Upload
ngoc-tran
View
220
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
8/3/2019 When the Driving Force Goes Wrong
1/2
When the driving force goes wrong
It goes without saying that an enterprises ultimate mandate is to pursue profits for
development, but development also commands a harmony between profitability and
business ethics, and to a larger extent - corporate social responsibility. The latest
scandal relating to Toyota Motor Vietnams faulty vehicles amounting to the thousandsas admitted by the automaker is menacing the community, not because of the problem
vehicles already launched onto the market, but rather the attitude of the enterprise
towards the community. It is by no means acceptable.
The sensational news broke out last week when Le Van Tach, an engineer at the automakers
factory in Hanoi, sent letters to the national quality control agency Vietnam Register and local
media, accusing Toyota of breaching the law by intentionally skipping safety standards.
The engineers denunciation immediately drew public attention, and prompted the car maker to
convene a news conference in Hanoi with explanations designed to cool down the widespread
anger.
At the press conference, Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) admitted that there were technical flaws
with some 8,830 cars of its Innova model, but said those problems would not impact safety. The
carmaker said those vehicles might have one of three problems of higher-than-standard rear
wheel brake cylinder pressure, striker bolt tightening torque reduction, and loose camber
tightening.
Some 200 Innova J cars, for instance, could have braking systems that are more responsive than
usual and 7,580 other Innova cars could have camber tightening, the automaker said.
The cars, according to TMV, will not be recalled since the technical problems are minor and do
not affect driver safety. Furthermore, it said, the carmaker had not received any complaint from
customers concerning the problems so far. Tadashi Yoshida, production manager of TMV,
asserted that the company had also checked and tested driving on scores of the vehicles toensure that the problems did not affect the whole safety of vehicles in operation.
TMV told reporters that its engineers had found that the rear wheel brake cylinder pressure on
some Toyota Innova J vehicles was higher than Toyotas standard, at nearly 60 kgf/cm2 on some
units compared to Toyotas standard of between 27.8 and 42.3 kgf/cm2.
As the carmaker and its engineer traded barbs at the news conference, local media has
questioned the credibility of the automaker in intentionally hiding the information.
A leader of the Vietnam Automobile Engineer Society, according to Tien Phong, shows his
astonishment at the carmakers reasoning, stressing that a standard set out by car designers
must be fully complied to. The standard is only accepted after it has earlier been repeatedly
tested. The crucial principle is that (TMV) cannot ignore the standard, he is quoted as saying,
adding that the rear wheel brake cylinder pressure fault poses huge risks to drivers.
Nguyen Manh Hung, general secretary of the Vietnam Consumer Protection Association
(Vinastas), says on Tien Phong that consumers can demand compensation or even sue the
automaker if their vehicles fail to meet safety standards as prescribed. He also demands that
Toyota show its responsibility towards consumers, and this must be done immediately as
thousands of possibly faulty vehicles are still in circulation.
8/3/2019 When the Driving Force Goes Wrong
2/2
Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung has urged Vietnam Register and the Science-Technology
Department to look into the situation, and if the vehicles have such serious mistakes, then they
must be recalled immediately.
On Tuoi Tre, Phan Huu Nam, head of a lab at the Engine Mechanical Institute under Hanoi
Polytechnic University, says information from Engineer Tach shows three major problems,
namely the suspension system referred to by TMV as camber tightening fault, the brakingsystem, and the striker bolt tightening torque reduction. The braking fault is the most serious as
the rear wheel may skid and lose traction when braking, he comments.
Nam also wonders why such a big automaker can ignore safety standards. If they set out high
standards and then do not comply, that is seen contempt of customers, Nam says on the
newspaper.
Local media also reports incidents with Toyota car owners.
Nguyen Van Lam, a driver in Hanoi, says on Tien Phong that his Innova car cannot run at 90kph
since at that speed the car loses balance.
Similarly, a taxi driver named Ho Dang Luan says on Tuoi Tre he feels the Innova cab losesbalance when driving at 50kph. The problem is also confirmed by some garage owners in Hanoi,
who say on Tuoi Tre that they have fixed several Innova cars with braking faults. Nguyen Tri
Thanh, a technician at a garage on Lang Street in Hanoi, says several people have complained
about braking problems, especially when driving at a high speed, as the brake can be gripped
threatening safety.
Problems at TMV are not merely accidental, as the scandal reminds readers of another one in
mid-2008 when the public learned that TMV fitted nearly 100 sets of rusty engines on its vehicles
and launched them on the market. In both cases, information was kept away from the public.
On Phap Luat, the director of a media research center says that even if the law did not cover
such issues, TMV still needs to behave according to corporate social responsibility, and it mustrecall its products immediately.
TMV can pursue profitability, but that driving force must be set on the right course. When the
driving force goes wrong, the growth momentum will be lost, as its credibility or creditworthiness
will surely be at stake.