Toyota recalls and related issues: BusinessWeek-Media owes Toyota an apology
03-01-10, 06:50 PM
#841
yes, and that's why i'm saddened that toyota didn't wake up and smell the napalm sooner and respond VIGOROUSLY. being 'nice' in all this is a sucker's game. i would bring defamation suits against all those newspapers and other media reporting only accidents about toyotas that have nothing to do with anything toyota has done. i would run some 'straight talk' ads, you tube videos, print, etc., not this soft stuff, but direct, on toyota's RECORD, rebutt the lies and misrepresentations and confusion (mixing mats, pedals, software, DRIVER ERROR), etc. and yes, i'd hire celebrities. lots of 'em. maybe get donald trump to say it's b*llsh... or SOMETHING.
03-01-10, 08:20 PM
#842
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In my case the floor mats
With all the publicity on this problem I thought it would be good to document this. In my case it appears to be floor mats. About 4 months ago. 1998 Lexus coup, SC400, love my car, I had just bought the car a few weeks prior. It was a very cold evening; we were leaving a restaurant at night, driving out of the parking lot. This is my car, my boyfriend decided to drive because I had a couple glasses of wine, he doesn't drink, he's a neurologist with tons of sports type cars in his life and driving experience, he's kind of a klutz though, breaking keys because he turns them too hard, kind of in his own world sometimes like brainy people can be. I work as a systems engineer at a computer company. My boyfriend gets in the driver’s side and does the usual thing of electonically moving the seat back, he starts the car, we pull out of a very small parking lot, a slight downhill driveway exit, immediately we turn right and are a short block from a busy intersection, lots of traffic ahead and the light is red, and we need to brake, we are about 5 - 7 feet away from the car in front of us, possibly 2 cars away from the intersection. The cars starts to lurch forward and rev up, my boyfriend is slamming on the brake and cursing, he moves the shifter back and forth but the car seems to still be revving up, I don't know if he put it in neutral but with the car revving it sort of felt like nothing he was doing was working, it was nuts, it did feel like the car was doing it on it's own, the opposite of what you wanted, he keeps trying things quickly, cursing and slamming on the brakes. The entire event lasts about 10-20 seconds, we rev up, lurch, stop, lurch, we smack the car in front of us, at a very low speed, we crack her bumper it turns out, but the hit is slight, from start to stop 10-15 feet, the lexus is now stopped, I pull up the emergency brake for good measure, but it seems over, while we are both saying WTF, I can't believe we hit the car in front of us, he now seems to have the car back in control, I think he may have now turned the car off, I get out, the woman we hit gets out, I say you want to pull off the road, she says yes, she asks what happened, I don't know, my boyfriend wants to pull into the gas station next to where we are, I tell him don't move the car, people behind us are honking. He ignores me as usual, he say's it's fine, he starts the car, makes a slow right turn into the gas station on the corner, stops the car, turns it off, and he gets out and I get out passenger side and I come around to drivers side, I tell him to move out of the way, I want to see the gas pedal. I get down on my knees next to the open drivers door, to look at the accelerator, the floor matt is ON TOP the pedal, I was shocked, over the bottom of the pedal about an inch or two. I yelled out to my boyfriend, I yanked the matt back, I told the other driver what had happened, We give his name and our phone number to the driver of the other car, and suprisingly we do not hear from her. I wrote the words "cracked bumper" on the note I gave her, and my name, his name and number. I expected she would want to have us fix that. I keep this car very clean, I take it too the car wash about every two weeks. I had had it washed two days before this incident, I remember distinctly because I was going through in my mind all of the driving I did the day before where this could have happened to me. When they clean the car they take out the mats and put them back it's like the last step on the wash. Its' an assembly line type car wash and they are sloppy and quick with lots of cars to service. It seems like it was the floor mat, but I always have this awful fear, that the mat was on top of the gas because of my boyfriends clumsy, awkward attempt to stop the car, his heel digging into and shoving the mat possibly up onto the gas pedal, instead of it being the cause it's just a result of trying to stop. Especially hearing these other stories. I worry. Cars are such dangerous tools.
