Toyota recalls and related issues: BusinessWeek-Media owes Toyota an apology
03-07-10, 08:43 PM
#976
It depends, the NHTSA complaints database shows that BMW has a medium rate of complaints, sometimes higher than Ford or Honda/Acura. Porsche seems to be medium-low, as it doesn't always show up on the chart:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=124235858
If we want to go into stereotypes, there's the supposed pattern of BMW drivers exceeding the speed limit and making more risky driving maneuvers; in the end though the overall statistics will speak to trends.
On the eve of Toyota's own debunking of the ABC News stunt, TTAC has an article up also dismissing the 'professor' and his claims:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/gil...ans-explained/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=124235858
If we want to go into stereotypes, there's the supposed pattern of BMW drivers exceeding the speed limit and making more risky driving maneuvers; in the end though the overall statistics will speak to trends.
On the eve of Toyota's own debunking of the ABC News stunt, TTAC has an article up also dismissing the 'professor' and his claims:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/gil...ans-explained/
Last edited by encore888; 03-07-10 at 08:48 PM.
03-07-10, 11:18 PM
#978
Guest
Posts: n/a
even young people can be incompetent drivers. It's interesting but I bet brands like Porsche and BMW have on average more competent drivers than Lexus. It's the kind of people the ES350 appeals to that brings down the average. People who view driving a car as using an appliance.
If we look at insurance rates, better drivers to them are people that drive safe cars and "boring" cars.
That said bitkahuna said what I have thought.
03-08-10, 06:55 AM
#979
Im an EE and i just read that debunking article and it makes sense. All Gilbert did was introduce a resistor to a 5V power signal to get a new voltage. Mind you this new voltage was well within the ranges the pedals would see. These voltages are offset on purpose to enhance fault detection. Heck they even use a voltage divider to get it to work on other cars that have different offsets or even the same voltage values for the two redundant and isolated pedal signals.
That ABC entire thing was a complete joke. Now they join the ranks of automotive reporting fraud with 60 Minutes Audi 5000 and Dateline's Chevy gas tank explosions fraudulent reporting. Test is meaningless because how the heck would a 200 ohm resistor find its way into the wiring of two voltage isolated signals, of course without human manipulation
That ABC entire thing was a complete joke. Now they join the ranks of automotive reporting fraud with 60 Minutes Audi 5000 and Dateline's Chevy gas tank explosions fraudulent reporting. Test is meaningless because how the heck would a 200 ohm resistor find its way into the wiring of two voltage isolated signals, of course without human manipulation
03-08-10, 10:47 AM
#980
Pole Position
Not sure if this was posted already, but Toyota has some big heavyweights in its corner. We all know the history of Standford academics, but the turning point may be in Exponent. For those that are unfamiliar with this company, they are a very experienced Failure Analysis shop with a team full of PHD's consultants. I have worked with them first hand and they are remarkably astute having worked on plane crashes, structural failures due to earthquakes, and of course automotive recalls/issues.
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Stanford prof to run Toyota demo today to counter claims of faulty electronics
By Ken Thomas and Stephen Manning
Associated Press
Posted: 03/08/2010 09:49:42 AM PST
Updated: 03/08/2010 10:27:41 AM PST
More about Toyota's recalls
List of the affected vehicles
and more news about Toyota's recalls.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. plans to rebut claims that the electronics of its cars and trucks are to blame for unwanted acceleration problems that are behind the recall of more than eight million vehicles.
The automaker will hold a demonstration Monday afternoon to counter tests by an engineering professor that show Toyota engines can be revved by tinkering with the electronics that control acceleration. Many safety experts have suggested electronics are to blame for vehicles that speed of unexpectedly.
Toyota believes that sticky gas pedals and floor mats are to the cause, and the automaker is in the process of fixing millions of vehicles to correct those conditions. But some drivers have reported continued problems in vehicles that have already been fixed.
Toyota will aim to duplicate the scenario created by David W. Gilbert, an automotive technology professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Gilbert told Congress last month he was able to recreate unwanted acceleration in a Toyota vehicle by manipulating its electronics.
