Autoblog

REPORT: Toyota dealers caught off guard by pedal recall

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

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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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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REPORT: Toyota execs deny cover-up after feds rebuke automaker over runaway car investigation

Chris Shunk — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Toyota

Remember Toyota's massive 3.8 million unit unintended acceleration recall that was attributed to pesky floor mats? It appears defective floor mats doesn't tell the whole story, as the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared in a statement that "this (unintended acceleration) matter is not closed," adding "removal of the floor mats is simply an interim measure, not a remedy of the underlying defect in the vehicles."

Up to 2,000 Toyota customers claim to have experienced a sudden surge of acceleration, and some reportedly told ABC News that they didn't even have the recalled floor mats in their vehicles. Even more disturbing are the results of an ABC News investigation that reportedly found "hundreds" of accidents and up to 16 deaths as a result of unintended acceleration.

Four of those deaths occurred in August when an off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer, traveling with his wife, daughter and brother in-law, were killed after their Lexus accelerated uncontrollably. The driver's brother in-law called 911 and said that the brakes didn't work before the vehicle reached an intersection, struck another car, went into a ditch and caught fire. Some Toyota owners feel there is an electronic glitch in the system that controls the throttle and the ABC report shows that there is some anecdotal evidence which illustrates that incidents rose after the system was put into place in 2002, but so far, NHTSA has found no evidence to support those claims after six investigations.

ABC News caught up with Toyota Vice President Yukitoshi Funo (pictured second from left) and asked him if Toyota was covering anything up. Funo replied "It is not part of the Toyota culture and Toyota way to cover up anything," adding that the Japanese automaker is working with NHTSA to come up with an agreement on how to proceed going forward.

If you own a Toyota or Lexus and you are concerned about this issue, it appears that there is little that will be done in the short term other than tie down or remove the floor mats. If you do experience the acceleration issue, Consumer Reports suggests shifting your vehicle into neutral, pressing the brake and holding it down in an effort to bring your vehicle to a stop. This post and video from CR demonstrates how to effectively resolve the situation, and the risks of pumping the brakes. Turning off your vehicle could be a bad idea, as turning off the engine will also result in the loss of power steering and power brakes.

[Source: ABC News | Image: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty]

REPORT: Toyota execs deny cover-up after feds rebuke automaker over runaway car investigation originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:01:00 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 under spotlight for possible Tacoma sudden acceleration

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:59:00 EST

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

Audi went through it in the '80s. Jeep went through it a couple years ago. Other makers have been accused of it, and now it's Toyota's turn: the NHTSA is considering investigating Tacoma pickup trucks from 2004-2008 due to claims of unintended acceleration. In one instance, a man said he turned off his cruise control to exit the freeway, and the truck surged on him, forcing him to dodge a few vehicles -- even as he had his foot on the brake pedal.

Toyota says there is nothing wrong with the Tacoma's drive-by-wire system. The trucks that have been inspected have not shown the error codes Toyota would expect if the throttle and accelerator pedal were out of whack. The company wrote to the NHTSA and said, "Toyota believes that it is likely that many of the consumer complaints about the general issue of unwanted acceleration ... as well as many of the complaints about this subject that have been received by Toyota, were inspired by publicity."

We can't comment on the claims of unintended acceleration, as we have no idea if they are true or publicity driven. But we can wonder out loud why the brakes suddenly don't work. No matter what a car does -- even at full power -- the brakes should still do their job. After Audi's debacle, the NHTSA conducted a 2-year investigation of the issue and found nothing wrong with those cars, and everyone who sued Audi lost in court. Perhaps the folks in Tokyo should make time for a call to Ingolstadt.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Toyota under spotlight for possible Tacoma sudden acceleration originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:59:00 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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'Unintended acceleration' allegations leveled against Jeep Grand Cherokee

Chris Paukert — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:03:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Audi, Jeep

In word that must have long-time Audi executives reaching for their Maalox by association, Connecticut officials are urging federal regulators to investigate allegations of 'unintended acceleration' in late-model Jeep Grand Cherokees.

The call comes after a 52-year-old man was run over and killed in a car wash in the state. In fact, the hubbub seems to be that something in that particular environment appears to make these episodes more likely - Connecticut bigwigs have logged a number of complaints about the vehicles suddenly picking up speed when drivers move the automatic transmission from 'neutral' to 'drive' while in car washes.

Car buffs may recall Audi's bout with 'unintended acceleration' way back in 1986, when news program 60 Minutes demonized the company's 5000 model sedan. The company's reputation and sales tanked, taking more than fifteen years to rebound. In that case, the syndrome was later judged to be the result of operator pedal misapplication.

If we had to put money on it, we'd be just as quick to cite wet shoes and slippery pedals.

[Source: CNNMoney.com]

'Unintended acceleration' allegations leveled against Jeep Grand Cherokee originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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