Have you ever noticed that problems that have been silenced tend to play by a different set of rules? When a problem that is being silenced is exposed, a strategy to keep it silent appears to be standard protocol. A case in point, I’ve discussed the silent problems over at Toyota repeatedly over that past 6-months. Quite honestly, records reveal that Toyota historically has tried to silence problems. This past week another story surfaced. This one out of the Associated Press, it states:
Toyota officials were looking to attack the credibility of witnesses who testified before Congress about sudden acceleration problems in the automaker’s vehicles, according to a report in Washington Post.
The Post says it obtained documents that show Toyota sought to create a public relations campaign based in part on polling that questioned the integrity of two witnesses. Such polls are used by businesses and politicians to test the weaknesses of their opponents.
The Post identifies the witnesses as Sean Kane, a Massachusetts safety consultant, and David Gilbert, an auto technology professor. Each criticized Toyota’s handling of the problem.
In response, Toyota told the Post it never produced advertisements based on the polling.
When I read stories related to silent problems like these, I’m not surprised by what is considered a possible defense/offense. Everything is placed on the table so to speak. Everything is calculated. Risk and opportunity measured. After all, once a problem has been silenced - a change in the game plan cannot occur midstream. Because this would be considered guilt, which carries a high degree of financial risk and exposure.
Tags: Silent Problems, Toyota, Toyota Attack Plan, Toyota Recall
