ran the headline, Ford rolls out software fix for hybrid brakes.
That's balanced coverage?
Earlier this week, I cited another example of the CNN's over-eagerness to slam Toyota versus other automakers, including the Prius.
So, what's going on over at CNN? Two automakers have almost exactly the same problem, handle it almost exactly the same way, but only one is evil for doing so? Why the obvious bias? Some angles drive more revenue than others, and that's more important than the facts? CNN likes Ford and GM better than Toyota? What's the deal?
Labels: Ford fusion hybrid, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:07 AM
2 Comments:
Ford's problem doesn't result in an increase in stopping distance. Toyota's does. Toyota is just beginning to understand that getting caught in a cover-up is worse than the underlying problem.
Not from what I've read John.
A Consumer Reports engineer went through a stop sign while testing a Fusion hybrid. That sounds like a problem that increased a driver's stopping distance.
Likewise, there is at least one NHTSA complaint of a driver complaining about brakes that felt less responsive in his Fusion hybrid. That again sounds a lot like what most Prius complainers have complained about.
In many instances, the Prius braking distance isn't increased as long as you keep constant pressure on the brakes. One big problem has been people double pumping the brakes. According to Toyota if the brakes feel weird and you depress on the petal a little harder, the car will stop in about the same time as it would without the glitch.
I also don't agree this was a cover-up.
Ford knew about its problem for months as well. All automakers usually know about their recalls for months or even years before official.
Let's also look at the facts. Every bit of consumer data - not media - over the last 10 years indicates that Toyota's are more reliable than almost all other automakers. Check out CNNMoney's post on this yesterday, for instance. This recall problem supposedly goes back several years, yet it's only affected an extremely tiny percent of consumers.
Moreover, in some of these cases where Toyota is blamed, there is probably plenty of driver error.
Finally, look at the historical data on recalls, even that on unintended acceleration. In reality, Toyota hasn't acted very differently than any other automaker.
If you want to talk cover-ups, check out the Frontline special on the SUV coverup that has gone on for decades, resulting in 10,000 deaths per year for decades. How many times do you think Ford has covered that up? And it's still going on in recent and current lawsuits.
Post a Comment
<< Home