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Spike in Prius complaints may not be all it seems

Montgomery Advertiser -- NEW YORK -- Reports of sudden acceleration in the Toyota Prius have spiked across the country. But that doesn't mean there's an epidemic of bad gas pedals in the popular hybrid.

Experts on consumer psychology said the relentless negative media attention Toyota has received since the fall makes it much more likely that drivers will mistake anything unexpected -- or even a misplaced foot -- for actual danger.

"When people expect problems, they're more likely to find them," said Lars Perner, a professor of clinical marketing at Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California.

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Submitted Mar 11, 2010 By: archerman

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MyVue08 Champion Author Columbus Posts:4,917 Points:883,835 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Mar 11, 2010 8:17:49 AM Ignore MyVue08 Report Abuse Duplicate Article!
Manolo1 Champion Author Miami Posts:6,875 Points:1,207,000 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Mar 11, 2010 7:47:06 AM Ignore Manolo1 Report Abuse 25% of all Toyota complaints with NHTSA filed in the last 15 years happened in the last 6 months!
bluebird1 Champion Author Toronto Posts:13,418 Points:2,653,005 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Mar 11, 2010 7:01:06 AM Ignore bluebird1 Report Abuse It's human nature but also some people not only expect but look for the problem for either money or attention. But let's not forget there are valid underlying cases that should be investigated & can be with the 'black boxes' if only Toyota would open up to their use. There's a wealth of info. there that's objective & at a min. can establish if the brake or gas pedal was used.
GingoutMD Champion Author Maryland Posts:2,302 Points:473,680 Joined:Jan 2010	Message Posted: Mar 11, 2010 4:57:38 AM Ignore GingoutMD Report Abuse Many people are simply idiots. The problem is that Darwinian theory of the strong survive does not apply to the human species.
remay Champion Author Houston Posts:4,696 Points:1,653,970 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Mar 11, 2010 4:49:33 AM Ignore remay Report Abuse "When people expect problems, they're more likely to find them" No, I think they are just complacent or apathetic. They figure it's just an anomaly and why bother... I cannot stand it if I have a valid issue and am told "this is the first we've heard of it" or "no one ELSE has complained".
BurntOrange Champion Author Austin Posts:5,935 Points:1,124,630 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Mar 11, 2010 4:29:08 AM Ignore BurntOrange Report Abuse Absolutely. It's just human nature. I work in the computer business. When word gets out about a problem, customers will call and complain about the issue, even when it's easy to prove that the issue does not affect their system.