Bill Penney Toyota

February 11, 2010

Relatively Few Complain About Toyota
Despite a torrent of high-profile recalls that have tarnished Toyota's once stellar reputation, a study published Wednesday reveals that the automaker actually gets fewer customer complaints per car than the majority of its competitors. According to CNN Money, Edmunds.com reviewed more than 200,000 complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over the last decade and found that Toyota ranked 17th among the top 20 automakers in the overall number of complaints per vehicle sold. Click here to view the entire list of automakers clocking the most complaints. The study was based on the percentage of complaints each automaker received versus the total number of vehicles they sold in the United States between 2001 and 2010. Toyota had 9.1 percent of all the complaints in the database. But the company was number 17 on the list because its sales made up 13.5 percent of the U.S. market. While the issues raised by Toyota's recent recalls shouldn't be overlooked, quality control concerns are apparent across the entire automobile industry, said Jeremy Anwyl, Edmunds.com chief executive. The only automakers to receive fewer complaints than Toyota were Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and the Mercedes-made Smart Car.

ARLINGTON, VA

3 Alabama employers have been selected as Semi-Finalists for the 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The award is the U.S. Government?s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is significant because only members of the National Guard and Reserve or their family members are eligible to nominate their employers for the award.

Semi-Finalists from Alabama include the Alabama Power Company, the City of Birmingham Police Department and Bill Penney Toyota of Huntsville, AL.

The 3 Alabama employers are among 131 Semi-Finalists from across the nation, selected from more than 3,200 nominations submitted by National Guard and Reserve members or their families for outstanding employer support. From this field, a national review board will select 35 finalists for the award. A national selection board comprised of senior defense officials and business leaders will then select the award?s 15 recipients. The Department of Defense will announce the 2009 finalists in June and the award recipients in July. The 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., September 17^th at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Center.

About ESGR

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972 that seeks to promote a culture in which all American employers support and value the military service of their employees. We recognize outstanding support, increase awareness of the law, and resolve conflicts through informal mediation. For more information, please visit www.esgr.mil.

About the Award

The Freedom Award is a Secretary of Defense award which was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. Previous recipients include American Express, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Sears, Home Depot, the State of Tennessee and the Winner School District of South Dakota. For more information, please visit www.FreedomAward.mil.