[Westy]

Only new for Toyota - other brands already have had this safety feature in production for many years now.

Safety feature? It would be safer for the rest of the world if it somehow euthanized the idiot driver.

 

[syadasti]

Safety feature? It would be safer for the rest of the world if it somehow euthanized the idiot driver.

They sense WOT and brake at the same time before it engages. Why would you want the ECU to allow that? Maybe it should euthanize you

 

[gonefirefightin]

its just the first phase of those shifty asians to take over the world with honda robots

 

[Westy]

They sense WOT and brake at the same time before it engages. Why would you want the ECU to allow that? Maybe it should euthanize you

It should certainly disable the engine before killing the driver. Don't want any innocent people hurt.

 

[eaterofdog]

Well this whole mess has been convenient for the elderly.

The Los Angeles Times recently did a story detailing all of the NHTSA reports of Toyota “sudden acceleration” fatalities, and, though the Times did not mention it, the ages of the drivers involved were striking.

In the 24 cases where driver age was reported or readily inferred, the drivers included those of the ages 60, 61, 63, 66, 68, 71, 72, 72, 77, 79, 83, 85, 89

We constantly have geezers putting their cars through the front of stores here in Florida.

 

[BurlyShirley]

So, half are old and half not old.
Seems like age is not a factor.

 

[Silver]

So, half are old and half not old.
Seems like age is not a factor.

http://overlawyered.com/2010/03/toyota-acceleration-why-im-skeptical/

Skewed young and old.

The middle bunch were all Asian women...

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Stolen from Toshi:
"The trouble, unbelievable as it may seem, is that sudden acceleration is very often caused by drivers who press the gas pedal when they intend to press the brake."

 

[IH8Rice]

No one wants to touch it. Not Toyota, not NHTSA, not any politician. But the issue has to be raised. Driver error is most likely at the root of these sudden unintended acceleration incidents.

Unintended acceleration is not a new issue for the auto industry. It's been around for decades and complaints have been filed against virtually every automaker. Even more telling, it was around long before electronic throttle controls (ETC) ever showed up in cars.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/12/runaway-toyotas-what-about-driver-error/

 

[Pesqueeb]

I sense an attention whore.

SAN DIEGO — Investigators with Toyota Motor Corp. and the federal government were unable to make a Toyota Prius speed out of control as its owner said it did on a California freeway, according to a memorandum obtained Saturday by The Associated Press that a congressional spokesman says casts doubt on the driver's story.

James Sikes, 61, called 911 on Monday to report losing control of his Prius as the hybrid reached speeds of 94 mph. A California Highway Patrol officer helped Sikes bring the vehicle to a safe stop on Interstate 8 near San Diego.

Federal and Toyota investigators who examined and test drove the car could not replicate the problems Sikes said he encountered, the memo said.

The findings raise questions about "the credibility of Mr. Sikes' reporting of events," said Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for California Rep. Darrell Issa, the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee that is looking into the incident.

Sikes could not be reached to comment. However, his wife, Patty Sikes, said he stands by his story.

"Everyone can just leave us alone," she said. "Jim didn't get hurt. There's no intent at all to sue Toyota. If any good can come out of this, maybe they can find out what happened so other people don't get killed."

Mrs. Sikes said the couple's lives have been turned upside down since Monday and they are getting death threats.

"We're just fed up with all of it," she said. "Our careers are ruined and life is just not good anymore."

Monday's incident appeared to be another blow to Toyota, which has had to fend off intense public backlash over safety after recalls of some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide – more than 6 million in the United States – because of acceleration and floor mat problems in multiple models and braking issues in the Prius. Regulators have linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems.

During two hours of test drives Thursday, technicians with Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration failed to duplicate the same experience that Sikes described, according to the memo prepared for the Oversight Committee.

"It does not appear to be feasibly possible, both electronically and mechanically that his gas pedal was stuck to the floor and he was slamming on the brake at the same time," the memo stated.

The brakes on the Prius also did not show wear consistent with having been applied at full force at high speeds for a long period, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing three people familiar with the probe, whom it did not name. The newspaper said the brakes may have been applied intermittently.

Toyota Corp. spokesman Mike Michels declined to confirm the Journal's report. He said the investigation was continuing and the company planned to release technical findings soon.