The company is calling in the director of Stanford University's Center for Automotive Research to try to refute the claims. Toyota said Stanford professor Chris Gerdes will show that the malfunctions Gilbert produced "are completely unrealistic under real-world conditions and can easily be reproduced on a wide range of vehicles made by other manufacturers."
Stanford's Center
Advertisement
for Automotive Research is funded by a group of auto companies, including Toyota.
Toyota also has hired a consulting firm to study whether electronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The firm, Exponent Inc., released an interim report that has found no link between the two.
Gilbert told a congressional hearing on Feb. 23 that he was able to recreate sudden acceleration in a Toyota Tundra, which is covered by two recalls, by short-circuiting the electronic accelerator pedal without triggering any trouble codes in the truck's computer.
Gilbert, during the hearing, said he made a "startling discovery" that showed the electronic throttle control system could have a problem without producing a trouble code. Without a code, the vehicle's computer will not enter in a fail-safe mode that would lead to the brake overriding the accelerator.
House lawmakers seized on Gilbert's testimony as evidence that Toyota engineers missed a potential problem with the electronics that could have caused some vehicles to suddenly surge forward without any warning.
According to an Exponent report last week, Gilbert connected sensor wires from the pedal of a 2010 Toyota Avalon to an engineered circuit. This allowed him to rev the engine without using the pedal. Gilbert demonstrated the method in an ABC News story last month.
Exponent said it reproduced the test on the same model year Avalon and a 2007 Camry and was able to rev the engine. But it concluded that the electronic throttle system would have to be tampered with significantly to create the right conditions.
"Dr. Gilbert's scenario amounts to connecting the accelerator pedal sensors to an engineered circuit that would be highly unlikely to occur naturally, and that can only be contrived in a laboratory," the report states.
Exponent was also able to rev the engine of some Toyota competitors using the same technique. The report stresses the tests do not imply there is any defect with those other brands.
The event planned Monday is part of a broad campaign by the world's biggest automaker to discredit critics, repair its damaged reputation and begin restoring trust in its vehicles.
On Friday, a congressional committee questioned Toyota's efforts to find the causes of the problems. It also questioned whether the company had sufficiently investigated the issue of electronic defects.
Toyota executives also will address recall issues at its annual suppliers meeting in Kentucky on Tuesday.
Stanford prof to run Toyota demo today to counter claims of faulty electronics
By Ken Thomas and Stephen Manning
Associated Press
Posted: 03/08/2010 09:49:42 AM PST
Updated: 03/08/2010 10:27:41 AM PST
More about Toyota's recalls
List of the affected vehicles
and more news about Toyota's recalls.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. plans to rebut claims that the electronics of its cars and trucks are to blame for unwanted acceleration problems that are behind the recall of more than eight million vehicles.
The automaker will hold a demonstration Monday afternoon to counter tests by an engineering professor that show Toyota engines can be revved by tinkering with the electronics that control acceleration. Many safety experts have suggested electronics are to blame for vehicles that speed of unexpectedly.
Toyota believes that sticky gas pedals and floor mats are to the cause, and the automaker is in the process of fixing millions of vehicles to correct those conditions. But some drivers have reported continued problems in vehicles that have already been fixed.
Toyota will aim to duplicate the scenario created by David W. Gilbert, an automotive technology professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Gilbert told Congress last month he was able to recreate unwanted acceleration in a Toyota vehicle by manipulating its electronics.
The company is calling in the director of Stanford University's Center for Automotive Research to try to refute the claims. Toyota said Stanford professor Chris Gerdes will show that the malfunctions Gilbert produced "are completely unrealistic under real-world conditions and can easily be reproduced on a wide range of vehicles made by other manufacturers."
Stanford's Center
Advertisement
for Automotive Research is funded by a group of auto companies, including Toyota.
Toyota also has hired a consulting firm to study whether electronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The firm, Exponent Inc., released an interim report that has found no link between the two.
Gilbert told a congressional hearing on Feb. 23 that he was able to recreate sudden acceleration in a Toyota Tundra, which is covered by two recalls, by short-circuiting the electronic accelerator pedal without triggering any trouble codes in the truck's computer.
Gilbert, during the hearing, said he made a "startling discovery" that showed the electronic throttle control system could have a problem without producing a trouble code. Without a code, the vehicle's computer will not enter in a fail-safe mode that would lead to the brake overriding the accelerator.