03-01-10, 09:01 PM
#843
Lexus Champion
Yes, all cars are dangerous tools, not just Toyotas. Having the floor mats in the position that you say would make a GM car do the same thing. Don't you think it is your responsibility to check that the car is safe before driving it after a car wash where a third party has touched your car? Just curious as to who you consider at fault here?
03-01-10, 09:03 PM
#844
Guest
Posts: n/a
I think "People are such dangerous tools" is more appropriate 
03-02-10, 05:54 AM
#845
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
thanks for the story, WestOrange. i'm sure it was scary, but seems almost certain the floor mat was to blame, and with the mat on top of the gas pedal, most likely when your boyfriend would hit the brake, his heel most likely was pressing down hard on the mat which made the gas pedal go down and rev up the car again, which is why it's so confusing.
03-02-10, 06:05 AM
#846
Lexus Champion
Poll says 31 percent of Americans believe Toyotas (and LEXUS) unsafe
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100302/...us_toyota_poll
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Thirty-one percent of Americans now think Toyota and Lexus vehicles are not safe to ride, while 55 percent say the carmaker dragged its feet in responding to potential safety defects, according to a poll published on Tuesday.
The USA Today/Gallup survey of 2,021 adults showed fewer doubts among current Toyota owners, with only 14 percent saying the cars are unsafe. A large majority of owners -- 74 percent -- say they have not lost confidence in the vehicles.
Pollsters said findings also suggest enduring loyalty to Toyota vehicles among prospective U.S. car buyers generally. While 17 percent of prospective buyers said they would no longer consider a Toyota vehicle, 53 percent said they would.
The poll, conducted February 27-28, has a 3 percentage point margin of error.
Toyota has recalled some 8.5 million vehicles globally due to uncontrolled acceleration and braking glitches that have hurt its reputation for quality and shone a spotlight on vehicle safety issues.
The company is facing a slide in U.S. sales after recalling more than 6 million vehicles in that market alone.
Tuesday's poll was released ahead of a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing at which Toyota Motor Corp's North America President Yoshimi Inaba was expected to discuss new quality changes that give safety a sharper focus in vehicle design.
Gallup said U.S. consumer loyalty may be due in part to the fact that relatively few Toyota owners claim to be affected by the recalls. Just 14 percent said their vehicle appeared on the recall list for gas pedal problems, while 70 percent said their car was not on the list.
The U.S. government got slightly higher marks for its response to safety problems than the company did.
While 55 percent of those surveyed said Toyota did not move quickly enough, 42 percent said the federal government's response was slow while 37 percent said the government response was about right.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Thirty-one percent of Americans now think Toyota and Lexus vehicles are not safe to ride, while 55 percent say the carmaker dragged its feet in responding to potential safety defects, according to a poll published on Tuesday.
The USA Today/Gallup survey of 2,021 adults showed fewer doubts among current Toyota owners, with only 14 percent saying the cars are unsafe. A large majority of owners -- 74 percent -- say they have not lost confidence in the vehicles.
Pollsters said findings also suggest enduring loyalty to Toyota vehicles among prospective U.S. car buyers generally. While 17 percent of prospective buyers said they would no longer consider a Toyota vehicle, 53 percent said they would.
The poll, conducted February 27-28, has a 3 percentage point margin of error.
Toyota has recalled some 8.5 million vehicles globally due to uncontrolled acceleration and braking glitches that have hurt its reputation for quality and shone a spotlight on vehicle safety issues.
The company is facing a slide in U.S. sales after recalling more than 6 million vehicles in that market alone.
Tuesday's poll was released ahead of a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing at which Toyota Motor Corp's North America President Yoshimi Inaba was expected to discuss new quality changes that give safety a sharper focus in vehicle design.
Gallup said U.S. consumer loyalty may be due in part to the fact that relatively few Toyota owners claim to be affected by the recalls. Just 14 percent said their vehicle appeared on the recall list for gas pedal problems, while 70 percent said their car was not on the list.
The U.S. government got slightly higher marks for its response to safety problems than the company did.
While 55 percent of those surveyed said Toyota did not move quickly enough, 42 percent said the federal government's response was slow while 37 percent said the government response was about right.