Michels said the hybrid braking system in the Prius would make the engine lose power if the brakes and accelerator were pressed at the same time.

Transportation Department spokeswoman Jill Zuckman said investigators "are still reviewing data and have not reached any conclusions."

Sikes called 911 from the freeway on Monday and reported that his gas pedal was stuck and he could not slow down. In two calls that spanned 23 minutes, a dispatcher repeatedly told him to throw the car into neutral and turn it off.

Sikes later said he had put down the phone to keep both hands on the wheel and was afraid the car would flip if he put it in neutral at such high speed.

The officer – who eventually pulled alongside the car and told Sikes over a loudspeaker to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake – said Sikes braking coincided with a steep incline on the freeway.

Once the car slowed to 50 mph, Sikes shut off the engine, the officer said.

The memorandum obtained by The AP said when investigators placed the Prius up on a lift, they found the driver side front wheel well was dislodged and the brake pads were worn down. "Visually checking the brake pads and rotor it was clearly visible that there was nothing left," the memo said.

Drivers of two other Toyota vehicles that crashed last week said those incidents also resulted from the vehicles accelerating suddenly.

NHTSA is sending experts to a New York City suburb where the driver of a 2005 Prius said she crashed into a stone wall Monday after the car accelerated on its own.

And in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the driver of a 2007 Lexus said it careened through a parking lot and crashed into a light pole Thursday after its accelerator suddenly dropped to the floor. That car was the subject of a floor mat recall. Driver Myrna Cook of Paulding, Ohio, said it had been repaired.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/13/prius-recall-runaway-priu_n_498099.html

Really? Your carrers are ruined because you had a run-a-way Toyota? Man if I'm wrong I apologize but I gotta call BS on this one.

 

[Pesqueeb]

More:

The man who became the face of the Toyota gas pedal scandal this week has a troubled financial past that is leading some to question whether he was wholly truthful in his story.

On Monday, James Sikes called 911 to report that he was behind the wheel of an out-of-control Toyota Prius going 94 mph on a freeway near San Diego. Twenty-three minutes later, a California Highway Patrol officer helped guide him to a stop, a rescue that was captured on videotape.

Since then, it's been learned that:

— Sikes filed for bankruptcy in San Diego in 2008. According to documents, he was more than $700,000 in debt and owed roughly $19,000 on his Prius;

— In 2001, Sikes filed a police report with the Merced County Sheriff's Department for $58,000 in stolen property, including jewelry, a digital video camera and equipment and $24,000 in cash;

— Sikes has hired a law firm, though it has indicated he has no plans to sue Toyota;

— Sikes won $55,000 on television's "The Big Spin" in 2006, Fox40.com reports, and the real estate agent has boasted of celebrity clients such as Constance Ramos of "Extreme Home Makeover."

While authorities say they don't doubt Sikes' account, several bloggers and a man who bought a home from Sikes in 2007 question whether the 61-year-old entrepreneur may have concocted the incident for publicity or for monetary gain.

A man who bought a house in the San Diego area from Sikes in 2007 told FoxNews.com he immediately questioned the circumstances surrounding Monday's incident.

"Immediately I thought this guy has an angle here," the man said on Friday. "But I don't know what the angle is here."

The man, who asked not to be identified, said the home he purchased from Sikes had undisclosed problems that eventually cost him $20,000. He tried to sue in civil court, but Sikes had filed for bankruptcy during the process.

"It got to the point where it wasn't worth me paying legal fees to go after a guy who was broke," he said. "I ate the 20,000 bucks."

The man said Sikes came off as a dishonest businessman who was difficult to work with during the transaction.

"It didn't surprise me," he said of Sikes' recent troubles with his Prius. "I thought this guy is trying to pull a scam here."

Toyota executives, who have talked extensively with Sikes, have said they're "mystified" by Sikes' account.

"It's tough for us to say if we're skeptical," Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, said Thursday. "I'm mystified in how it could happen with the brake override system."

Esmond said all Priuses are equipped with a computer system that cuts power to the wheels if the brake and gas pedals are depressed at the same time — something Sikes was doing.

Sikes' reputation apparently precedes him in Northern California, as well.

