Re: Toyota hid Lexus Lurching Transmission Hardware Defects from Consumers

"Five months before the new 2002 Lexus ES hit showroom floors, the
> company's U.S. engineers sent a test report to Toyota City in Japan: > The luxury sedan shifted gears so roughly that it was "not acceptable > for production." > > Days later, another Japanese executive sent an e-mail to top managers > saying that despite misgivings among U.S. officials, the 2002 Lexus > was "marginally acceptable for production." The new ES went on sale > across the nation on Oct. 1, 2001. > > In an interview with company lawyers in November 2005, two Toyota > engineers indicated that "the performance characteristics of the > vehicles are NOT related to the software, but to hardware issues," > according to an e-mail sent by Biller. > > But company officials ruled out solving the problem "due to the > complications as well as costs associated with a change from three to > four engine mounts," according to a memo written by Toyota's outside > counsel regarding the same meeting. > > The redesigned 2007 ES, released less than a year later, had four > engine mounts." > >
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A rough shifting transmission is not a defect, safety of otherwise, its justa crappy transmission. If anyone test drove the car before buying and itbothered them, they wouldn't have bought it.

Clearly, if it was in production for six years and people were buying and driving the cars, there wasn't anything seriously wrong with it. The message I get from this is that American buyers were dumb enough to buy a car with a "marginally acceptable" shifting transmission and kept doing it for six years.

or it could mean that this is just subjective bullshit. for example, here in the u.s., cvt transmissions are rare. not because they are unreliable or that they don't work well, but because the american consumer "expects" a transmission that "shifts". indeed, before the honda fit was released here, initial press announcements included reference to the cvt transmission that that vehicle has in all other global markets, and that they were considering programming it to have "seven gears", i.e. seven distinct shift points [a ridiculous idea defeating the whole point of cvt - the absolutely most optimum rpm's at all times which is what gives them such great fuel economy]. when the fit was eventually released, it had been equipped with a conventional five speed auto instead - to conform to american consumer expectations, [or at least, what honda usa had been telling honda japan].

bottom line, toyota have decided to "modify" this transmission's behavior to more closely mimic the domestic crap people "expect" when driving their buicks. so, you are indeed correct - "nothing seriously wrong with it" indeed.