Toyota accused of forcing auto owners to keep quiet

[marmar]

from the Detroit Free Press:



New court filings accuse Toyota of secretly repurchasing vehicles whose owners reported unintended acceleration and forcing owners to sign confidentiality agreements promising not to discuss their complaints.

In addition, attorneys representing thousands of Toyota owners charged that the automaker’s technicians were able to replicate the sudden acceleration and failed to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the problem.

NHTSA spokeswoman Olivia Alair said the agency first received Toyota technicians’ reports earlier this year “as part of our ongoing investigation of unintended acceleration, but we didn’t receive complaints directly from the consumers.”

The new charges are part of a 1,056-page document filed Wednesday as part of a class action case against the Japanese automaker. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.freep.com/article/20101028/BUSINESS01/101028065/1318/Toyota-accused-of-forcing-auto-owners-to-keep-quiet#ixzz13hu5Myw5

[stray cat]

1. Forcing? Did they forcibly take the car and make the people take cash in exchange

And sign a confidentiality agreement for the cash even though the owners pleaded to keep the car and pleaded to not have to take the money

[TheMadMonk]

2. Force. As in hint to complaining customer that Toyota can afford its lawyer...

...a lot longer than the customer can. As in remind them that in the meantime they will be without a car. Force as in offer the "bright shiny penny" right now, but with strings attached.

Yes the customer had other choices. But without another vehicle, a good lawyer and deep pockets, most of those choices involve walking away from an investment worth several tens of thousands of dollars.

Hobson's choice is no choice. Hobson's choice is coercion. Coercion is force.