Network television has a history of producing fraudulent reports when it comes to automotive safety. And ABC News could be continuing that tradition. More after the break.
As we reported at the top of the show, last night ABC News ran a report showing how a college professor had rigged up a Toyota Avalon so he could induce a short that would cause unintended acceleration. ABC News had no input or rebuttal from Toyota. It left their side out altogether. That alone should make you suspicious.
We’ve seen instances in the past when investigative reports from network television ginned up tests that looked damning, but later turned out to be fraudulent. 60 Minutes on CBS famously found some automotive expert who could cause an Audi to experience unintended acceleration. But he had to disassemble the transmission and weld parts shut to make it happen—something that would never occur on its own in the real world.
The news program Dateline on NBC even more famously rigged up a Chevy pickup with explosives to make it “blow up real good” in front of the cameras. GM hired investigators who ultimately found that the Dateline test was nothing but a fraud.
Last night, ABC also featured Sean Kane of Safety Research and Strategies, on its report of the Avalon’s unintended acceleration. He was presented as a safety advocate, but Mr. Kane makes his living by selling data and information to plaintiff attorneys, the very people who are going to try and make themselves fabulously wealthy suing Toyota. Sean Kane has a vested interest in seeing Toyota sued, but ABC never mentioned that.
It could turn out that Toyota does indeed have an electronics problem. But don’t jump to conclusions based on last night’s report from ABC News.
