Toyota is sporting one of the biggest black eyes this industry has ever seen thanks to three high-profile recalls involving over 8 million vehicles. Smelling blood in the water, some automakers have taken advantage of the situation by offering incentives aimed directly at owners of those recalled Toyotas. Shady? Perhaps, especially considering that every automaker has more than a few recalls under its belt, some of which were just as embarrassing as Toyota's (We're looking at you, Ford).
Now companies outside the auto industry are trying to profit from Toyota's misfortune. The latest is Evenflo, a baby and infant car seat manufacturer that's offering a $10 discount to any owner of a recalled Toyota model. In a press release, Evenflo CEO Perry Odak says, "The last thing Toyota owners affected by recent recalls need to worry about is the safety of their child."
What Evenflo fails to mention in its press release (after the jump) is its own recall history. The latest one is for seats shipped without proper label stickers, which sounds innocent enough. The one before that was for seats with release handles that were not assembled completely, which could result in the seat separating from the base in an accident. Yikes. There's also one for foam liner that a child could choke on and another one for a handle trigger that could unexpectedly release. There's even a separate page on the Evenflo website just for recalls.
We asked Toyota how it felt about being a punching bag for other companies, to which Curt McAllister, a communications manager for Toyota in the U.S., replied, "We really don't appreciate being a news peg in a press release. We are working hard to assure our customers that their safety is our top priority and, yet, a company that supposedly touts safety is using worry and fear to sell a few extra car seats."
Point taken, and while Toyota shouldn't be excused for the mess in which it now finds itself, other companies, automotive or otherwise, should be more mindful of throwing stones in glass houses.
[Source: Evenflo, NHTSA]
Good News For Toyota Owners Affected By Safety Recalls: Discount Offered On Evenflo Child Car Seats
MIAMISBURG, Ohio, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- In a rare bit of good news for Toyota owners facing numerous safety recalls, Evenflo is offering a $10 discount, through March, on its Serenade, Triumph Advance, and Generations65 lines of car seats on Evenflo.com/safecarseat.
"The last thing Toyota owners affected by recent recalls need to worry about is the safety of their child," said Perry Odak, CEO of Evenflo. "For more than 90 years Evenflo has been a leader in safety, innovation and education, and we understand how important it is to offer parents and caregivers the peace of mind to know their children are safe and secure while on the road."
To take advantage of the $10 discount offer, Toyota owners should visit Evenflo.com/safecarseat and input the model and year of their vehicle. They will then be offered a coupon in order to receive the discount on their purchase at retail. Offer is valid on Evenflo's line of car seats including: Serenade, Triumph Advance, and Generations65.
Evenflo car seats, from infant to convertibles to boosters, feature innovative design elements for superior safety, and ease of use. All Evenflo car seats are Side Impact Tested and meet or exceed federal safety standards.
Parents and caregivers can visit Evenflo's Web site, www.evenflo.com, to view free car seat safety, educational tools, and car seat installation videos. As part of its commitment to safety, Evenflo has a step-by-step, how-to video for every child car seat. Safety, So Simple!
For more information about child car seats and to follow Evenflo, visit:
A Mother's Promise Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/amotherspromise)
Evenflo Best For Baby on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/evenflobestforbaby)
About Evenflo
Headquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio, Evenflo Company, Inc. is a privately held leading manufacturer and marketer of infant and juvenile products. Evenflo was founded in 1920 and is a top supplier of infant and juvenile products to key retailers such as Toys "R" Us, Babies "R" Us, Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart. The company's product offering spans a broad range of essential infant and juvenile product categories, including car seats, baby travel systems, infant and toddler feeding, infant carriers, stationary activity centers and home safety products. Evenflo's premier brand name has 97 percent awareness with new mothers, and the company enjoys #1 or #2 market share positions in 10 important product infant and baby categories. For more information on Evenflo, visit www.evenflo.com.
MIAMISBURG, Ohio, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- In a rare bit of good news for Toyota owners facing numerous safety recalls, Evenflo is offering a $10 discount, through March, on its Serenade, Triumph Advance, and Generations65 lines of car seats on Evenflo.com/safecarseat.
"The last thing Toyota owners affected by recent recalls need to worry about is the safety of their child," said Perry Odak, CEO of Evenflo. "For more than 90 years Evenflo has been a leader in safety, innovation and education, and we understand how important it is to offer parents and caregivers the peace of mind to know their children are safe and secure while on the road."
To take advantage of the $10 discount offer, Toyota owners should visit Evenflo.com/safecarseat and input the model and year of their vehicle. They will then be offered a coupon in order to receive the discount on their purchase at retail. Offer is valid on Evenflo's line of car seats including: Serenade, Triumph Advance, and Generations65.
Evenflo car seats, from infant to convertibles to boosters, feature innovative design elements for superior safety, and ease of use. All Evenflo car seats are Side Impact Tested and meet or exceed federal safety standards.
Parents and caregivers can visit Evenflo's Web site, www.evenflo.com, to view free car seat safety, educational tools, and car seat installation videos. As part of its commitment to safety, Evenflo has a step-by-step, how-to video for every child car seat. Safety, So Simple!
For more information about child car seats and to follow Evenflo, visit:
A Mother's Promise Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/amotherspromise)
Evenflo Best For Baby on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/evenflobestforbaby)
About Evenflo
Headquartered in Miamisburg, Ohio, Evenflo Company, Inc. is a privately held leading manufacturer and marketer of infant and juvenile products. Evenflo was founded in 1920 and is a top supplier of infant and juvenile products to key retailers such as Toys "R" Us, Babies "R" Us, Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart. The company's product offering spans a broad range of essential infant and juvenile product categories, including car seats, baby travel systems, infant and toddler feeding, infant carriers, stationary activity centers and home safety products. Evenflo's premier brand name has 97 percent awareness with new mothers, and the company enjoys #1 or #2 market share positions in 10 important product infant and baby categories. For more information on Evenflo, visit www.evenflo.com.
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