"I've been warned that he used to do business here," Jim Pernetti of AAA California Document Services told Fox40.com, "and that I should be very wary of anything with him."

Sikes called 911 on Monday to report that his gas pedal was stuck and his blue 2008 Prius was speeding at 94 mph down a freeway near San Diego. A CHP officer helped bring the car to a stop, but not before two calls to police dispatchers that spanned 23 minutes.

Asked why he didn't simply put his car in neutral, Sikes said: "You had to be there. I might go into reverse. I didn't know if the care would flip. I had no idea how it would react."

Sikes, who did not return several calls and e-mail messages, told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the incident was no hoax.

"I've had things happen in my life, but I'm not making up this story," he told the newspaper.

Roughly 8.5 million vehicles worldwide have been recalled by Toyota, including more than 6 million in the United States, due to acceleration and braking problems in several models. Regulators have linked at least 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has sent experts to a New York City suburb where a 56-year-old woman said her 2005 Prius sped up on its own as she was leaving a driveway.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,589090,00.html?test=latestnews

 

[Pesqueeb]

From Forbes.com

"On the very day Toyota was making a high-profile defense of its cars, one of them was speeding out of control," said CBS News--and a vast number of other media outlets worldwide. The driver of a 2008 Toyota Prius, James Sikes, called 911 to say his accelerator was stuck, he was zooming faster than 90 miles per hour and absolutely couldn't slow down.

It got far more dramatic, though. The California Highway Patrol responded and "To get the runaway car to stop, they actually had to put their patrol car in front of the Prius and step on the brakes." During over 20 harrowing minutes, according to NBC's report, Sikes "did everything he could to try to slow down that Prius." Others said, "Radio traffic indicated the driver was unable to turn off the engine or shift the car into neutral."

In fact, almost none of this was true. Virtually every aspect of Sikes's story as told to reporters makes no sense. His claim that he'd tried to yank up the accelerator could be falsified, with his help, in half a minute. And now we even have an explanation for why he'd pull such a stunt, beyond the all-American desire to have 15 minutes of fame (recall the "Balloon Boy Hoax" from October) and the aching need to be perceived as a victim.

The lack of skepticism from the beginning was stunning. I combed through haystacks of articles without producing such needles as the words "alleges" or "claims." When Sikes said he brought his car to a Toyota dealer two weeks earlier, recall notice in hand, and they just turned him away, the media bought that, too. In Sikes We Trust. Then the pundits deluged us with a tsunami of an anti-Toyota sanctimony .

Where to begin?

Well, the patrol car didn't slow down the Prius; the bumpers never touched. The officers used a loudspeaker to tell Sikes to use the brakes and emergency brake together. He did; the car slowed to about 55 mph. Sikes turned off the engine and coasted to a halt. He stopped the car on his own.

There wasn't anything wrong with the transmission or the Prius engine button either.

Over a 23-minute period the 911 dispatcher repeatedly pleaded with Sikes to shift into neutral. He simply refused and then essentially stopped talking to her except to say that he thought he could smell his brakes burning.

"I thought about" shifting into neutral, Sikes said at a televised press conference the day after the incident. But "I had never played with this kind of a transmission, especially when you're driving and I was actually afraid to do that." Sikes, who has driven the car for two years, also said "I figured if I knocked it over [the gear knob] the car might flip."

He told CNN, "I was afraid to try to [reach] over there and put it in neutral. I was holding onto the steering wheel with both hands--94 miles an hour in a Toyota Prius is fast." Yet for much of the ride he had a phone in one hand. And this is especially interesting: Most gear shifts are on the console, requiring the hand to drop to shift. But, as this image shows, in the 2008 Prius it's located on the dash within inches of the steering wheel precisely to allow shifting without the hand leaving the wheel. I sat in one and did it easily. Another unique feature of the shift is that it's amazingly simple, with only forward, reverse, neutral and "B." The express purpose of "B" is to slow the car while preserving the brakes, as in a steep descent. Sikes actually could have shifted into two different gears.

Moreover, why would Sikes describe shifting gears as somehow "playing with the transmission." And apparently he's never shifted while the vehicle was moving and thought somehow a gear shift could flip his car.

The dispatcher also pleaded with him repeatedly to hit the ignition button. Again, he says he was simply afraid to.