03-02-10, 06:21 AM
#847
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WestOrange, did you check to see if the floor mat retaining clips were on the floor, and that the mat was positioned through it?
Broken or missing clips will also let the floor mat slide forward towards the pedals when they really shouldn't.
Broken or missing clips will also let the floor mat slide forward towards the pedals when they really shouldn't.
03-02-10, 08:49 AM
#848
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If the LS has nothing to do with the recall it shouldn't be mentioned here. B/C the anti Toyota brigade or the barely literate crowd will copy/paste and say elsewhere "Look LS 600 crash b/c of the recall".
03-02-10, 12:49 PM
#849
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Another great article on the irrational madness and hysteria
Truth Takes Backseat in Automotive Safety Coverage
by Drew Winter - WardsAuto.com
Whether it’s due to competitive pressures or the fact mainstream journalists don’t know much about cars, automotive safety stories usually represent journalism at its worst.
In the mid-1980s, there was the Audi sudden-acceleration debacle. Independent tests proved early on the Audi 5000 sedan would not go anywhere under full throttle if a foot was placed firmly on the brakes.
Given this fact, the explanation for “sudden acceleration” seemed obvious: Drivers mistakenly were stepping on the gas instead of the brake.
But that wasn’t compelling enough for most reporters and television crews. There was too much human tragedy being trotted out by personal-injury attorneys and too many seductive stories about electronic gremlins creating demon cars.
The bad journalism culminated with the esteemed CBS “60 Minutes” news show doing a report so biased against Audi it could have been scripted by the Trial Lawyers Assn.
After years of investigating thousands of reported cases, the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. concluded sudden acceleration in the Audi 5000 was “pedal misapplication.”
Despite being cleared, it took Audi a dozen years to recover in the U.S.
Media misbehavior got worse in the 1993 furor over “sidesaddle” fuel tanks on General Motors’ fullsize pickups.
In a report on the allegedly defective design of the tanks, “Dateline NBC” conducted a crash test that included putting a loose cap on the tank and attaching model-rocket motors to ensure a fiery blaze for the cameras.
GM engineers grew suspicious when they could not duplicate the blaze, and NBC producers would not allow them to examine the test vehicle.
A search of junkyards near the test site turned up the wreck and revealed the deception. That led to an unprecedented 3.5-minute on-air apology to GM by news anchors Jane Pauley and Stone Phillips.
Insiders called it the worst black eye for NBC News in its history. NBC’s disgrace supposedly was a wakeup call for all journalists, but it did not last.
The 2000 Ford/Firestone tire fiasco showed many major news outlets put the search for truth in the back seat while they got cozy with trial lawyers and ignored key facts that favored Ford.
In his new book on the Ford/Firestone crisis, “Feeding Frenzy,” author Jon Harmon, a former Ford public relations official, says it was common for local and national news reporters to take damaging, misleading documents handed to them by trial attorneys and then trumpet them as a “scoop” on the evening news as if it were the product of a major investigation.
And now we have the Toyota sudden-acceleration story, which looks more like the Audi madness every day. Independent tests that show Toyota vehicles can be braked to a safe stop from 100 mph (161 km/h) under full throttle are being ignored.
Plus, the same sharks that helped lawyers gin up hysteria for lawsuits against Ford in 2000 are being quoted by reporters today as “consumer-safety activists.”
In the 1980s, Audi invented the shift interlock system and shared it with other auto makers to make sure drivers always put their foot on the brake before they put their cars in gear. The device eliminated “sudden acceleration” almost overnight.
The Ford/Firestone crisis led to mandates for tire-pressure monitors and electronic stability control, which promise to save thousands of lives every year.
Auto makers are learning from their mistakes. Unfortunately, drivers and journalists are not
http://wardsauto.com/commentary/trut...ckseat_100224/
by Drew Winter - WardsAuto.com
Whether it’s due to competitive pressures or the fact mainstream journalists don’t know much about cars, automotive safety stories usually represent journalism at its worst.
In the mid-1980s, there was the Audi sudden-acceleration debacle. Independent tests proved early on the Audi 5000 sedan would not go anywhere under full throttle if a foot was placed firmly on the brakes.