House lawmakers seized on Gilbert's testimony as evidence that Toyota engineers missed a potential problem with the electronics that could have caused some vehicles to suddenly surge forward without any warning.
According to an Exponent report last week, Gilbert connected sensor wires from the pedal of a 2010 Toyota Avalon to an engineered circuit. This allowed him to rev the engine without using the pedal. Gilbert demonstrated the method in an ABC News story last month.
Exponent said it reproduced the test on the same model year Avalon and a 2007 Camry and was able to rev the engine. But it concluded that the electronic throttle system would have to be tampered with significantly to create the right conditions.
"Dr. Gilbert's scenario amounts to connecting the accelerator pedal sensors to an engineered circuit that would be highly unlikely to occur naturally, and that can only be contrived in a laboratory," the report states.
Exponent was also able to rev the engine of some Toyota competitors using the same technique. The report stresses the tests do not imply there is any defect with those other brands.
The event planned Monday is part of a broad campaign by the world's biggest automaker to discredit critics, repair its damaged reputation and begin restoring trust in its vehicles.
On Friday, a congressional committee questioned Toyota's efforts to find the causes of the problems. It also questioned whether the company had sufficiently investigated the issue of electronic defects.
Toyota executives also will address recall issues at its annual suppliers meeting in Kentucky on Tuesday.
03-08-10, 10:56 AM
#982
Guest
Posts: n/a
So more of the truth is coming out.
Report: ABC News faked at least one part of runaway Toyota report
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/08/r...y-toyota-repor
Late last month we wrote a lengthy post about problems with an ABC News report that purported to show a Toyota Avalon racing out of control without setting a diagnostic fault code. While we primarily focused on the technical side and analyzed whether the problem was realistic, the crew at Gawker took a hard look at the video in question and noticed something fishy.
It appears that an editor or producer at ABC felt they could pull a fast one on the audience and used some B-roll in the report showing the tachometer needle sweeping rapidly from near idle to over 6,000 rpm. That clip was injected at the precise moment when David Gilbert triggered his simulated sudden acceleration. As you can see from the screen cap above, the shot of the tachometer clearly shows the warning lights for the parking brake on, the doors open and the transmission indicator in park. The camera operator shot this segment separately so it could be used to illustrate a point in the report, and ABC claims that getting a steady shot during the test would've been both difficult and dangerous.
The B-roll shot doesn't indicate anything conclusive one way or the other about the validity of the test and certainly doesn't stand as proof of anything being rigged. However, the lack of transparency by ABC and Mr. Gilbert regarding the specific procedure doesn't add to the credibility of either the claims or the report, and the lack of clarity by Toyota in its response to Gilbert's assertions doesn't do the automaker any favors, either.
Report: ABC News faked at least one part of runaway Toyota report
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/08/r...y-toyota-repor
Late last month we wrote a lengthy post about problems with an ABC News report that purported to show a Toyota Avalon racing out of control without setting a diagnostic fault code. While we primarily focused on the technical side and analyzed whether the problem was realistic, the crew at Gawker took a hard look at the video in question and noticed something fishy.
It appears that an editor or producer at ABC felt they could pull a fast one on the audience and used some B-roll in the report showing the tachometer needle sweeping rapidly from near idle to over 6,000 rpm. That clip was injected at the precise moment when David Gilbert triggered his simulated sudden acceleration. As you can see from the screen cap above, the shot of the tachometer clearly shows the warning lights for the parking brake on, the doors open and the transmission indicator in park. The camera operator shot this segment separately so it could be used to illustrate a point in the report, and ABC claims that getting a steady shot during the test would've been both difficult and dangerous.
The B-roll shot doesn't indicate anything conclusive one way or the other about the validity of the test and certainly doesn't stand as proof of anything being rigged. However, the lack of transparency by ABC and Mr. Gilbert regarding the specific procedure doesn't add to the credibility of either the claims or the report, and the lack of clarity by Toyota in its response to Gilbert's assertions doesn't do the automaker any favors, either.
