Autoblog

Report: Toyota warned dealers with floormat TSB back in 2007

Eric Loveday — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:55:00 EST

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

Toyota announced an all out recall of both floor mats and accelerator pedals beginning in late 2009, but the issue was clearly known by the company years prior. Recent reports indicated that the automaker was well aware of floor mat-related issues dating back to early 2007. Not only was the company aware of the issue, it responded by posting a technical service bulletin (TSB).

Back in March of 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into pedal entrapment on the Lexus ES350. Within two weeks, Toyota issued a TSB to dealers regarding possible pedal entrapment caused by floor mats. Later that year, Toyota warned dealers of the same possible risk on all Toyota models and instructed dealerships not to install optional floor mats. A portion of the TSB is posted below:

NEVER install more than one floormat at a time in the driver's seating position... If applicable, any secondary set of floormats MUST be placed in the trunk with all the packaging material intact. DO NOT install the secondary mat on top of the primary floormat already in the driver's seating position.

In September of 2007, Toyota voluntarily recalled 55,000 floormats from Lexus and Toyota vehicles, but stated that no known problem had been found with the mats or vehicles. NHTSA closed the investigation, but the problems didn't end. Toyota continued to send TSBs for 2008 and 2009 model year vehicles to remind dealers of potential pedal entrapment problems.

The TSBs are clear proof that Toyota was aware of the potential problem and it shows they acted in a way consistent with other automakers by addressing the problem at the dealership level. The mistakes the company made include admitting that the floor mats were not part of the problem and then doing nothing else to discover and fix the real problem.

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

[Source: Reuters]

Report: Toyota warned dealers with floormat TSB back in 2007 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: Toyota adds another 1.1M cars to floor mat recall

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Toyota

1/27/10 Toyota pedal entrapment recall vehicles - Click above for high-res image gallery

If you need to announce another recall around the same time a controversial president is making his highly anticipated State of the Union address, you probably won't curse that particular luck. That is exactly what Toyota felt it needed to do, revealing yesterday evening that it's recalling a further 1.1 million cars to fix "pedal entrapment problems" caused by floor mats.

This action is tied to Toyota's largest recall ever last year of 4.26 million cars for the same issue, but is different than the recall of 2.3 million cars for a sticking accelerator announced last week. The new models in question are:

2008-2010 Highlander
2009-2010 Corolla
2009-2010 Venza
2009-2010 Matrix
2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe

Toyota reportedly has a number of fixes planned for all of the issues. Now it will just want the time to be able to focus on fixing them, without any more surprises. Hat tip to JT!

Gallery: Toyota Pedal Entrapment Recall - 1/27/10

[Source: The Detroit News]

BREAKING: Toyota adds another 1.1M cars to floor mat recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: Toyota temporarily halts sales of selected models *UPDATED

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:50:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

Toyota has announced that it will halt sales of eight models due to its ongoing problems with unintended acceleration. At issue are accelerator pedal mechanisms that could get stuck in the open position due to wear, causing the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably. Earlier this month, Toyota announced a recall of 2.3 million vehicles with the possible defect.

Late last year, the Japanese automaker recalled nearly four million vehicles for floor mats that could trap accelerator pedals, also causing unintended acceleration. The two issues are apparently unrelated, though a total of 1.7 million vehicles are affected by both issues.

The following eight models are included in the sales suspension (you can see them all in the gallery below):

2009-2010 RAV4
2009-2010 Corolla
2009-2010 Matrix
2005-2010 Avalon
Certain 2007-2010 Camry models
2010 Highlander
2007-2010 Tundra
2008-2010 Sequoia

No Lexus or Scion sales have been halted, and due to the sales suspension of the above eight models, a number of manufacturing plants will be shut down for at least the week of February 1st. Click past the break for all the details on the recall and the plants being shuttered in North America.

*UPDATE: Toyota has confirmed to us that the Camry Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid are not included in the sales suspension. Toyota has also reiterated that no Lexus or Scion models are included as these cars are built in Japan.

Gallery: Toyota Sticky Pedal Recall - 2/26/10

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading BREAKING: Toyota temporarily halts sales of selected models *UPDATED

BREAKING: Toyota temporarily halts sales of selected models *UPDATED originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: Toyota said to install brake override systems in all cars by end of 2010

Dan Roth — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:28:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Lexus, Toyota

From the "things that should probably already be there" file comes the announcement that Toyota will be installing brake override systems in response to recent incidents of runaway cars. Toyota North America president Yoshi Inaba told Automotive News that the system will force the engine into idle if it senses the driver is trying to apply the brakes unsuccessfully.