Given this fact, the explanation for “sudden acceleration” seemed obvious: Drivers mistakenly were stepping on the gas instead of the brake.
But that wasn’t compelling enough for most reporters and television crews. There was too much human tragedy being trotted out by personal-injury attorneys and too many seductive stories about electronic gremlins creating demon cars.
The bad journalism culminated with the esteemed CBS “60 Minutes” news show doing a report so biased against Audi it could have been scripted by the Trial Lawyers Assn.
After years of investigating thousands of reported cases, the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. concluded sudden acceleration in the Audi 5000 was “pedal misapplication.”
Despite being cleared, it took Audi a dozen years to recover in the U.S.
Media misbehavior got worse in the 1993 furor over “sidesaddle” fuel tanks on General Motors’ fullsize pickups.
In a report on the allegedly defective design of the tanks, “Dateline NBC” conducted a crash test that included putting a loose cap on the tank and attaching model-rocket motors to ensure a fiery blaze for the cameras.
GM engineers grew suspicious when they could not duplicate the blaze, and NBC producers would not allow them to examine the test vehicle.
A search of junkyards near the test site turned up the wreck and revealed the deception. That led to an unprecedented 3.5-minute on-air apology to GM by news anchors Jane Pauley and Stone Phillips.
Insiders called it the worst black eye for NBC News in its history. NBC’s disgrace supposedly was a wakeup call for all journalists, but it did not last.
The 2000 Ford/Firestone tire fiasco showed many major news outlets put the search for truth in the back seat while they got cozy with trial lawyers and ignored key facts that favored Ford.
In his new book on the Ford/Firestone crisis, “Feeding Frenzy,” author Jon Harmon, a former Ford public relations official, says it was common for local and national news reporters to take damaging, misleading documents handed to them by trial attorneys and then trumpet them as a “scoop” on the evening news as if it were the product of a major investigation.
And now we have the Toyota sudden-acceleration story, which looks more like the Audi madness every day. Independent tests that show Toyota vehicles can be braked to a safe stop from 100 mph (161 km/h) under full throttle are being ignored.
Plus, the same sharks that helped lawyers gin up hysteria for lawsuits against Ford in 2000 are being quoted by reporters today as “consumer-safety activists.”
In the 1980s, Audi invented the shift interlock system and shared it with other auto makers to make sure drivers always put their foot on the brake before they put their cars in gear. The device eliminated “sudden acceleration” almost overnight.
The Ford/Firestone crisis led to mandates for tire-pressure monitors and electronic stability control, which promise to save thousands of lives every year.
Auto makers are learning from their mistakes. Unfortunately, drivers and journalists are not
http://wardsauto.com/commentary/trut...ckseat_100224/
03-02-10, 01:13 PM
#850
Guest
Posts: n/a
Truth Takes Backseat in Automotive Safety Coverage
by Drew Winter - WardsAuto.com
Whether it’s due to competitive pressures or the fact mainstream journalists don’t know much about cars, automotive safety stories usually represent journalism at its worst.
In the mid-1980s, there was the Audi sudden-acceleration debacle. Independent tests proved early on the Audi 5000 sedan would not go anywhere under full throttle if a foot was placed firmly on the brakes.
Given this fact, the explanation for “sudden acceleration” seemed obvious: Drivers mistakenly were stepping on the gas instead of the brake.
But that wasn’t compelling enough for most reporters and television crews. There was too much human tragedy being trotted out by personal-injury attorneys and too many seductive stories about electronic gremlins creating demon cars.
The bad journalism culminated with the esteemed CBS “60 Minutes” news show doing a report so biased against Audi it could have been scripted by the Trial Lawyers Assn.
After years of investigating thousands of reported cases, the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. concluded sudden acceleration in the Audi 5000 was “pedal misapplication.”
Despite being cleared, it took Audi a dozen years to recover in the U.S.
Media misbehavior got worse in the 1993 furor over “sidesaddle” fuel tanks on General Motors’ fullsize pickups.
In a report on the allegedly defective design of the tanks, “Dateline NBC” conducted a crash test that included putting a loose cap on the tank and attaching model-rocket motors to ensure a fiery blaze for the cameras.