03-08-10, 10:56 AM
#983
you can trust places like Exponent a hell of a lot more than Safety Advocates. Exponent is licensed and regulated from their state's Professional Engineers Board. They have a lot to lose if they do something unethical or questionable. You do not have that kind of recourse with some professor or Safety Advocates. Not to mention their ties to trial lawyers brings up the ethics question.
Originally posted by Encore888 but I dunno why it hasn't generated more attention in this thread because it definitively proves how Gilbert falsified his test. Basically he created a new voltage signal sourcing it from the 5V power and a 200 ohm resistor and attached it to one of the input signals. Now this new voltage was well within the expected ranges and thus of course would not generate a fault. Not to mention this situation would only work on that Avalon with a resistor value of 50-250 ohms, no more and no less. This process of "creating SUA" is repeatable on other cars just requires different resistor values as different manufacturers use different offset voltages.
Gilbert’s Toyota Shenanigans Explained
Anyone with basic circuitry knowledge should easily see how they faked out the computer and how Gilbert and Safety Advocates falsified duplicating SUA, using the following diagrams. Unbelievably dishonest and unethical work performed by Gilbert and ABC News.
Now tell me how a resistor like this is suppose to make its way into the circuit. This just goes to show you can wire up any electrical circuit and have it in a faulty state without any error codes, its just even easier to do with electrical systems vs mechanical.
Originally posted by Encore888 but I dunno why it hasn't generated more attention in this thread because it definitively proves how Gilbert falsified his test. Basically he created a new voltage signal sourcing it from the 5V power and a 200 ohm resistor and attached it to one of the input signals. Now this new voltage was well within the expected ranges and thus of course would not generate a fault. Not to mention this situation would only work on that Avalon with a resistor value of 50-250 ohms, no more and no less. This process of "creating SUA" is repeatable on other cars just requires different resistor values as different manufacturers use different offset voltages.
Gilbert’s Toyota Shenanigans Explained
Anyone with basic circuitry knowledge should easily see how they faked out the computer and how Gilbert and Safety Advocates falsified duplicating SUA, using the following diagrams. Unbelievably dishonest and unethical work performed by Gilbert and ABC News.
Now tell me how a resistor like this is suppose to make its way into the circuit. This just goes to show you can wire up any electrical circuit and have it in a faulty state without any error codes, its just even easier to do with electrical systems vs mechanical.
Last edited by 4TehNguyen; 03-08-10 at 11:34 AM.
03-08-10, 11:17 AM
#984
Lexus Connoisseur
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/e...ol-154300.aspx
Comprehensive Analysis Raises Concerns About Gilbert Congressional Testimony, ABC News Segment
Sequence and Nature of Artificially Manipulated Faults Unrealistic,
Televised "Unintended Acceleration" Staged With Virtual Remote Throttle Control
TORRANCE, Calif., March 8, 2010 -- Today, during a live webcast, Toyota raised serious concerns about the validity, methodology and credibility of a demonstration of alleged “unintended acceleration” in a Toyota Avalon by Professor David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University and depicted in ABC News broadcasts and on-line segments.
A comprehensive analysis conducted by a world renowned engineering group, as well as testing by Toyota, has concluded the following about Professor Gilbert’s demonstration:
• The vehicle’s electronics were rewired and reengineered in multiple ways, in a specific sequence, and under conditions that are virtually impossible to occur in real-world conditions without visible evidence
• Toyota vehicle electronic systems were actively manipulated to mimic a valid full-throttle condition
• Substantially similar results were successfully created in vehicles made by other manufacturers.
In the demonstration dramatized by ABC on February 22, Professor Gilbert, assisted by segment reporter Brian Ross, asserted that he had detected a “dangerous” flaw in the Toyota electronic control system that he alleged could lead to unintended acceleration.
The following day, Professor Gilbert offered a preliminary report of his findings in testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Engineers at Exponent, one of the country's leading engineering and scientific consulting firms, as well as Toyota engineers, have reviewed and recreated Gilbert’s demonstration with substantially similar results in representative vehicles of other makes.
Separately, at Toyota’s request, Dr. J. Christian Gerdes, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University and the director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS), conducted an independent review of Professor Gilbert’s testimony and the preliminary report presented to Congress.
Their findings were demonstrated today at a news conference during which the accelerator circuitry of a Toyota Avalon, as well as a sampling of well-regarded and popular competitive makes, was rewired and manipulated as Gilbert did in his demonstration.