The Toyota Camry and Lexus ES350 will be the first models to get the new system, with installation beginning this month. Toyota's effort follows on the heels of a massive 3.8 million vehicle recall to reshape and replace accelerator pedals. The automaker is attributing reports of runaway cars on floor mat interference with the pedals, though the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reportedly remains suspicious of other contributing factors.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

BREAKING: Toyota said to install brake override systems in all cars by end of 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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C/D does its own Toyota unintended acceleration tests, compares Camry with Infiniti, Roush?!

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls

By this point, we are all familiar (if not overly familiar) with Toyota's troubles with floor mats, unintended acceleration, biggest-ever recall, etc. And if you're not familiar with Toyota's woes from reading this site, perhaps you've heard about Consumer Reports' investigation into ToMoCo's troubles. Well, guess what? The gang over at Car and Driver decided to launch their own inquisition into FloorMatGate.

Here's how they set up the tests. C/D took a V6 Camry, a Infiniti G37 Convertible and a supercharged, 540-horsepower Roush Ford Mustang. The Camry is ~~identical~~ very similar to the Lexus ES350 that crashed in San Diego and set off the current brouhaha. Similar in that it has an electronic throttle and push button start. Same brakes, too. The Infiniti also has electronic throttle and push button start, though it's more powerful and has bigger brakes. Also, the Infiniti has a throttle interrupt that cuts fuel when the brake is applied. The Camry - and as far as C/D knows, all Toyota models - does not. As for the Roush, why the hell not? No, actually the reason is to see if a mega-power engine can overwhelm a car's brakes at high speeds.

Here's the methodology: First they recorded each car's 70-0 mph braking distances with a closed throttle (i.e. foot off the gas). Then they recorded 70-0 mph braking distances with an open throttle (foot on the gas). Next, they upped the ante to 100 mph for both closed and open throttle tests. The results are actually quite interesting, and we will share with you that a Toyota Camry under wide open throttle can stop from 70 mph one foot shorter than a 2010 Ford Taurus under normal braking. Also, it's best to take your foot off the gas in a 540-hp Roush when you're going 100 mph and want to stop. Unless you have 903 feet to spare. Just sayin.'

[Source: Car and Driver]

C/D does its own Toyota unintended acceleration tests, compares Camry with Infiniti, Roush?! originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues

Chris Shunk — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:59:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Toyota

The unintended acceleration issue has reached critical mass for Toyota, but is it an isolated incident for an automaker with an otherwise stellar record for being frank with its customers? A recent investigation by the Los Angeles Times shows that Toyota may have concealed safety issues on several occasions in an effort to keep its name clean. The newspaper is reporting that it uncovered several incidents in which Toyota concealed defects or delayed recalls even after several complaints were made.

For instance, there was an issue with a plastic panel that could be dislodged, potentially leading to unintended acceleration issues in some 2003 model Toyota Sienna minivans. Engineers reportedly discovered the problem and fixed the issue after 26,000 units were made. Toyota didn't announce a recall until six years later. Then there was a steering issue with 2004 Toyota 4Runner models. Toyota recalled the vehicles in Japan but insisted that no recall was necessary in the U.S. even after there were dozens of complaints that showed the problem was real. The Japanese automaker finally recalled the SUVs in 2005. More recent was a suit filed by Dimitrios Biller; the ex-Toyota lawyer who alleges that his former employer hid safety data and evidence in rollover cases.

And that's not nearly all. Click past the break to keep reading about more possible safety defects the LA Times suggests may have been concealed by Toyota.

Continue reading LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues

LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Prior driver of loaner Lexus in fatal crash told dealer of floormat issue

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety

A few weeks ago, we learned that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ruled that the crash of a loaner Lexus ES350 that killed San Diego police officer Mark Saylor, his wife, 13-year-old daughter and brother in law was not just the result of an improper RX400h floor mat sticking the accelerator wide open it was due to a range of factors. In addition to the car having the wrong mats, the brake "rotors were discolored and heated, had very rough surfaces, had substantial deposits of brake pad material, and showed signs of bright orange oxidation on the cooling fins consistent with endured braking."

According to the San Diego Union Tribune, it turns out that three days before the crash, Frank Bernard had been given the loaner Lexus and experienced the floor mat sticking the throttle wide open. "[W]hile merging onto Interstate 15 from the Poway Road on-ramp, [Bernard] took his foot off the gas and the car kept accelerating, to 85 mph." Here's where it gets even more tragic:

"Bernard pressed long and hard on the brakes and was able to pull over and slow down. He put the car into neutral, but the engine continued to race at full speed. After several failed attempts at turning off the engine, he realized the floor mat had jammed the gas pedal. He slid his foot under the accelerator, dislodged it and had no further problems, the report says."