GM engineers grew suspicious when they could not duplicate the blaze, and NBC producers would not allow them to examine the test vehicle.
A search of junkyards near the test site turned up the wreck and revealed the deception. That led to an unprecedented 3.5-minute on-air apology to GM by news anchors Jane Pauley and Stone Phillips.
Insiders called it the worst black eye for NBC News in its history. NBC’s disgrace supposedly was a wakeup call for all journalists, but it did not last.
The 2000 Ford/Firestone tire fiasco showed many major news outlets put the search for truth in the back seat while they got cozy with trial lawyers and ignored key facts that favored Ford.
In his new book on the Ford/Firestone crisis, “Feeding Frenzy,” author Jon Harmon, a former Ford public relations official, says it was common for local and national news reporters to take damaging, misleading documents handed to them by trial attorneys and then trumpet them as a “scoop” on the evening news as if it were the product of a major investigation.
And now we have the Toyota sudden-acceleration story, which looks more like the Audi madness every day. Independent tests that show Toyota vehicles can be braked to a safe stop from 100 mph (161 km/h) under full throttle are being ignored.
Plus, the same sharks that helped lawyers gin up hysteria for lawsuits against Ford in 2000 are being quoted by reporters today as “consumer-safety activists.”
In the 1980s, Audi invented the shift interlock system and shared it with other auto makers to make sure drivers always put their foot on the brake before they put their cars in gear. The device eliminated “sudden acceleration” almost overnight.
The Ford/Firestone crisis led to mandates for tire-pressure monitors and electronic stability control, which promise to save thousands of lives every year.
Auto makers are learning from their mistakes. Unfortunately, drivers and journalists are not
http://wardsauto.com/commentary/trut...ckseat_100224/
by Drew Winter - WardsAuto.com
Whether it’s due to competitive pressures or the fact mainstream journalists don’t know much about cars, automotive safety stories usually represent journalism at its worst.
In the mid-1980s, there was the Audi sudden-acceleration debacle. Independent tests proved early on the Audi 5000 sedan would not go anywhere under full throttle if a foot was placed firmly on the brakes.
Given this fact, the explanation for “sudden acceleration” seemed obvious: Drivers mistakenly were stepping on the gas instead of the brake.
But that wasn’t compelling enough for most reporters and television crews. There was too much human tragedy being trotted out by personal-injury attorneys and too many seductive stories about electronic gremlins creating demon cars.
The bad journalism culminated with the esteemed CBS “60 Minutes” news show doing a report so biased against Audi it could have been scripted by the Trial Lawyers Assn.
After years of investigating thousands of reported cases, the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. concluded sudden acceleration in the Audi 5000 was “pedal misapplication.”
Despite being cleared, it took Audi a dozen years to recover in the U.S.
Media misbehavior got worse in the 1993 furor over “sidesaddle” fuel tanks on General Motors’ fullsize pickups.
In a report on the allegedly defective design of the tanks, “Dateline NBC” conducted a crash test that included putting a loose cap on the tank and attaching model-rocket motors to ensure a fiery blaze for the cameras.
GM engineers grew suspicious when they could not duplicate the blaze, and NBC producers would not allow them to examine the test vehicle.
A search of junkyards near the test site turned up the wreck and revealed the deception. That led to an unprecedented 3.5-minute on-air apology to GM by news anchors Jane Pauley and Stone Phillips.
Insiders called it the worst black eye for NBC News in its history. NBC’s disgrace supposedly was a wakeup call for all journalists, but it did not last.
The 2000 Ford/Firestone tire fiasco showed many major news outlets put the search for truth in the back seat while they got cozy with trial lawyers and ignored key facts that favored Ford.
In his new book on the Ford/Firestone crisis, “Feeding Frenzy,” author Jon Harmon, a former Ford public relations official, says it was common for local and national news reporters to take damaging, misleading documents handed to them by trial attorneys and then trumpet them as a “scoop” on the evening news as if it were the product of a major investigation.