Kristen Tabar, general manager of electronics systems, Toyota Technical Center, summarizes three of the major concerns with the artificial nature of Professor Gilbert’s demonstration.
“First, an electrical circuit that has been reengineered and rewired will not behave as it was originally designed and engineered,” said Tabar.
“Second, no automaker can or should be expected to design detection strategies for artificially created events in the absence of any evidence that such an event can occur in the real world.
“Third, if the artificial condition created by Professor Gilbert had occurred in the real world, it would have left readily detectable fingerprints.”
Exponent and Toyota engineers have found no evidence to suggest that any of the steps of Professor Gilbert’s demonstration exists in the real world. Thus, the fact that the Toyota Avalon used by Professor Gilbert did not show a Diagnostic Trouble Code after his demonstration does not indicate an undetectable safety defect. The same is true of the representative vehicles of other manufacturers tested by Exponent and Toyota.
Professor Gilbert’s reengineering and rewiring of the vehicle’s electrical system involves the following manipulations in a specific sequence. First, the protective insulation on two separate wires that carry the accelerator pedal position signals to the Engine Control Module must be individually cut or breached. Next, these wires are connected to each other through a 200 Ohm resistor.
This contrivance, by itself, did not cause an increase in engine speed. To cause an increase in engine speed, it is necessary to cut the insulation on a third wire, the 5-volt power supply to the accelerator pedal, and force a low resistance connection between the power supply and the secondary signal wire.
The resulting increase in engine speed is a result of the subsequent artificial and sudden application of the 5-volt power supply to this signal line with the rewired circuit. When subjected to similar unrealistic reengineering and rewiring, the competitive vehicles evaluated by Exponent and Toyota achieved substantially similar results with varying levels of resistances.
This manipulation of electrical components and a power source created artificial voltages that the engine control module, or ECM, would interpret as valid accelerator pedal signals. In essence, this test created a virtual, remote control accelerator pedal that replicated the vehicle’s own normally functioning accelerator pedal.
Also contrary to statements made in the ABC News story, had short circuits of the kind artificially created by Professor Gilbert occurred in real-world driving conditions, they would have left visible evidence such as damage or deterioration of the wiring and components.
As revealed in their testimony before Congress, Professor Gilbert’s Preliminary Report was commissioned by Sean Kane, a paid advocate for trial lawyers involved in litigation against Toyota and other automakers. Mr. Kane also appeared on the ABC News broadcast in support of the claim that Professor Gilbert’s demonstration revealed a flaw in the electronic throttle control system that could lead to “runaway” Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The relationship between Mr. Kane, Professor Gilbert and the trial lawyers who support Mr. Kane’s advocacy was not revealed by ABC News during the newscast, nor was Toyota offered an opportunity to view the demonstration or given time to respond.
Toyota believes that the public and Congressional committees have been misled by Professor Gilbert’s demonstration and the dramatization of it by ABC News. This has cast unwarranted doubt on the safety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota remains confident in the integrity of the electronic throttle control system in its vehicles and there has been no reliable evidence of any kind to the contrary presented to the media or to Congress. Toyota’s electronic systems have multiple fail-safe mechanisms to shut off or reduce engine power in the event of a system failure. Extensive testing of this system by Toyota has not found any sign of a malfunction that could lead to unintended acceleration.
Toyota has commissioned Exponent to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the electronic throttle control systems in Toyota and Lexus vehicles. No limitations of any kind were imposed on Exponent by Toyota. This evaluation is ongoing. An interim report of Exponent’s findings has been provided to Congress and establishes the functionality of the electronic throttle control fail-safe systems. The final results of Exponent’s exhaustive analysis will be made public when completed. As with all such reliable engineering analyses, Exponent’s final results will provide the data and information necessary for others to validate Exponent’s conclusions.
# # #
Exponent, Inc. is a leading engineering and scientific consulting firm with expertise in over 90 technical disciplines. Exponent has a full-time staff of over 900 located in 23 international offices. Exponent’s multidisciplinary organization of engineers, scientists, physicians and business consultants, addresses complicated issues facing industry and government today. The firm’s consultants provide product design analysis, development, and testing; analyze failures and accidents to determine their cause and prevent their recurrence; and evaluate environmental and human health concerns to find cost-effective solutions. Exponent is certified to ISO 9001 and is authorized by the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide professional engineering services.
