Every consumer buying vehicles should be aware that they may be buying flooded vehicles. Just because you live in Nevada, don't think you aren't going to run into a flooded vehicle. |
How do you prevent yourself from being held hostage by the auto companies who have a monopoly on the smart keys? |
I can't tell you how bad this is for consumers, ... a product liability bailout for manufacturers who have weak roofs today and will continue to be allowed to have weak roofs in the future. |
I think that they were calculating on this never becoming public, that the government wouldn't find out about it. |
If they don't, we'll take them to court. |
It is a fundamental engineering principal that GM knew about and rejected in 1972. As a result, we have people continuing to be burned in survivable crashes. |
It's easy to make superficial changes to a flood-damaged car and make it look like a good vehicle. But it's very likely to be a particularly trouble-prone car over time. |
Many consumers will not wait. It's not a question of whether we encourage them or not. They're going to get these [tires]. |
That argument just doesn't hold up, ... We believe that it's a design problem that goes across that tire's production. |
The auto industry will not release the codes in those keys and your only option is to go to the auto company itself and buy a new key at 10 to 20 times the cost of a traditional, reliable, mechanical key. |
The real issue is what happens if the engine seizes and you're hit and killed? There are no witnesses to tell what happened. |
The whole strategy of Ford and Firestone is to limit the recall and do as much damage control as they can, |
There's been a difference in Congress. I expect to see a much more favorable Congress next year, no matter who wins. People are not going to forget Firestone/Explorer quickly. |
There's no question that they opened this one faster than they did with Firestone, ... The role of the agency is prevent defects and fatalities, not give a tally after the fact. When you have 15 deaths, the agency's action is coming to late for those people. |
This is a new doctrine, coming straight from the secretary of transportation and the White House. I can't tell you how bad this is for consumers. |