And now we have the Toyota sudden-acceleration story, which looks more like the Audi madness every day. Independent tests that show Toyota vehicles can be braked to a safe stop from 100 mph (161 km/h) under full throttle are being ignored.
Plus, the same sharks that helped lawyers gin up hysteria for lawsuits against Ford in 2000 are being quoted by reporters today as “consumer-safety activists.”
In the 1980s, Audi invented the shift interlock system and shared it with other auto makers to make sure drivers always put their foot on the brake before they put their cars in gear. The device eliminated “sudden acceleration” almost overnight.
The Ford/Firestone crisis led to mandates for tire-pressure monitors and electronic stability control, which promise to save thousands of lives every year.
Auto makers are learning from their mistakes. Unfortunately, drivers and journalists are not
http://wardsauto.com/commentary/trut...ckseat_100224/
03-02-10, 01:23 PM
#851
Pole Position
Unfortunately articles like these will never make the mainstream media so the general public will never know the truth. 
You think your local evening news would report something like this, contradictory to the ultimate doom they have been cramming down our throats? Hah.
You think your local evening news would report something like this, contradictory to the ultimate doom they have been cramming down our throats? Hah.
03-02-10, 03:14 PM
#852
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U.S. May Set Rule Requiring Brake Override System
U.S. May Set Rule Requiring Brake Override System
The Obama administration is considering requiring all automobiles to contain a brake override system intended to prevent sudden acceleration episodes like those that have led to the recall of millions of Toyotas, the Transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, said Tuesday.
Mr. LaHood’s comment came in response to questions from Senator Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat of West Virginia, at a hearing Tuesday of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Energy and Transportation. The committee is one of three in Congress that are examining the Toyota recalls and the response to them by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“We’re looking at it,” Mr. LaHood said. “We think it is a good safety device, and we’re trying to figure out if we should be recommending it.”
The override system is meant to deactivate the accelerator when the brake pedal is pressed. That will let the driver stop safely even if the car’s throttle sticks open. Often called a “smart pedal,” the feature is already found on many automobiles sold worldwide, including models from BMW, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Volkswagen.
Without the system, a car’s computer might think a driver wants to keep accelerating, and ignore a driver’s efforts to depress the brake pedal and stop the car. Once the system is installed, it will stop the car if both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal are depressed.
Toyota did not install the system on its cars for several years but has now begun putting it on Camry, Lexus and Avalon models. About 20 percent of its vehicles in North America have an override. Last week, the automaker said the system also would be installed on Tacoma, Venza and Sequoia vehicles.
On Tuesday, Mr. Rockefeller said he believed the system should be installed on all Toyotas, even older models. Mr. LaHood replied that the government was looking at recommending that the system be installed on all automobiles.
In a lengthy exchange with Mr. LaHood, Mr. Rockefeller suggested officials at the federal safety agency accepted Toyota’s explanation that floor mats were a cause of the sudden unintended acceleration episodes because they did not understand the cars’ computer system, which many drivers and critics have pointed to as a possible cause.
“I think N.H.T.S.A. investigators would rather focus on floor mats than microchips because they understand floor mats,” Mr. Rockefeller said. “They don’t understand microchips. We’re going to change that, but this is what the situation has been. It’s a major letdown on N.H.T.S.A.’s part, looking back and up to the present.”
Article continues here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/bu...tml?8au&emc=au
The Obama administration is considering requiring all automobiles to contain a brake override system intended to prevent sudden acceleration episodes like those that have led to the recall of millions of Toyotas, the Transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, said Tuesday.
Mr. LaHood’s comment came in response to questions from Senator Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat of West Virginia, at a hearing Tuesday of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Energy and Transportation. The committee is one of three in Congress that are examining the Toyota recalls and the response to them by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“We’re looking at it,” Mr. LaHood said. “We think it is a good safety device, and we’re trying to figure out if we should be recommending it.”
The override system is meant to deactivate the accelerator when the brake pedal is pressed. That will let the driver stop safely even if the car’s throttle sticks open. Often called a “smart pedal,” the feature is already found on many automobiles sold worldwide, including models from BMW, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Volkswagen.
