Autoblog

BREAKING: WSJ says crash data points to pedal misapplication in Toyota sudden acceleration cases

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:26:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Lexus, Toyota

After receiving more than 3,000 reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the U.S. Department of Transportation has concluded that driver error was actually at fault. According to The Wall Street Journal, investigators analyzing different data recorders from Toyota vehicles found that at the time of these sudden acceleration crashes, the throttles were wide open rather and the brakes were not depressed. Thus, they have reason to believe that drivers were mistakenly stomping on the accelerator rather than slamming the brakes in an attempt to avoid these crashes.

Of the 75 fatal crashes blamed on sudden acceleration, only one incident has actually been verified as being caused by vehicle fault - the Lexus ES350 accident that killed a California highway patrolman and three other passengers last August. Even so, this case was chalked up as an incident where the floor mat trapped the gas pedal, which Toyota quickly issued a recall for.

The WSJ also reports that U.S. Transportation Department officials have stated publicly that they have yet to find any electronic glitches in Toyota vehicles that could lead to these crashes. The only defects proven to be true are those that have been outlined by Toyota itself - floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals that are slow to return to idle.

So while Toyota may not have been at fault in these sudden acceleration cases, the automaker's image has indeed been seriously tarnished over the past few months. Over eight million Toyota vehicles have been recalled worldwide - a large blemish in automotive history, and it appears that much of the hand-wringing may have been for naught. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: The Wall Street Journal | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

BREAKING: WSJ says crash data points to pedal misapplication in Toyota sudden acceleration cases originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Corrigan Brothers have The Knack for Toyota parody

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Toyota, Humor

Corrigan Brothers' sing My Toyota - Click above to watch video after the jump

Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack, died earlier this year. He and My Sharona live on, though, and not just on '80s radio stations. Witness this rather timely and well-done parody, My Toyota by the Corrigan Brothers and Pete Creighton. If you think this whole Toyota recall/unintended acceleration thing will sound better in song, follow the jump to watch the video. We've even included the lyrics for you, since this is sure to be a karaoke classic.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Corrigan Brothers have The Knack for Toyota parody

Video: Corrigan Brothers have The Knack for Toyota parody originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analysis: ABC News report shouldn't panic Toyota drivers

Sam Abuelsamid — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:28:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Toyota

You may have noticed that there have been a large number of reports recently about Toyota and the continuing series of recalls it has announced in recent weeks. Here at Autoblog we try to be fair and tell the story as best we can without being inflammatory. Unfortunately, the same can not be said of all media outlets. ABC News, and reporter Brian Ross in particular, have been particularly vigorous in pursuit of a story - not the story.

Let's make one thing clear. Autoblog is not a cheerleading section for Toyota, or for trial lawyers, TV presenters or politicians with nothing better to do. We'd like to present the information to our readers without unnecessarily frightening anyone.

We also want to avoid the sort of debacle that happened with CBS and the Audi 5000 in the '80s and NBC with the General Motors side-saddle gas tanks in the '90s. In each of those cases, tests were setup to "simulate" the purported problem, but the tests did not exactly simulate real world conditions and showed unrealistic scenarios.

A recent report from Ross on ABC News featured an "automotive expert" named David W. Gilbert from Southern Illinois University attempting to demonstrate an electronic glitch in a Toyota Avalon. Let's discuss this report in more detail after the jump.

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Continue reading Analysis: ABC News report shouldn't panic Toyota drivers

Analysis: ABC News report shouldn't panic Toyota drivers originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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House committee releases Toyota execs' opening statements for tomorrow's hearing

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:27:00 EST

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

The Congressional hearings entitled "Response by Toyota and NHTSA to Incidents of Sudden Unintended Acceleration" may have started today, but the actual response by Toyoda - that's Akio Toyoda with a "D," head of the Japanese automaker - will come tomorrow.

If you plan on tuning in to see what interesting new information comes out in Toyoda's testimony, please allow us to direct you to his prepared testimony after the break. There you'll read about three separate topics, according to Toyoda: "Toyota's basic philosophy regarding quality control, the cause of the recalls, and how we will manage quality control going forward."

Perhaps the most telling part of Toyoda's testimony comes at the very end:

My name is on every car. You have my personal commitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to restore the trust of our customers.

Remember too that Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. President Jim Lentz will also go before the committee, where he's expected to reiterate that electronic problems are not the cause of the automaker's unintended acceleration woes.

