Toyota Sudden Acceleration

Everyone has heard about the latest Toyota recall. The sudden acceleration caused by improperly designed floor mats took the lives of 34 people. Although at first the Japanese car company refused to admit that the problem was in the manufacturing of the car, after hundreds of lawsuits, they admitted the issue. Right now 5.6 million vehicles in the U.S. have been recalled. According to a recent research Toyota accelerator recall lawsuits could cost $10 billion. A famous lawsuit was filed by two owners of a brand new Toyota-Seong Bae Choi and Chris Chan Park. They think that some of the blame for the sudden acceleration involves the electronics of the car, known as the ETCS-i. Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the Toyota case argue that Toyota has known about sudden unintended acceleration in its vehicles for nearly a decade The original design for the system included a feature that puts the engine into sleep mode in case of unintended acceleration. However, the company decided to sell the vehicles without the safety feature in 2001 resulting in many fatal accidents. Hiding the truth about floor mats and Failing to recall parts despite clear problems will put the company to a huge financial risk. The executives at Toyota knew about floor mat problems in 2008.On a recent conference they even bragged about saving 100 million by not recalling floor mats. These are some of the cars recalled by Toyota for faulty floor mats and sticky pedals: 2007-10 Camry, 2009-10 RAV4, 2009-10 Corolla, 2009-10 Matrix, 2005-10 Avalon, 2010 Highlander, 2007-10 Tundra, 2008-10 Sequoia. An earlier recall also involved Lexus models.

The invention by BMW- Smart Gas Pedals, may solve floor mat problem. The safety feature basically stops the engine when both the gas and brake pedal are pressed simultaneously. The feature only works when the vehicle is moving, so enthusiasts who want to launch the vehicle by revving the engine and holding down the brake will still be able to do so. A smart-pedal system is apparently something Toyota is considering as it attempts to deal with a safety problem involving floor mats that could cover millions of vehicles. But it would be costly, because they would have to pay for the BMW patent.

Solutions

· Remove Floor Mats

· Install Smart Pedals

· Changing Vehicle

Lindsay is a milkaholic?

Lindsay Lohan is suing the financial company E-Trade, insisting that E-Trade’s latest commercial – which aired during the Super Bowl – contains a baby that was modeled after her. Lindsay is suing for $100 million for her pain and suffering (click here to read the article from the New York Post).

The E-Trade ad features babies playing the stock market. During the commercial, a boy baby apologizes to his girlfriend baby via video chat for not calling her the night before. "And that milkaholic Lindsay wasn't over?" the baby girl asks. "Lindsay?" the boy replies. Just then, another girl baby sticks her head out and says, "Milk-a-what?"

Lohan's lawyer, Stephanie Ovadia, said the actress has the same single-name recognition as Oprah, Madonna, Lebron, and Kobe. "Many celebrities are known by one name only, and E-Trade is using that knowledge to profit," Ovadia said. "They're using her name as a parody of her life. Why didn't they use the name Susan? This is a subliminal message.” Ovadia said E-Trade has violated Lohan's right and used her "name and characterization" without paying her or getting her approval.

Chris Brown, a spokesman for Grey Group, which produced the spot says the company "just used a popular baby name that happened to be the name of someone on the account team."

I think that it is outrageous that Lindsay even had the thought to sue. Obviously her rehab hasn't fully corrected her decision making. There are a number of issues with this law suit: First, she is not the only famous Lindsay in the world (for example, Lindsay Vonn who recently was successful at the Winter Olympics, or Lindsey Hunter who plays on the Bulls). Therefore, it is somewhat ridiculous and egotistical for Lindsay and her lawyer to assume that the commercial was referring to her. Furthermore, had E-trade used the name "Susan" in the commercial, what is to say that they would not get sued by my next door neighbor, Susan, or any other famous Susan for that matter. Not one person's birth-name is copyrighted. Second, how is this "pain and suffering" worth $100 million in damages? There is no way to prove that this damages her reputation, or that people even assume that the character is her. Most likely this is an attempt for Lindsay to make money, given that her acting career turned her into either an alcoholic or a milkaholic.