Technology gone amuck

Hubris (Greek) – excessive pride; a feeling of invincibility that usually leads to one’s downfall


What do Apple and Toyota have in common?

You might say great success, innovative technology and quality products. But as of last week, Apple and Toyota (for the 5th time in 10 months) had to recall marquee products due to defects. Why? Because, I suspect, both companies suffer from the toxic mix of a sense of invincibility– I make it so it must be great – so ignore ‘some’ customer complaints for years; reliance on complex computer electronics that even they don’t fully understand; and the pressures to rush out products to market without proper pre-testing.


Apple has had to acknowledge its brand new iPhone 4 has defective signal strength circuitry. The news went public within hours of the product’s release as Apple-philes around the world started to howl! The new and improved design was even more dysfunctional in this respect than earlier versions -- and Apple claims it didn’t know about the problem even though it applied to iPhones sold since 2007!! Poor AT&T which has gotten the flak for years re:dropped calls and poor reception!

So much for a ‘redesigned antenna’ for better service. Ha, ha! (See for more details Globe and Mail on-line, June 25, 2010, “iPhone 4 owners in grip of reception problem” and the newspaper, July 3, 2010, B6, "Apple 'stunned' to find iPhone flaw", both Associated Press releases).

Toyota, the gold standard for car manufacturing quality and reliability has lost its golden glow even more so. Five – count them – five major recalls for diverse problems in less than a year, affecting, as it turns out, new models and some going back to 2005: redesigned/new gas pedals that get jammed under winter floor mats, old and new gas pedals that suddenly go wild and accelerate the vehicle without being able to have the brakes override the vehicle’s mad rush – I have a friend who had this happen to him twice with his new Avalon – a car which is new recalled for this problem going back to 2005!!!;
a new SUV model this year that failed the Consumer Report’s standard emergency test – and therefore CR notified the government of the problem, and now 2 more Lexus models, the best of Toyota’s best – have engines that suddenly shut down while driving and hybrid Lexus models “can spill fuel during a rear end crash”!!! (Globe and Mail, Friday July 2, 2010, B6 “Toyota engines deemed defective” Associated Press release.)

Why all these woes and life threatening problems? My guesses:

1. Hubris – Toyota vehicles do not have brake override mechanisms. Maybe Toyota thought ‘perfect’ cars don’t need such fallbacks (at extra expense), Tell that to Audi, the first manufacturer accused of sudden, unstoppable acceleration a few years back, who then introduced the first brake override system.

2. Computerization gone amuck. Just last year, Mercedes removed some 600 computerized sensors and circuits from its top models because they were constantly breaking down – electronics that made no real difference in the driving experience or safety.

3. Rush to market. Until a decade ago it took 36 months (3 years) from the inception of a brand new vehicle until it started to roll off the assembly line and be sold to the public. Today, car manufacturers target 18 months or less – half the old standard time! How, by using computer modeling and design software rather than building handcrafted prototypes and testing them on racetracks and real life situations for months on end.

The worst such example of late is – if memory serves me correctly - Nissan. They created a great new compact engine and designed an entire world class compact car around it. Only problem was that when it was sold to the public and started to be regularly driven, it was found the engine burned oil like crazy! The problem turned out to be beyond ‘fixing’ as it was a fundamental design issue. As no other available engine could fit into the tiny new car, the entire model HAD TO BE SCRAPPED!!!


So, to Apple, to Toyota and all other manufacturers, take note and rethink your computer dependant wizardry and haste.

Common advice on the street today is to never buy a car model in its first year. Why be the company's guinea pig and spend unnecessary time in the dealership’s shop?

And, as a machinery fabricator recently told me, quality among car manufacturers is more or less the same today, so if you want a reliable vehicle that doesn’t constantly break down and cost thousands in repairs, skip the fancy electronics. Buy models with mechanical rollup windows, with mechanical seat adjusting – and skip all the fancy razzle dazzle extras. Your car will spend more time on the road, and your wallet will bulge; after all, these are also the cheaper models to start with.

PS: I know he’s right from personal experience! 3 window electric motors shot
while under extended warranty (thank goodness).