  We investigate the transient effects occurring in a molecular quantum dot
described by an Anderson-Holstein Hamiltonian which is instantly coupled to two
fermionic leads biased by a finite voltage. In the limit of weak
electron-phonon interaction, we use perturbation theory to determine the
time-dependence of the dot population and the average current. The limit of
strong coupling is accessed by means of a self-consistent time-dependent
mean-field approximation. These comple- mentary approaches allow us to
investigate the dynamics of the inelastic effects occurring when the applied
bias voltage exceeds the phonon frequency and the emergence of bistability.
