Chicagoland-Style Toyota Witch Hunt Intensifies

Don't they have better things to do?

Grand jury subpoena has been issued, and now SEC has joined the fray.

Toyota faces federal, congressional probe (2/22/2010 AP via Yahoo Finance)

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Toyota Motor Corp.'s safety problems and the Securities and Exchange Commission was probing what the automaker told investors, the company disclosed Monday. Newly released internal documents showed that Toyota officials visited with U.S. regulators years ago who "laughed and rolled their eyes in disbelief" over safety claims.

"The twin developments created new public relations challenges for Toyota plus the prospects -- however likely or unlikely -- of hefty federal fines or even indictments against executives in the U.S. and Japan. They also complicate Toyota's ability to discuss details driving its recall of 8.5 million vehicles because anything executives say could be used against the company inside a courtroom.

"Top Toyota executives were expected to testify at hearings Tuesday and Wednesday on Capitol Hill. One lawmaker said he believed Toyota misled owners about the repairs and relied upon a hastily-arranged study to reassure the public.

"In a new filing with the SEC, Toyota said it received the grand jury request from the Southern District of New York on Feb. 8 and got the SEC requests Friday.

"It wasn't immediately clear what U.S. laws Toyota might have broken. A subpoena would specify why prosecutors sought company documents, but Toyota would not comment beyond its disclosure with the SEC. A spokeswoman with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment, saying it does not confirm or deny its investigations as a matter of policy."

"...Legal experts said the fresh subpoenas could affect how Toyota executives respond to the questions from lawmakers.

"Eric Dezenhall, a crisis management consultant in Washington, said the subpoena might cause Toyota to limit its testimony because apologies are admissible in court. He predicted the company would walk a line between carefully phrased testimony and enough disclosure to describe the cars' mechanical problems and steps Toyota had taken to make the vehicles safer." [The article continues.]

Ms. Shapiro's agency is yet to do anything about naked short selling that probably precipitated the market crash in September-October 2008 which in turn crashed the global economy, or about so-called "flash-trading" (aka front-running) by big investment houses like Goldman Sachs. But she finds time to investigate Toyota.

This is getting beyond absurd.

No word about other companies with the same sticking pedal problems. No word about the company (CTS) who makes the accelerator assembly for Toyota and other major auto manufacturers including GM, Ford, Chrysler, and Honda that is known to cause the problem.

And how about this allegation by Wayne Madsen that CTS's accelerator may be negatively affected by military frequencies? (CTS supplies to the US military.)

But no. Obama-land is intent on doing all it can to squash Toyota by staging a show trial. With the subpoena, Toyota executives have little choice but take the fifth in the congressional hearing, and they will be painted by the obliging media as "guilty". Its union pals must be ecstatic.

When will Japan start dumping US Treasuries, I wonder?

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Toyota Recall, Production Halt Were Ordered by Obama Administration

There's something funny going on regarding Toyota Motors recalling the cars and trucks and stopping sales and production.

Toyota announced it was recalling 2.3 million cars and trucks it had sold in the U.S. because of sticking accelerator pedals.

Then, the company announced it was stopping the sales of the affected 8 brands, and stopping the production of these cars and trucks in the U.S. while they figure out the cause.

The pedal assembly is manufactured by an American subcontractor (CTS), who says it is Toyota's problem not theirs, as the company also supplies Honda and Nissan.

It turns out that CTS also supplies GM and Ford. Ford today suspended the production of commercial vans in China, which use the pedals supplied by CTS.

Then, it turns out that Toyota's recall and sales/production suspension was ordered by the Obama administration, specifically by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Government Motors, also known as General Motors, is offering $1,000 or zero financing to Toyota owners to switch brands. Nice job, Auto Czar. Ford has decided to join.

Now, Congress has joined the frey. House Energy and Commerce Committee (chairman Henry Waxman, D-CA) will hold a hearing on February 25 "to examine the persistent consumer complaints of sudden unintended acceleration in vehicles manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation".

A Congressional hearing??

Toyota today announced additional 1.09 million recall due to floor mat concerns.

Brands recalled:
2009-2010 RAV4
2009-2010 Corolla
2007-2010 Camry
2009-2010 Matrix
2005-2010 Avalon
2010 Highlander
2007-2010 Tundra
2008-2010 Highlander
2009-2010 Venza
2008-2010 Sequoia

Lexus, Scion, Prius are not affected.

Toyota's share price, which was at $91.97 on January 19 before the announcement of recall, plummeted $14 dollars (or 15%) since, and ended today at $77.67.

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