Without the system, a car’s computer might think a driver wants to keep accelerating, and ignore a driver’s efforts to depress the brake pedal and stop the car. Once the system is installed, it will stop the car if both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal are depressed.
Toyota did not install the system on its cars for several years but has now begun putting it on Camry, Lexus and Avalon models. About 20 percent of its vehicles in North America have an override. Last week, the automaker said the system also would be installed on Tacoma, Venza and Sequoia vehicles.
On Tuesday, Mr. Rockefeller said he believed the system should be installed on all Toyotas, even older models. Mr. LaHood replied that the government was looking at recommending that the system be installed on all automobiles.
In a lengthy exchange with Mr. LaHood, Mr. Rockefeller suggested officials at the federal safety agency accepted Toyota’s explanation that floor mats were a cause of the sudden unintended acceleration episodes because they did not understand the cars’ computer system, which many drivers and critics have pointed to as a possible cause.
“I think N.H.T.S.A. investigators would rather focus on floor mats than microchips because they understand floor mats,” Mr. Rockefeller said. “They don’t understand microchips. We’re going to change that, but this is what the situation has been. It’s a major letdown on N.H.T.S.A.’s part, looking back and up to the present.”
Article continues here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/bu...tml?8au&emc=au
03-03-10, 10:50 AM
#853
Lexus Connoisseur
We all know Rhonda testified under oath last week right? This 2 year old video basically makes her testimony last week very questionable...
Lexus suddenly accelerates on interstate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6d2aOcziDA
So just like her testimony last week...she appears to be crying...but where are the tears???
Lexus suddenly accelerates on interstate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6d2aOcziDA
So just like her testimony last week...she appears to be crying...but where are the tears???
03-03-10, 12:46 PM
#854
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35690247/ns/business-autos
WASHINGTON - Some Toyota owners say they are still having trouble with unintended acceleration after their recalled cars were repaired, and the Transportation Department said Wednesday it is looking into their complaints.
David Strickland, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said in a statement the agency is reaching out to consumers about the complaints "to get to the bottom of the problem and to make sure Toyota is doing everything possible to make its vehicles safe."
"If Toyota owners are still experiencing sudden acceleration incidents after taking their cars to the dealership, we want to know about it," Strickland said.
Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here
The government has received a limited number of acceleration reports from the Toyota owners whose floor mats or gas pedals have been fixed but the fresh complaints raise new questions about whether Toyota's remedy will solve the problem. Toyota and the government are investigating potential electrical problems as part of the Japanese automaker's recall of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide.
NHTSA has linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by Toyota's acceleration problems. The company has blamed mechanical causes or drivers pressing the wrong pedal and repaired about 1 million vehicles, but has said it is looking into electronics as a potential cause.
Toyota did not immediately comment on the new complaints.
Stewart Stogel, 49, said his 2009 Camry accelerated to about 15 mph on a street near his home on Saturday, five days after a dealership trimmed the gas pedal and installed new brake override software as part of the floor mat recall. The car didn't stop for several seconds even though he pressed on the brakes. Stogel said he barely avoided a wall and nearly went down an embankment.
"At first the brakes didn't engage at all," said Stogel, a freelance journalist. "Just as I approached Terrace Avenue, the wheels were able to get some traction, and all of the sudden the engine did disengage."
Click for related content
Ford, GM post sales gains during Toyota recalls
Government weighs requiring brake overrides
Complete coverage of the Toyota recalls
Stogel said the car had accelerated two previous times, and both times Stogel said he took it to dealerships to be checked. In one case it was inspected by a Toyota corporate technician who could find nothing wrong, he said.
After the latest incident, Stogel called his dealer, who told him to return with the car. He also left a message with Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. President Jim Lentz. On Tuesday, Stogel's dealer called and asked him to return with the Camry so Toyota engineers can inspect it.
Carolyn Kimbrell, 59, a retired office assistant, said her 2006 Toyota Avalon accelerated last weekend as she pulled up to her mailbox near her home — about a week after the car had been fixed. Kimbrell had just returned from a shopping trip to the mall with her 9-year-old granddaughter.