Both Toyoda and Yoshimi Inaba's (Chairman and CEO of Toyota Motor Sales) comments are available after the jump. Both are suscint and to-the-point, but the real fireworks will happen during the questioning period at tomorrow's hearing.

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

[Source: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Image: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty]

Continue reading House committee releases Toyota execs' opening statements for tomorrow's hearing

House committee releases Toyota execs' opening statements for tomorrow's hearing originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Woz Up?! Apple co-founder speaks about software-related sudden acceleration in his 2010 Prius

John Neff — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:57:00 EST

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

Here's Toyota's line: its two recalls for floormats and sticking accelerator pedals should cover all potential cases of sudden unintended acceleration in its batch of recalled vehicles. Both recalls are for mechanical issues, and Toyota spokesman John Hanson claims, "After man years of exhaustive testing we have not found any evidence of an electronic [software] problem that would have led to unwanted acceleration."

Enter Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple and a jolly guy who knows a thing or two about software. While speaking at the Discovery Forum 2010, the Woz claimed that his 2010 Prius, which is not a part of either recall, has an accelerator that "goes wild but only under certain conditions of cruise control." He also claimed that it's repeatable. Though Woz said he has tried to contact both Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Institute, neither has reportedly investigated his claim.

Why is this news? Because despite Toyota's claim that any potential risk for sudden unintentional acceleration in its recalled vehicles is mechanically related, there are lingering reports of other cases, including ones involving vehicles not affected by either recall, that could be software-related. Proving that software caused an instance of sudden acceleration is tricky, so the fact that Woz claims he can repeat the issue makes his case appear to be one worth investigating.

[Source: CNET | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Woz Up?! Apple co-founder speaks about software-related sudden acceleration in his 2010 Prius originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Toyota claims it's not fitting throttle overrides because of sudden acceleration scandal

Dan Roth — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Technology, Toyota

Toyota cars are being equipped with brake override systems, that's a fact. The reason behind it isn't the recent and as-yet-unsolved runaway car issues that have plagued the automaker. At least that's what Toyota says; the company maintains that the change was already under development. While other companies have seemingly figured out brake override, Toyota has been busy perfecting its own setup. All of this is according to what Toyota's quality general manager, Hiroyuki Yokoyama, tells Automotive News.

In the interview, Yokoyama admits that part of Toyota's recent quality problems stem in part from from the automaker's rapid growth as it overtook General Motors as the world's biggest-selling automaker. More to the point, Toyota's increase in production numbers and proliferation of model lines made quality harder to bake-in to every product. The competition has also improved in quality, closing the gap between Toyota and its rivals. Yokoyama also challenges the accusation that there are underlying problems with Toyota's electronic throttle systems, citing the number of sensors and failsafes already designed into the system. Nevertheless, Toyota is looking at its pushbutton start/stop, admits Yokoyama. To shut the engine down, the button must be depressed for three seconds, a safety feature to prevent accidental shut-offs, but perhaps that's longer than might be intuitive in an emergency.

Regardless of the reason for Toyota's plan to equip all new models with a brake override system - be it due diligence, face saving or thinly-veiled panic - the immediate priority is to avert any further reputation hits and fix whatever they find.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req. | Image: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty]

Report: Toyota claims it's not fitting throttle overrides because of sudden acceleration scandal originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Toyota dealers caught off guard by pedal recall

Chris Shunk — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:59:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Toyota

Last week Toyota publicly announced that it was recalling 3.8 million Avalon, Camry and Lexus ES 350 models on account of fears over unintended acceleration. The fix for Toyota's sudden acceleration issue includes the reshaping and/or replacing of accelerator pedals, with replacement pedals reportedly arriving in April. As you'd probably guess, the massive recall has led to many customers calling dealers for additional info, but unfortunately dealers weren't exactly prepared to respond.

Wards Automotive is reporting that Toyota didn't inform its dealer body of the proposed changes, which apparently includes the reconfiguration of the floor of some models, before the announcement was made. The industry trade journal says that a Toyota spokesman told them that the severity of the situation meant there was no time to inform dealers first, though all dealers have been informed by now.

Wards spoke to a couple dealers who sound more than a little frustrated by the situation. Earl Stewart of Earl Stewart Toyota of North Palm Bay, FL reportedly called the situation "confusing" and "embarrassing," adding that his dealership has been fixing floor mats the past few months without getting paid by Toyota for their work.

