Toyota recalls and related issues: BusinessWeek-Media owes Toyota an apology
03-03-10, 01:11 PM
#856
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03-03-10, 01:16 PM
#857
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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.
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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."
Click for related content
Ford, GM post sales gains during Toyota recalls
Government weighs requiring brake overrides
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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.
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.
If this now explodes Toyota is going to suffer badly.
Wow the victim is a freelance journalist..go figure
"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."
03-03-10, 01:25 PM
#858
Lexus Fanatic
Like I have been saying from day 1 its the ECU not the pedal or the floor matts. Gas pedal stuck you should be able to hit the brakes. Same thing in the case of a stuck floor matt. This is going to blow up even more.
Steve Wozniak ( apple founder) has stated even before that they started looking at electronics that he could recreate the unwanted acceleration.
Toyota is screwed the minute the new starts pounding them with this. To an on the fence consumer its going to look like the cars are unsafe, problematic, and the manufacturer still cant figure it out
Toyota is probably praying for another huge earthquake to consume the attention of the media
Steve Wozniak ( apple founder) has stated even before that they started looking at electronics that he could recreate the unwanted acceleration.
Toyota is screwed the minute the new starts pounding them with this. To an on the fence consumer its going to look like the cars are unsafe, problematic, and the manufacturer still cant figure it out
Toyota is probably praying for another huge earthquake to consume the attention of the media
03-03-10, 01:37 PM
#860
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIP...itroom.02.html
WOZNIAK: Oh, well, it's a big hoax. I bet my friends I could get on your show, and here I am. It's a big hoax.
Well, the hoax is really more in the media. The media is portraying me as saying, oh, I'm worried about the problem; what they have been recalled for is really a software problem.
I haven't really said those things. They have put those words in my mouth. [...]
And you would think that with all these accelerator problems, whether it was mats, whether it was a sticky accelerator pedal, whatever -- I believe they found the right solution. If Toyota says it's not electrical, then I'm sure they're right. I have a slightly different problem.
Well, the hoax is really more in the media. The media is portraying me as saying, oh, I'm worried about the problem; what they have been recalled for is really a software problem.
I haven't really said those things. They have put those words in my mouth. [...]
And you would think that with all these accelerator problems, whether it was mats, whether it was a sticky accelerator pedal, whatever -- I believe they found the right solution. If Toyota says it's not electrical, then I'm sure they're right. I have a slightly different problem.
03-03-10, 03:23 PM
#862
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Yesterday while watching tv I saw a commercial that saw law group put together trying to get people to call them if they have been injured due to their cars sticking gas pedal. I was surprised to see this commercial.
Toyota is getting sued left and right.. I feel for them.
Hopefully this bad PR will make Toyota improve on their quality like in the past. It certainly did go down.
Toyota is getting sued left and right.. I feel for them.
Hopefully this bad PR will make Toyota improve on their quality like in the past. It certainly did go down.
03-03-10, 03:25 PM
#863
Lexus Fanatic
I just saw this. Seems like they are bracing their sales departments and offering very tempting deals
Toyota has been getting hammered on Capitol Hill and on the showroom floor, but the Japanese automaker isn't going to take the punishment sitting down. To spur sales during this time of crisis, Toyota is betting big on incentives that included 0 percent financing and leases under $200 on its most popular products.
Effective immediately, Toyota is offering 0 percent financing for up to 60 months for the Camry, Corolla, Matrix, RAV4, Avalon, Highlander, Tundra and Yaris. If you're not looking to buy, the embattled automaker is offering lease specials of $179 on the Corolla and $199 for the perennially top-selling midsize Camry. To sweeten the pot, Toyota is also offering two years of free maintenance for all customers who purchase a new Toyota and have proof of current ownership of a Scion, Lexus or Toyota in the household.
With sales down nine percent in February versus the same month in 2009, Toyota needed to do something to get foot traffic into its dealerships. Since these are some of the best incentives we've ever seen Toyota dole out, we're thinking it just may work. But if these generous incentives don't spur a rush to local Toyota dealers, we're not sure what more Toyota will be able to do to regain lost momentum. The new rebates are good through April 5, 2010. Hit the jump to read over the Toyota press release.
Toyota has been getting hammered on Capitol Hill and on the showroom floor, but the Japanese automaker isn't going to take the punishment sitting down. To spur sales during this time of crisis, Toyota is betting big on incentives that included 0 percent financing and leases under $200 on its most popular products.