For information about Exponent capabilities and credentials visit www.exponent.com
Visual demonstrations of Toyota and Exponent testing, as well as detailed information regarding Toyota’s electronic throttle control system operation and testing for electrical and electromagnetic interference can be found at www.toyotanewsroom.com.
credit: Toyota Motor Sales USA
Comprehensive Analysis Raises Concerns About Gilbert Congressional Testimony, ABC News Segment
Sequence and Nature of Artificially Manipulated Faults Unrealistic,
Televised "Unintended Acceleration" Staged With Virtual Remote Throttle Control
TORRANCE, Calif., March 8, 2010 -- Today, during a live webcast, Toyota raised serious concerns about the validity, methodology and credibility of a demonstration of alleged “unintended acceleration” in a Toyota Avalon by Professor David Gilbert of Southern Illinois University and depicted in ABC News broadcasts and on-line segments.
A comprehensive analysis conducted by a world renowned engineering group, as well as testing by Toyota, has concluded the following about Professor Gilbert’s demonstration:
• The vehicle’s electronics were rewired and reengineered in multiple ways, in a specific sequence, and under conditions that are virtually impossible to occur in real-world conditions without visible evidence
• Toyota vehicle electronic systems were actively manipulated to mimic a valid full-throttle condition
• Substantially similar results were successfully created in vehicles made by other manufacturers.
In the demonstration dramatized by ABC on February 22, Professor Gilbert, assisted by segment reporter Brian Ross, asserted that he had detected a “dangerous” flaw in the Toyota electronic control system that he alleged could lead to unintended acceleration.
The following day, Professor Gilbert offered a preliminary report of his findings in testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
Engineers at Exponent, one of the country's leading engineering and scientific consulting firms, as well as Toyota engineers, have reviewed and recreated Gilbert’s demonstration with substantially similar results in representative vehicles of other makes.
Separately, at Toyota’s request, Dr. J. Christian Gerdes, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University and the director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford (CARS), conducted an independent review of Professor Gilbert’s testimony and the preliminary report presented to Congress.
Their findings were demonstrated today at a news conference during which the accelerator circuitry of a Toyota Avalon, as well as a sampling of well-regarded and popular competitive makes, was rewired and manipulated as Gilbert did in his demonstration.
Kristen Tabar, general manager of electronics systems, Toyota Technical Center, summarizes three of the major concerns with the artificial nature of Professor Gilbert’s demonstration.
“First, an electrical circuit that has been reengineered and rewired will not behave as it was originally designed and engineered,” said Tabar.
“Second, no automaker can or should be expected to design detection strategies for artificially created events in the absence of any evidence that such an event can occur in the real world.
“Third, if the artificial condition created by Professor Gilbert had occurred in the real world, it would have left readily detectable fingerprints.”
Exponent and Toyota engineers have found no evidence to suggest that any of the steps of Professor Gilbert’s demonstration exists in the real world. Thus, the fact that the Toyota Avalon used by Professor Gilbert did not show a Diagnostic Trouble Code after his demonstration does not indicate an undetectable safety defect. The same is true of the representative vehicles of other manufacturers tested by Exponent and Toyota.
Professor Gilbert’s reengineering and rewiring of the vehicle’s electrical system involves the following manipulations in a specific sequence. First, the protective insulation on two separate wires that carry the accelerator pedal position signals to the Engine Control Module must be individually cut or breached. Next, these wires are connected to each other through a 200 Ohm resistor.
This contrivance, by itself, did not cause an increase in engine speed. To cause an increase in engine speed, it is necessary to cut the insulation on a third wire, the 5-volt power supply to the accelerator pedal, and force a low resistance connection between the power supply and the secondary signal wire.
The resulting increase in engine speed is a result of the subsequent artificial and sudden application of the 5-volt power supply to this signal line with the rewired circuit. When subjected to similar unrealistic reengineering and rewiring, the competitive vehicles evaluated by Exponent and Toyota achieved substantially similar results with varying levels of resistances.