While we agree that Toyota was right in getting this information out to the public as quickly as possible, we're surprised it didn't first alert its dealer body. After all, the dealership is the public face of the company, and if customers call and dealers don't have answers, it looks like the situation is anything but under control. The official recall notices for the Avalon, Camry and ES are expected to come by year end, while five other models, including the Prius, Tacoma, Tundra and Lexus IS 250/IS 350, will receive similar notices sometime in 2010.

[Source: Wards Automotive, sub. req'd]

REPORT: Toyota dealers caught off guard by pedal recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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400 owners can be wrong: NHTSA closes Tacoma unintended acceleration investigation

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Safety, Toyota

As is usually the case when complaints of unintended acceleration are levied against a vehicle, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has concluded that no specific vehicular defects have been found in 2004-2008 Toyota Tacomas. The mid-sized truck had been under fire from over 400 owners who claimed their trucks had accelerated without them touching the gas resulting in 51 crashes and 12 injuries. According to Toyota, however, the truck features a drive-by-wire system and its computer records any event of a mismatch between the gas pedal and the engine's throttle. None of the trucks involved in accidents reported any such codes. The NHTSA has closed its investigation and believes that driver error is the most likely cause for the vast majority of complaints while a few could be attributed to loose floor mats.

While the fact that the Tacoma has received so many specific complaints is worrisome, we are not big believers in unintended acceleration and tend to agree that publicity of the issue may well have attracted more erroneous claims. Debris stuck under the brake or pedals that are just closer together than some drivers are used to remain possible explanations, but could hardly be considered defects.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

400 owners can be wrong: NHTSA closes Tacoma unintended acceleration investigation originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota Tacoma under bit of fire for sudden acceleration

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:03:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Safety, Toyota

Ever since the CBS 60 Minutes debacle involving the Audi 5000, the terms "sudden acceleration" and "unintended acceleration" have been indelibly beaten into the minds of most Americans. In recent times, vehicles such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee have been labeled with the unintended acceleration tag and have all been summarily dismissed as driver error. In every case so far, demonstrations have shown that standing on the brake pedal, even with the gas pedal to the floor, will always stop the vehicle.

The latest vehicle under unintended acceleration fire is the 2006-2007 Toyota Tacoma, with 33 documented cases on file at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). So far, no proof of mechanical failure has been found, and the most likely scenario, according to the NHTSA and Toyota, is a misapplication of pedals by the driver. Possible culprits remain bunched-up floor mats, debris under the brake pedal or gas and brake pedals closer together than drivers are accustomed to. Still, this case in under investigation by the NHTSA and Toyota is said to be cooperating.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Toyota Tacoma under bit of fire for sudden acceleration originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Car washes unfairly target Jeeps as dangerous

John Neff — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 17:10:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Daimler, Jeep

The Chrysler Group's Jason Vines is not one to bite his tongue when he discovers reports about his company that a lack a certain degree of truthiness. Today Vines has called out the International Carwash Association (ICA) on the company's media blog for alleging that Jeeps are more prone than other vehicles to suddenly accelerate as they move near the end of the car wash process.

No doubt the ICA is recalling the controversy surrounding the alleged tendency for certain Chrysler products to suddenly accelerate when being shifted into Reverse or Drive. In fact, its own internal investigation and inquiries made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that almost all reported cases of vehicles experiencing unintended acceleration were due to pedal misapplication rather than mechanical defects.

Of the 41 incidences of sudden acceleration reported to the NHTSA, the Jeep Grand Cherokee against which these allegations have been predominantly charged was involved in five. The Toyota Camry was also involved in five and many other makes and model comprise the remaining 31.

Despite finding no mechanical fault with its vehicles, DCX did offer to retrofit Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee models back in 1997 with a 'brake-park' shift interlock that would prevent pedal confusion while shifting.

Vines then turns the mirror towards the car wash industry itself, pointing out that its workforce is comprised mainly of unskilled laborers who often drive customers' vehicles wearing big boots with one ass cheek on the seat while hanging out the door. Clearly no vehicles are intended to be operated that way.

You can check out Vines' fulmination in full after the jump and make up your own mind.

[Source: DCX]

Continue reading Car washes unfairly target Jeeps as dangerous

Car washes unfairly target Jeeps as dangerous originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Aug 2006 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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