As stated above, without brake-assist (which would disappear after a few moments due to loss of engine vacuum at wide-open throttle) Bernard was able to stop the car, but the brakes would have been fairly stressed. Bernard returned the car to the dealership, but only told a receptionist about the floor mat incident. For her part, the receptionist at first stated she didn't remember Bernard or his story, but later changed her tune, stating that she told a vehicle specialist about the issue. The vehicle specialist denies ever hearing about it. And the vice president of Bob Baker Lexus El Cajon has no comment.

The question then becomes if the proper personnel had been alerted to Mr. Bernard's incident, would the ES350 have received new brakes and the correct mats before it was lent to the Saylors? It should also be noted that the ES350 was loaned to two other customers between Bernard and the Saylors without incident. Toyota has since recalled 3.8 million vehicles to reshape and replace accelerator pedals.

[Source: San Diego Union Tribune]

REPORT: Prior driver of loaner Lexus in fatal crash told dealer of floormat issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #152 - Paukert enhanced!

Dan Roth — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Podcasts, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Cadillac, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Rumormill

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

The usual suspects of Chris, Sam, and Dan are joined this week by Autoblog Editor Extraordinaire Chris Paukert. It's a packed 'cast, starting with the apparent go-ahead of the Cadillac Converj. The future of the Dodge Viper figures in to a few minutes of debate, as does Chrysler's marathon presentation about the company's plans going forward. Moving from Chrysler to the company's former overlords at Daimler, we talk about Mr. Paukert's Wild Ride in the AMG SLS, and take a complete left turn into Ford Ranger land and talk about the one we won't be getting. Toyota's floor mat/throttle controversy finishes up the topics before we take a couple questions and call it a night. A good, solid hour and a half for your enjoyment.

Let us know what you think 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, we'll see you next week!

Gallery: Podcast listener pictures

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #152 - Paukert enhanced!

Autoblog Podcast #152 - Paukert enhanced! originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Class action suit filed against Toyota over sudden acceleration claims

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:58:00 EST

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

Following a statement from the DOT and NHTSA asserting that the unintended acceleration issue potentially involving millions of Toyota vehicles is "not closed," McCuneWright, LLP, a law firm in Southern California, has filed a national class action lawsuit on behalf of all Toyota and Lexus owners that claim to have experienced this phenomenon. Representing the class will be Los Angeles County residents Seong Bae Choi (owner of a 2004 Camry) and Chris Chan Park (owner of a 2008 FJ Cruiser).

According to the suit, Toyota has known about reports of unintended acceleration for years and has received over 2,000 such complaints. Citing statistics from Safety Research & Strategies, Inc., the lawsuit alleges that there have been 16 fatalities and 243 injuries from Toyota and Lexus crashes attributed to runaway vehicles. Toyota attributes these accidents to improperly installed or incorrect floormats that prevent the accelerator pedal from returning to its idle position.

Wright, though, said in a statement, "[N]either driver error nor floormats can explain away many other frightening instances of runaway Toyotas. Until the company acknowledges the real problem and fixes it, we worry that other preventable injuries and deaths will occur." Hit the jump for the official press release from McCuneWright.

[Source: McCuneWright, LLP]

Continue reading Class action suit filed against Toyota over sudden acceleration claims

Class action suit filed against Toyota over sudden acceleration claims originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHTSA releases new info about crash that prompted Toyota floormat recall

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:32:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety

Contrary to previous reports, the death of a four people and the largest recall in Toyota's history was caused by a compound of errors. The initial buzz/word on the virtual street suggested that it was simply an improperly placed floor mat that doomed CHP officer Mark Saylor and three family members when the Lexus ES350 they were traveling in got jammed open at over 100 MPH before crashing and bursting into flames. But it turns out it was more than just a floor mat.

First of all, the floor mat in question didn't belong to the ES350 (actually, the ES350 didn't belong to Officer Saylor -- it was a dealer loaner while his car was being worked on). The mats in the ES350 that crashed were from a RX400h. Not only that, they were those thick, all-weather hard rubber mats. Regardless, because the dealer had placed the wrong mats into the wrong car, there was no way to properly mount them. Also, it seems that the pedal design of the ES350 also played a role. The NHTSA discovered that, "Beyond the main pivot, the lever is not hinged and has no means for relieving forces caused by interferences." We think that means it can easily get stuck.

But that's not all. The NHTSA had also learned from a previous ES350 investigation that, "the Lexus ES braking system loses power-assist when the throttle is fully opened, increasing braking distance fivefold." That's not good. And the brakes had signs of heavy wear and damage, "Rotors were discolored and heated, had very rough surfaces, had substantial deposits of brake pad material, and showed signs of bright orange oxidation on the cooling fins consistent with endured braking."