This manipulation of electrical components and a power source created artificial voltages that the engine control module, or ECM, would interpret as valid accelerator pedal signals. In essence, this test created a virtual, remote control accelerator pedal that replicated the vehicle’s own normally functioning accelerator pedal.
Also contrary to statements made in the ABC News story, had short circuits of the kind artificially created by Professor Gilbert occurred in real-world driving conditions, they would have left visible evidence such as damage or deterioration of the wiring and components.
As revealed in their testimony before Congress, Professor Gilbert’s Preliminary Report was commissioned by Sean Kane, a paid advocate for trial lawyers involved in litigation against Toyota and other automakers. Mr. Kane also appeared on the ABC News broadcast in support of the claim that Professor Gilbert’s demonstration revealed a flaw in the electronic throttle control system that could lead to “runaway” Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The relationship between Mr. Kane, Professor Gilbert and the trial lawyers who support Mr. Kane’s advocacy was not revealed by ABC News during the newscast, nor was Toyota offered an opportunity to view the demonstration or given time to respond.
Toyota believes that the public and Congressional committees have been misled by Professor Gilbert’s demonstration and the dramatization of it by ABC News. This has cast unwarranted doubt on the safety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota remains confident in the integrity of the electronic throttle control system in its vehicles and there has been no reliable evidence of any kind to the contrary presented to the media or to Congress. Toyota’s electronic systems have multiple fail-safe mechanisms to shut off or reduce engine power in the event of a system failure. Extensive testing of this system by Toyota has not found any sign of a malfunction that could lead to unintended acceleration.
Toyota has commissioned Exponent to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the electronic throttle control systems in Toyota and Lexus vehicles. No limitations of any kind were imposed on Exponent by Toyota. This evaluation is ongoing. An interim report of Exponent’s findings has been provided to Congress and establishes the functionality of the electronic throttle control fail-safe systems. The final results of Exponent’s exhaustive analysis will be made public when completed. As with all such reliable engineering analyses, Exponent’s final results will provide the data and information necessary for others to validate Exponent’s conclusions.
# # #
Exponent, Inc. is a leading engineering and scientific consulting firm with expertise in over 90 technical disciplines. Exponent has a full-time staff of over 900 located in 23 international offices. Exponent’s multidisciplinary organization of engineers, scientists, physicians and business consultants, addresses complicated issues facing industry and government today. The firm’s consultants provide product design analysis, development, and testing; analyze failures and accidents to determine their cause and prevent their recurrence; and evaluate environmental and human health concerns to find cost-effective solutions. Exponent is certified to ISO 9001 and is authorized by the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide professional engineering services.
For information about Exponent capabilities and credentials visit www.exponent.com
Visual demonstrations of Toyota and Exponent testing, as well as detailed information regarding Toyota’s electronic throttle control system operation and testing for electrical and electromagnetic interference can be found at www.toyotanewsroom.com.
credit: Toyota Motor Sales USA
03-08-10, 11:27 AM
#985
Lexus Connoisseur
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/e...ol-154300.aspx
The link above also shows video of "The Gilbert Method" on other brands with drive by wire systems.
Prof. Gilbert is a fraud.
The link above also shows video of "The Gilbert Method" on other brands with drive by wire systems.
Prof. Gilbert is a fraud.
03-08-10, 11:29 AM
#986
i knew I smelt BS when I saw Gilbert using a resistor to "short" something out. You can use any resistor to get whatever voltage signal you desire, and fool any system you desire. What a complete joke. I love it when the truth and scientific method expose the lies.
Here is Exponents Report on Gilbert:
http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Blott...ert_100305.pdf
Here is Exponents Report on Gilbert:
http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Blott...ert_100305.pdf
Last edited by 4TehNguyen; 03-08-10 at 11:38 AM.
03-08-10, 11:39 AM
#987
Guest
Posts: n/a
Well he needs to lose his title for lying to millions like that. You cannot be a "Professor" lying to people!!!!!!
03-08-10, 11:44 AM
#989
Lexus Connoisseur
We all knew he was just a teacher. He has no engineering or mechanical background of any sorts. He went to school to teach mechanics, but has no real credibility for it. I knew that guy was a fraud from the beginning.