Kimbrell's car dealer on Feb. 20 inserted a small piece of metal into the gas pedal mechanism to eliminate friction that was causing the pedal problems. The dealer is scheduled to provide a separate fix to prevent the accelerator pedal from becoming trapped in the floor mat. But now Kimbrell said she wonders if the company's fix will solve the problem.
"It just scares you," Kimbrell said. "If I had been trying to stop at a busy intersection, that would have been bad."
The recalls have prompted three congressional hearings, hurt Toyota's safety and quality reputation and generated death and injury lawsuits. Federal prosecutors in New York are conducting a criminal investigation into the recalls and the Securities and Exchange Commission is probing what the automaker told investors.
Toyota on Tuesday said its U.S. sales fell 9 percent in February but it would offer repeat buyers two years of free maintenance to help rebuild customer loyalty.
During congressional hearings, Toyota executives said all new models sold in the United States will have the override system by 2011 and many recalled vehicles will be retrofitted with the brake override as a precaution. Toyota said it has fixed about 1 million recalled vehicles.
WASHINGTON - Some Toyota owners say they are still having trouble with unintended acceleration after their recalled cars were repaired, and the Transportation Department said Wednesday it is looking into their complaints.
David Strickland, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said in a statement the agency is reaching out to consumers about the complaints "to get to the bottom of the problem and to make sure Toyota is doing everything possible to make its vehicles safe."
"If Toyota owners are still experiencing sudden acceleration incidents after taking their cars to the dealership, we want to know about it," Strickland said.
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The government has received a limited number of acceleration reports from the Toyota owners whose floor mats or gas pedals have been fixed but the fresh complaints raise new questions about whether Toyota's remedy will solve the problem. Toyota and the government are investigating potential electrical problems as part of the Japanese automaker's recall of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide.
NHTSA has linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by Toyota's acceleration problems. The company has blamed mechanical causes or drivers pressing the wrong pedal and repaired about 1 million vehicles, but has said it is looking into electronics as a potential cause.
Toyota did not immediately comment on the new complaints.
Stewart Stogel, 49, said his 2009 Camry accelerated to about 15 mph on a street near his home on Saturday, five days after a dealership trimmed the gas pedal and installed new brake override software as part of the floor mat recall. The car didn't stop for several seconds even though he pressed on the brakes. Stogel said he barely avoided a wall and nearly went down an embankment.
"At first the brakes didn't engage at all," said Stogel, a freelance journalist. "Just as I approached Terrace Avenue, the wheels were able to get some traction, and all of the sudden the engine did disengage."
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Stogel said the car had accelerated two previous times, and both times Stogel said he took it to dealerships to be checked. In one case it was inspected by a Toyota corporate technician who could find nothing wrong, he said.
After the latest incident, Stogel called his dealer, who told him to return with the car. He also left a message with Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. President Jim Lentz. On Tuesday, Stogel's dealer called and asked him to return with the Camry so Toyota engineers can inspect it.
Carolyn Kimbrell, 59, a retired office assistant, said her 2006 Toyota Avalon accelerated last weekend as she pulled up to her mailbox near her home — about a week after the car had been fixed. Kimbrell had just returned from a shopping trip to the mall with her 9-year-old granddaughter.
Kimbrell's car dealer on Feb. 20 inserted a small piece of metal into the gas pedal mechanism to eliminate friction that was causing the pedal problems. The dealer is scheduled to provide a separate fix to prevent the accelerator pedal from becoming trapped in the floor mat. But now Kimbrell said she wonders if the company's fix will solve the problem.
"It just scares you," Kimbrell said. "If I had been trying to stop at a busy intersection, that would have been bad."
The recalls have prompted three congressional hearings, hurt Toyota's safety and quality reputation and generated death and injury lawsuits. Federal prosecutors in New York are conducting a criminal investigation into the recalls and the Securities and Exchange Commission is probing what the automaker told investors.
Toyota on Tuesday said its U.S. sales fell 9 percent in February but it would offer repeat buyers two years of free maintenance to help rebuild customer loyalty.
During congressional hearings, Toyota executives said all new models sold in the United States will have the override system by 2011 and many recalled vehicles will be retrofitted with the brake override as a precaution. Toyota said it has fixed about 1 million recalled vehicles.