Additionally, because the Lexus has push button start, the operator must push the button for three seconds before the engine will shut off. A piece of info obviously and sadly not known by Officer Saylor. The San Diego County Sheriff's office is leading the investigation and has not yet released their final report. We'll keep you posted on that, but as they say in plane crashes, looks like the holes in the swiss cheese all lined up.

[Source: LA Times]

NHTSA releases new info about crash that prompted Toyota floormat recall originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Consumer Reports sees what happens when your floor mat sticks

Michael Harley — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Technology

In the wake of Toyota's huge floor mat recall, theorists have come up with several survival strategies designed to overcome a throttle that's stuck wide-open. Putting some of these theories to the test - and debunking several myths in the process - is the team over at Consumer Reports.

With a large test track and a fleet of vehicles at their disposal, the magazine's engineers initially focused on the "just step hard on the brakes" method of bringing the car to a halt. Interestingly enough, CR tested a Mercedes-Benz E350 and a Volkswagen Jetta Wagon - both fitted with drive-by-wire "smart throttles" that are designed to ignore conflicting inputs (throttle and brake at the same time). CR reports that these cars simply shut down to idle and came safety to a stop. The story was a bit different with a Toyota Venza and Chevrolet HHR, however. When the brakes on those vehicles were firmly applied at 20 mph, their transmissions downshifted to fight the deceleration. The vehicles were both eventually brought to a stop after the first test. However, when the test was repeated at 60 mph on brakes that had been cooled since the earlier run, both vehicles quickly suffered fade from their overheated brakes and were unable to come to a complete stop.

As is the general rule, a vehicle's braking system is stronger than the engine when the car is standing still. However, the tests conducted by Consumer Reports demonstrate that the power of the engine combined with the momentum of a car at highway speed is often enough to overtax the braking system's ability to bring the car to a stop (the brakes overheat and fade). Their suggestion is to simply slide the transmission lever to neutral - removing the engine's power from the equation - and apply the brakes firmly to bring the car to a stop. Once stopped, shut the engine off and then shift safely into Park. This "shift-to-neutral" action was equally effective on all four vehicles. The CR team also explored shutting off the engine (turn the key or hold the Start/Stop button down for more than a few seconds). This method also worked well, but it does present some danger. Switching off the engine disables power steering on most vehicles, eliminates brake boost, and may lock the steering wheel if the key is turned back too far - making a safe stop nearly impossible.

[Source: Consumer Reports | Image: George Heyer/Getty]]

Consumer Reports sees what happens when your floor mat sticks originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota's solution for troublesome floormats: Tie them down

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:01:00 EST

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

Good news for those of you who happen to own a Toyota or Lexus vehicle sans floormats, as the Japanese automaker has reportedly come up with a solution to the 3.8 million-vehicle recall announced last week. We haven't reviewed the documentation ourselves, but it sounds as if the answer is to zip tie the driver's side floormat to the seat rails.

Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons tells Automotive News that dealers all around the country should have gotten the instructions on the so-called "semipermanent floormat installation process," which means they can continue to sell new and used vehicles with floormats in place.

Plus, dealerships are being instructed to attach a note to the nylon wire-tie instructing dealers and customers to ensure the mats are properly affixed. The warning also notes that owners should never stack multiple mats on top of one another(!). Apparently, this bit of discount MacGyvery satisfies the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If you own one of the recalled models, perhaps it's time to visit your dealership to get the fix taken care of.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Toyota's solution for troublesome floormats: Tie them down originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota floormat recall gets explained

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:29:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Toyota

Wondering what the deal is with all those potentially dangerous Toyota floormats? After all, just about every car sold in America is equipped with or at least offers optional floormats, sometimes with multiple choices. So, why are Toyota's mats being singled out? The short answer is because the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has received a slew of complaints that indicate the floormat design used in a number of Toyota cars and trucks may cause the accelerator pedal to stick wide open. But why?

Our friends at KickingTires took a look at the 2010 Prius that happens to be in their fleet at the moment, and they found that the mechanism that locates and holds the car's floormats in place is a possible cause for concern. It seems that Toyota engineered a floormat hook that can be detached from the carpet so that cars not equipped with optional mats don't have latches protruding from the floor. Unfortunately, this design also means that there are two places where the mats could become unhooked.

According to Toyota spokesman John Hanson, some other Toyota vehicles not included in the recall are also equipped with this same floormat hook design. Only the models that have received specific complaints were included in the initial recall, though more Toyota vehicles could be added once the details are finalized, including some 2010 models.

[Source: KickingTires]

Toyota floormat recall gets explained originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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