Sudden Unintended Acceleration (Part 2 of 2)

I heard about the recall but I wasn’t aware of the occurrences which prompted the recall. SUA is defined as the unintended, unexpected, uncontrolled acceleration of a vehicle from a stationary position, low initial speed or at cruising speed, often accompanied by an apparent loss of braking effectiveness. This is scary stuff !

 On the face of the evidence, it appears as if the carmaker was aware of the problems, didn’t take the required action to address them immediately and as such the company is being accused of putting their customers at risk, by selling cars that could display SUA.

President

In a later segment of the program, I heard the president of the company apologizing to the family that lost loved ones in the accident. My thoughts on his apology cannot appear here, but I will tell you this. The founder of the company had an approach and a value system which was obviously discarded by the current executive body. If what was reported is true and based on the president’s admission, it is abundantly clear, that greed played a significant role in the company losing its way and when the ‘bottom line’  (money) becomes more important than the life of the customer – because that is what it is – then you have not only lost your way in business, you have also lost your way as a human being.

In my minute, insignificant book, all the individuals at the company (beginning with the President) who had direct knowledge of the SUA issues and didn’t act with urgency should be shown a door with a humongous sign marked EXIT! They should be rolled into a nice little ball and dumped! The way forward should be directed by individuals who understand what the founder stood for and are willing to maintain the course he chose – the one which had the safety of the customer as priority number 1!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer