Autoblog

CHP report seemingly sides with Sikes on case of the Runaway Prius

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:23:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Hatchback, Toyota

In reality, the California Highway Patrol isn't taking sides with anyone regarding the recent speeding Prius of Jim Sikes. But the CHP doesn't see any reason to doubt Sikes' version of events that led to his hybrid reaching speeds of around 90 miles per hour, apparently unable to bring the barreling vehicle to a stop. Also of note is the fact that a Border Patrol agent had also responded and was leading the Prius with its emergency lights on when the CHP officer arrived.

The officer that responded to the scene states that he "could see the driver sat up off his seat indicating that he was possibly applying the brake pedal with his body weight... His back was arched and both hands were pulling at the steering wheel." A short time later, the officer positioned his patrol car in front of Sikes' Prius when he "noticed that the Prius' speed had dropped dramatically" before coming to a complete stop on the highway. According to Sikes, this happened after he applied both the standard and parking brakes.

Paramedics arrived on the scene and found that "Sikes' blood pressure and pulse rate were very high." Another interesting tidbit is the the officer encouraged Sikes to speak with the media, despite the fact that the driver indicated he preferred not to. Later at the station, the officer took a statement from Sikes, who described his Prius as 'feeling funny' under braking, saying that the "whole car was shaking and vibrating" when the brakes were applied.

Sikes also claims to have manually pulled up on the gas pedal three separate times with no effect, and he was afraid that shutting the car off would cause the steering to lock up. The officer reports seeing the car's brake lights on and off intermittently, smelling the scent of worn brakes and seeing that the pads were worn completely down after the event.

CHP spokesman Brian Pennings has said that it is the CHP's position that no evidence has emerged to doubt Sikes' version of events. See the CHP officer's complete report in our image gallery below. For a slightly different view, click here and here to see what Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found after inspecting Sikes' Prius.

Gallery: CHP report of James Sikes' speeding Prius

[Source: California Highway Patrol, USA Today]

CHP report seemingly sides with Sikes on case of the Runaway Prius originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Toyota Prius braking issues may predate 2010 model; other problems reported

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Recalls, Safety, Hatchback, Toyota

2009 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res gallery

Could the apparent braking problems reported on the Toyota Prius - which Toyota admits was an issue on the current model prior to being resolved earlier this year - extend past the recently released 2010 model? According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the answer is a resounding... maybe.

The third generation of the popular hybrid hatchback hit the market in 2009 as a 2010 model, and some 300,000 vehicles are thought to have a software glitch that could cause the car to lose braking power for up to one full second under certain circumstances. But that's not all. Apparently, reports of braking issues have been pouring in since 2005 or even earlier. If true, over a million second-generation Prius hybrids could potentially be affected.

Perhaps it's worth mentioning that previous electronic issues have also been reported, such as headlights that burn out too quickly and malfunctioning traction control system. As pointed out by TheDetroitBureau.com, "ABS, traction control, electronic stability control and various other technologies all rely, at least in part, on braking to improve the stopping, handling and stability of today's cars, including Prius."

Gallery: 2009 Toyota Prius

[Source: TheDetroitBureau.com]

Report: Toyota Prius braking issues may predate 2010 model; other problems reported originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Toyota to extend recall run to Prius and Lexus HS over braking issue

Sebastian Blanco — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:26:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Recalls, Safety, Hatchback, Lexus, Toyota

2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery

While Toyota still hasn't officially recalled the Prius, they have admitted the world's most popular hybrid has potential brake problems. The company is now also looking into whether the Prius' country club cousin, the Lexus HS250 hybrid, and the Japan-only Sai hybrid, which is based on the HS, might also need their brakes fixed. As of yet, nothing has been decided, but we expect more news soon.

It's also being reported by the Japanese media and The New York Times that Toyota will issue a global recall for the Prius early this week, and Automotive News reports that the car's brake problems will be fixed with a software update to the anti-lock braking system. With news of the Prius' brake problems spreading, reports of problems are increasing dramatically. While there were just over 100 complaints lodged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as of last week, there are now over 800, a good sign that Toyota needs to do something, and soon.

Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius

[Sources: New York Times, Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

Report: Toyota to extend recall run to Prius and Lexus HS over braking issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota President apologizes... again, calls situation a "crisis" *UPDATE

John Neff — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Japan, Recalls, Toyota

Fifteen days after Toyota announced a recall of 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. for sticking accelerator pedals, the company's president and grandson of its founder made a formal apology at an evening news conference in Japan on Friday night (early morning EST). Akio Toyoda has been largely silent during the last two weeks as his company struggles to contain the fallout from recalls affecting over nine million vehicles on multiple continents. The only other time he's spoken on record was during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last Friday when he told a Japanese interviewer, "I am deeply sorry." What's the reason for today's remarks? Toyoda told the audience of press, ""I came out here today because I would not want our customers to spend the weekend wondering whether their cars are safe."

The company president also announced that a committee would be created to look at Toyota's quality issues and address them going forward, something his predecessor, Katsuake Watanabe, also did back in 2006. Finally, in regards to braking issues with the 2010 Prius revealed yesterday, Toyoda said the company would soon announce how it plans to address them. Despite reports coming out of Japan to the contrary, there has been no official confirmation from Toyota that the new Prius will be recalled. Both the Japanese and U.S. governments have also opened investigations on the Prius and Toyota has pledged its cooperation.

We also learned yesterday of brake issues in the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid after Consumer Reports experienced a sudden loss of braking power in a Fusion Hybrid and contacted the automaker. The issue sounds similar to what some owners are experiencing in the 2010 Prius, though we've only heard of this one instance and Ford has already responded with a TSB to repair the issue with a software upgrade.

UPDATE: Statement by Toyota President Akio Toyoda added after the jump.

Tired of Toyota recall news? Try out the recall-free version of Autoblog.

[Source: The New York Times | Image: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty]

Continue reading Toyota President apologizes... again, calls situation a "crisis" *UPDATE

Toyota President apologizes... again, calls situation a "crisis" *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota admits Prius had a braking problem *UPDATED

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:21:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery

Toyota has received a lot of negative publicity for its sticking accelerator pedal and floormat recalls, and now brake problems with the Prius can be officially added to the list. While there were reports of some serious concern about the brakes in the best-selling hybrid, Toyota has now admitted that there are indeed known problems with the car's anti-lock braking system.

A Toyota spokesperson said on Thursday that Prius models sold before the end of January have this brake system design problem, but that the problem has been corrected on models sold since then, according to the Associated Press. The announcement follows Japanese and U.S. officials ordering the company yesterday to investigate around 180 claims of braking problems in the 2010 Prius.

The Japanese automaker's explanation for what causes the braking issue seems right in line with the possible explanation we posited yesterday. Long story short, the Prius has both a regenerative and friction braking system, and can apparently experience a short, temporary loss of braking during the transition between the two on slick or bumpy surfaces. Toyota calls it a "slight unresponsiveness" and it usually lasts under a second.

While 2004-2009 Prius models are included in Toyota's floormat recall and none are affected by the sticking accelerator pedal recall, the new third-generation model had remained above the fray completely until yesterday. And while a recall to fix the brake issue on these models has not been announced yet, it is being considered.

UPDATE: The U.S. Transportation Department has opened an investigation into brake problems with the 2010 Toyota Prius after the company admitted it knew of the problem earlier this morning.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Toyota Prius

[Source: The New York Times]

Toyota admits Prius had a braking problem *UPDATED originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Toyota Prius brakes under investigation by Japanese, U.S. governments

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Safety, Hatchback, Toyota

2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery

The pain just keeps on coming for Toyota. First came complaints of cars running away without the driver pressing the accelerator. Now the Japanese government has ordered Toyota to investigate the braking system on the 2010 Prius. The U.S. government is also looking into the matter after receiving over 100 complaints about the brakes on the third-generation hybrid. Like most other hybrids, the Prius uses an electro-hydraulic brake system that blends the regenerative and friction braking functions. There have apparently been dozens of complaints in Japan and North America of a momentary loss of braking power at low speeds on slick or bumpy road surfaces.

We can't say for sure what is or is not happening on the Prius, but we can offer some possible insight. On hybrids vehicles, the brake system monitors the state of charge of the battery, the available amount of regenerative braking and the driver's brake demand (as measured by the brake pedal apply). As the vehicle comes to a stop, the amount of regenerative braking is ramped down to zero since you can only capture kinetic energy when the wheels are rolling. Doing this smoothly requires an accurate software model of the friction braking behavior. If the friction brakes are generating less torque than the model says it should be, the brake system will apply less pressure to the brakes. The result would be a momentary loss of deceleration during the hand-off from regen to friction braking.

Because the behavior of friction brakes varies over time depending on temperature, moisture, wear and other factors, it is very difficult to calibrate these models. The other part of this equation is the fact that this is happening at low speeds. The wheel speed sensors become less accurate at low speeds as the time period between sensor pulses is extended. Rough or slippery surfaces exacerbate the problem, which could make the brake system think there is slip that might not be there, resulting in lower brake pressure. The result is a perceived loss of deceleration.

If these are the problems that the Prius is experiencing, they could be corrected with an update to the control software. However, that will take time for Toyota to calibrate and validate.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Toyota Prius

[Source: New York Times]

Report: Toyota Prius brakes under investigation by Japanese, U.S. governments originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #159 - Reilly Brennan from AOL Autos comes by the podcast clubhouse

Dan Roth — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:21:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Hybrid, China, Cadillac, Ford, GM, Toyota, Volvo, Geely

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

For this week between holidays, Reilly Brennan from AOL Autos stops by our clubhouse to join Chris, Sam, and Dan for Episode #159 of the Autoblog Podcast. While it's a question-centric podcast this week, we touch on a few news items before hitting a bunch of your emails. An in-depth chat about the Ford Mustang's new 5.0-liter V8 starts us off, before we turn to an equally pithy chat about Toyota's hybrid braking system concerns, and we briefly consider what Volvo's pending sale to Geely might mean. From there on out, it's listener-interaction central, and we break the two-hour barrier this week as a holiday treat(?) for everyone.

As ever, for exceptional quality 'casts, our colleagues at Joystiq and Engadget do fine work. Let us know what you think of our podcast by dropping us an email at Podcast at Autoblog dot com, reviewing the show in iTunes, filling out our survey, or even leaving us a voicemail on our Google Voice line 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763). Thanks for listening!

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #159 - Reilly Brennan from AOL Autos comes by the podcast clubhouse

Autoblog Podcast #159 - Reilly Brennan from AOL Autos comes by the podcast clubhouse originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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