The White House vs. Toyota

The Obama administration is hammering Toyota over its safety recalls — is it trying to help U.S. car makers?

Publicity mavens think Toyota can salvage its excellent brand image - if company leaders act fast.
(Image credit: Corbis/Toyota)

The Obama administration quickly backpedaled last week after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said owners of recalled Toyotas should "stop driving" their cars. LaHood later claimed he misspoke, and the White House now insists it isn't bashing Toyota to help General Motors and Chrysler, which the government partly owns thanks to the Detroit bailouts. But LaHood's comment has added to Toyota's growing image problem as it tries address safety concerns on millions of cars in the U.S., costing the company an estimated $2 billion. Is the Obama administration criticizing Toyota to help American automakers? (Watch Ray LaHood's Toyota warning)

No. Toyota needed a push: Ray LaHood's "tough stance" on Toyota is welcome, say the editors of the Las Vegas Sun. The company has been receiving complaints about potentially deadly sticking accelerators for years, but it was "lax" about fixing the problem until the Obama administration started pushing.

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