Consider that several Mitsubishi executives were put on trial for manslaughter charges in Japan "for failing diligently to investigate defects in delivery trucks that were subsequently implicated in two deaths." Do you think it is fair to level criminal charges on executives for product defects that can cause death among users?
1. Absolutely not. Individual managers should not be held responsible for the safety of all the parts that go into a car for example.
2. Yes. If we don't hold someone accountable for product defects, then companies will ignore safety in lieu of lower costs and faster delivery.
3. No, but corporations should be held responsible. Individuals can't control or test the safety of all parts used in a car, but organizations can.
4. Invent other options. Discuss.
Toyota recalled 2.3 million cars in the United States in early 2010 in response to pressure from federal regulators regarding acceleration problems with its gas pedals. This problem is thought to have caused a number of fatal accidents. In a memo rand urn to lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, investigators for the panel pointed to what they called "a growing body of evidence that neither Toyota nor NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) have identified all the causes of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles."
The memo said that remedies deployed by Toyota , such as redesigning some floor mats and fixing sticky gas pedals, have failed to solve the problem. CTS Corp., the company that makes the gas pedals for Toyota , claims that it is not responsible for the problem.
Toyota officials told Congress that it is "very, very hard to identify" causes of the problem. Some experts contend that the root cause problem is the sophisticated software that is installed in cars to help reduce emissions, control braking, and myriad other tasks. For example, a writer from the The Wall Street Journal concluded that "implementing so many virtual and not-so-virtual control features as a network system also creates complexity and multiplies the opportunity for unpredictable software bugs and circuitry mishaps." If this writer is correct, then one must wonder if it is fair to blame executives for defective parts that are being installed as part of an attempt to make cars more efficient, safe, and energy efficient.