Own A Toyota? You Need To Read This
Posted by Michelle Moquin on 3rd October 2009
Good Morning – This article was brought to my attention and I am grateful that it was. I have quite a few friends who own a Toyota Prius, amongst other hybrids, so I hope that you are reading my blog today. That goes to all of my readers too. This little didley of knowledge could save your life. Please pass it on.
DETROIT — Toyota said on Tuesday that it would recall 3.8 million vehicles because a floor mat could cause the accelerator pedal to become stuck. But for now, the automaker and federal officials are urging owners to simply remove their driver’s side mat while Toyota works out a solution.
The recall is the largest ever for Toyota, which is struggling for the first time with heavy financial losses and surplus production capacity amid a miserable car market in the United States. The recall includes many of the most popular Lexus and Toyota vehicles, including Camry sedans in the 2007 to 2010 model years, and Prius hybrid cars from 2004 to 2009.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued an alert on Tuesday about the Toyota floor mats based on reports that stuck accelerator pedals could lead to high speeds and deadly crashes.
“This is an urgent matter,” Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, said in a statement. “For everyone’s sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration.”
Until a solution is announced, owners of the vehicles should remove their driver’s side mat but do not need to visit a dealership, the company said.
This month, Toyota ordered dealers to inspect the floor mats in all Toyota and Lexus vehicles after a crash on Aug. 28 near San Diego killed four people; the police said the accident might have been caused by an improperly installed mat. The car was a 2009 Lexus ES 350 on loan from a dealership to the driver, an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer.
Toyota, whose largest recall previously involved about 900,000 vehicles, is still studying the matter before officially beginning the recall, but said it planned a broad safety campaign as soon as next week. Two years ago, the company recalled all-weather floor mats sold for some Lexus ES 350 and Camry sedans. The government said on Tuesday that it received “continued reports of vehicles accelerating rapidly after release of the accelerator pedal” even after that recall.
“The incidents appear to be related to factors including the use of a variety of unsecured mats, the particular configuration of the accelerator pedals in these vehicles, and the unique steps needed to shut off the engines in some of these vehicles with keyless ignition,” the traffic safety agency said.
The recall will include the following models: 2007 to 2010 Camry; 2005 to 2010 Avalon; 2004 to 2009 Prius; 2005 to 2010 Tacoma; 2007 to 2010 Tundra; 2007 to 2010 ES 350; and 2006 to 2010 IS 250 and 2006 to 2010 IS 350.
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Hey ZL: I will catch up on my eM’s this weekend and check in with you. I may be out of touch on Sunday but if I can call I will, otherwise I’ll check in through eM.
Oh…wanted to comment about the DPL light therapy. We have a client who bought something like this but he paid a fortune, and his skin is amazing. I wonder how well this works. I watched the video from the website, and I so wish that the people who are raving about this product had before and after vids so we could see the changes. I don’t trust still photos – too easy to touch up. Yes…Sharpei’s look great with wrinkles. I personally like laugh lines. I know some beautiful women who to me look way better than they did in high school or college. Anyway, enjoy your Saturday and hopefully we can find some time tomorrow!
Anna & Peter: This is quite a storm. It looks like Typhoon Melor has unfortunately made it’s way to Guam. I hope that everyone on the island is staying dry and protected. Looking forward to hearing from you again. Be safe.
Herald: Your comment so resonated with how I feel too. Everything you said in my opinion was spot on. You made me smile when you said, “I need a drink”. I am not very much a drinker but sometimes, I wish I did drink more. Love the relaxing carefree way it makes me feel but hate the foggy-headedness (I know it’s not a word but it describes exactly how I feel afterwards :) Did you know that when the economy is down, people go out drinking more often? The bars are raging so says a friend of mine who owns a very well know bar here is SF. Where people get the money to go out drinking in SF is something I wonder when they have no job. But I hear people will spend their last 100 bucks leaning over the bar.
Susan and Janet: I know if must be tough living with rabidly racist relatives ( hate the meaning of that, but love the alliteration!), but this has got to stop. Staying silent no longer serves society. (another alliteration to love :) Seriously, our country is going down. We finally have a president who truly cares, we finally have a president who can do something for the people, we finally have a president who can make great changes for our country, and there are those who want to see him drastically fail on all accounts. We can’t let this happen. Is our country not worth standing up for?
If white women are the dumbest, then stand up and be a smart white woman, stand up and be a voice for the dumb white women, be an example of how smart a white woman can be. Be a smart white woman encouraging the dumb ones to speak up. Together women can make a difference.
Anonymous #7: Thanks for giving me and my readers the update on Medicare. I am relieved that the Premium Fairness Act passed, and I am all for HR3200. We will continue to push for a better health care system.
Matt: Your comment intrigued me so I googled Stacie Ritter. This is just an excerpt of what I found. For the entire article click: Huff.
Both of her daughters, now 11, were diagnosed with leukemia when they were four. They both needed stem cell transplants and other cancer treatments. They did survive, but the treatments damaged the glands that control their growth beyond repair. Their doctors indicated that in order for them to continue to grow normally, they needed regular growth-hormone injections.
But there was a problem. Each time Stacie took her daughter to the doctor for shots, it cost her $440. CIGNA refused to pay.
Stacie and her husband were not about to deny their daughters the right to grow up, so they spent every spare dollar on the injections. In the end, those expenses — coupled with other costs they had to pay for the twins’ cancer treatment — forced them to declare bankruptcy.
Their story is not unusual. Sixty-two percent of all bankruptcies are caused by medical bills — and often when an insurance company denies care. People think they are doing the responsible thing for their families. They have health insurance, but then a tragic illness hits and they lose everything anyway.
CIGNA didn’t refuse to pay for the kids’ hormone injections because it hates kids, or wanted the twins to stop growing. It denied the shots because its principal mission has nothing to do with those kids’ health — it is making money.
Ed Hanway, CIGNA’s CEO, can tell you about that. In 2008, Ed made $12.2 million. That’s $5,883 an hour. Ed makes more in one day than the average worker makes all year long. He makes 30 times more than the President of the United States.
Ed makes enough each day to cover 106 of those shots.
Cl, ND, NR: I only have one thing to say, “We need to stand up and ’palienate’. In other words….alienate Palin. Her power is tooo scary and would ruin this country for good. But I seriously don’t think it will come to that. If it does, we are truly a stupid country. Ok, I had more than one thing to say :)
Hi Ruth: Good to hear from you again. I bet your job is so rewarding. Thanks for the update on the girls. I am so delighted that they are finally able to be little girls. Please give them all a big hug from me. I am so proud of their strength and so excited about their future.
Happy to hear that you are a faithful reader. Thanks for being here. And you are amazed? During the week, I wake up at 6:30 am usually, thinking, “Okay, is this going to be an easy morning for me or ??” I love seeing a lot of comments but it certainly adds to my write when there are. No complaints. Just the detailed side of me that doesn’t like when I can’t address everyone that I’d like to in one sitting.
So that being said, you are correct, I am very busy, and recently I have started a new business that I am excited about. Anyway, it would be an honor to meet you some day and I hope that we do get the chance to find out just how much we do have in common :)
Readers: I hope that you have a beautiful, fun, what-ever-you-wish kind of Saturday! See ya tomorrow.
Peace out….
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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Posted in Good Reads and Good See'ds, Health & Well Being, Long Live Planet Earth!, Love, Sex & Relationships, Political Powwow | 10 Comments »