Effective immediately, Toyota is offering 0 percent financing for up to 60 months for the Camry, Corolla, Matrix, RAV4, Avalon, Highlander, Tundra and Yaris. If you're not looking to buy, the embattled automaker is offering lease specials of $179 on the Corolla and $199 for the perennially top-selling midsize Camry. To sweeten the pot, Toyota is also offering two years of free maintenance for all customers who purchase a new Toyota and have proof of current ownership of a Scion, Lexus or Toyota in the household.
With sales down nine percent in February versus the same month in 2009, Toyota needed to do something to get foot traffic into its dealerships. Since these are some of the best incentives we've ever seen Toyota dole out, we're thinking it just may work. But if these generous incentives don't spur a rush to local Toyota dealers, we're not sure what more Toyota will be able to do to regain lost momentum. The new rebates are good through April 5, 2010. Hit the jump to read over the Toyota press release.
03-03-10, 03:41 PM
#864
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I am highly skeptical of these incidents. So even AFTER brake override software was installed, and new or modified pedals installed, they still experienced "sudden acceleration"?
Those cars need to be investigated to make sure:
a.) Were there any possible mat problems on the car?
b.) Was the driver operating the car correctly?
I honestly have no idea how the brakes could "fail to engage" if brake override software had been installed
.
Those cars need to be investigated to make sure:
a.) Were there any possible mat problems on the car?
b.) Was the driver operating the car correctly?
I honestly have no idea how the brakes could "fail to engage" if brake override software had been installed
.
03-03-10, 04:15 PM
#865
I am highly skeptical of these incidents. So even AFTER brake override software was installed, and new or modified pedals installed, they still experienced "sudden acceleration"?
Those cars need to be investigated to make sure:
a.) Were there any possible mat problems on the car?
b.) Was the driver operating the car correctly?
I honestly have no idea how the brakes could "fail to engage" if brake override software had been installed.
Those cars need to be investigated to make sure:
a.) Were there any possible mat problems on the car?
b.) Was the driver operating the car correctly?
I honestly have no idea how the brakes could "fail to engage" if brake override software had been installed
.also i believe toyota replaced pedals that were already damaged (although i dont think they had large number of those), so chance of them re-damaging their pedals, which takes years of specific conditions, in several days, is next to nothing...
03-03-10, 04:25 PM
#867
Lexus Champion
Don't worry, Obamacare will steal the limelight in a few days. And brakes, for the exception of true air brakes on trucks and buses are hydraulically operated via a linkage to the master cylinder/power booster.
03-03-10, 04:28 PM
#868
Like I have been saying from day 1 its the ECU not the pedal or the floor matts. Gas pedal stuck you should be able to hit the brakes. Same thing in the case of a stuck floor matt. This is going to blow up even more.
Steve Wozniak ( apple founder) has stated even before that they started looking at electronics that he could recreate the unwanted acceleration.
Toyota is screwed the minute the new starts pounding them with this. To an on the fence consumer its going to look like the cars are unsafe, problematic, and the manufacturer still cant figure it out
Toyota is probably praying for another huge earthquake to consume the attention of the media
Steve Wozniak ( apple founder) has stated even before that they started looking at electronics that he could recreate the unwanted acceleration.
Toyota is screwed the minute the new starts pounding them with this. To an on the fence consumer its going to look like the cars are unsafe, problematic, and the manufacturer still cant figure it out
Toyota is probably praying for another huge earthquake to consume the attention of the media
what ECU issue can stop brakes from working exactly? These are not Drive-By-Wire brakes. They are cable controlled. You press, they engage.
No expert ever doubted brakes or said anything about brakes... even experts who testified against Toyota never doubted the brakes.
I honestly expect if I tell you that world is going to end tomorrow, that you are going to run out of the house screaming.
03-03-10, 04:47 PM
#869
The reports were first noted by Safety Research & Strategies, a vehicle safety consulting firm in Rehoboth, Mass.
"These fixes are not dealing with the root causes of the problem," said Sean Kane, president of Safety Research and Strategies
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...tory?track=rss
03-03-10, 04:54 PM
#870
LA Times does not disclose it but WSJ does...I wonder if there is an ombudsman at the LA Times, it would seem unethical not to disclose that "Safety Research & Strategies" is a for-profit firm that makes money off of suing Toyota and other car manufacturers. They have a financial motive for accusing defects.