Early in the press conference he said it was because "There was too much traffic to just shut the car off. You know, turn off the vehicle and get hit in the rear." But that's always true when you slow down; just make sure nobody's right behind you. Later he switched gears, pun not intended, saying he was afraid the steering wheel and wheels would lock up.

Then there are the brakes.

Sikes said his brakes had just been checked out a few weeks earlier, but during the incident he "was laying on the brakes. It was not slowing down."

Others have made similar claims, so Car & Driver magazine recently put them to the test. They found a V-6 Camry at full throttle could be stopped at 435 feet. But to really test the claim, they used a powerful 540-horsepower supercharged Roush Stage 3 Mustang. It took 903 feet, but stop it did. By comparison the Prius can only muster 110 anemic ponies. Further, as Newton's Second Law reminds us, weight is inherently a factor in slowing a moving object. The Prius weighs about two-thirds of what the Roush does.

But while these other cars were brought to full stop, Sikes says he couldn't even reduce his speed. A video on the Web also demonstrates a 2008 Prius easily slowed to a stop with the accelerator fully depressed.

An assisting officer said he saw Sikes apply the brakes and smelled them. But of course that was only when he drew close to the vehicle. The officer doesn't know what Sikes was doing before he arrived on the scene.

Now here's the potential smoking gun: Sikes told the reporters that "I was reaching down and trying to pull up on the gas pedal. It didn't move at all; it was stationary." That's awfully daring for somebody who insisted he didn't even want to take a hand off his steering wheel, notwithstanding that he did so to hold his phone.

I tried to imitate Sikes' alleged effort in a 2008 Prius. From the front bottom of the steering wheel to the front bottom of the accelerator in up position it's 28.5 inches; while fully deployed it's 2.5 inches farther away. I have average-length arms (33-inch shirt sleeve) and no gut. But even though the steering wheel was as flush to the dashboard as it goes, it prevented me from all but touching the accelerator in the up position.

To reach behind a deployed accelerator and get any kind of a grip you'd have to add at least three more inches. In my case, it required squashing my face against the radio and completely removing my eyes from the road. Only the tallest men could physically do what Sikes claimed he did and no press accounts refer his being exceptionally tall. But to settle this issue (albeit not the others), Sikes would simply have to sit in his Prius and show he could reach behind the pedal while it was fully depressed. Why has nobody asked him to do so? Moreover, even for an orangutan it would be an incredibly awkward move for somebody afraid to pop a car into neutral or hit the ignition button.

So why did he do it? Sleuth work at the Web sites Jalopnik.com and Gawker.com reveals that Sikes and his wife Patty in 2008 filed for bankruptcy and are over $700,000 in debt. Among their creditors is Toyota Financial Services for a lease on a 2008 Toyota Prius, with value at time of bankruptcy of $20,494. The Jalopnik Web site shows a copy of Toyota's secured claims form, though when Jalopnik questioned Sikes by e-mail he denied being behind on his Prius payments.

Sikes also has a history of filing insurance claims for allegedly stolen items that are slowly coming to light. In 2001 he filed a police report with the Merced County Sheriff's Department for $58,000 in stolen property, including jewelry, a prosumer mini-DV camera and gear, and $24,000 in cash, according to Fox40 in Sacramento. His bankruptcy documents show a 2008 payment of $7,400 for an allegedly stolen saxophone and clothes.

For what it's worth, Sikes owned and operated a Web site called AdultSwingLife.com. More salacious material on this man will continue to pour in.

But the press conference alone makes it clear Sikes' story didn't wash. Journalism schools are supposed to teach that skepticism is paramount. "If your mother says it, check it out," goes the old adage. Yet comments on Web sites across the country reveal that practically everyone thought the Prius incident was a hoax--though they couldn't prove it--except for the media.

They have been as determined to not investigate Sikes' claims as Sikes was to not stop his car. It's a Toyota media feeding frenzy and the media aren't about to let little things like incredible stories and readily-refutable claims get in the way.

 

[Silver]

You ever hear anyone get into a car accident and say, "I made a driving error."

It doesn't happen that often. It's usually someone or something else's fault according to the driver. Funny how that happens...

 

[MMike]

an interesting angle...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011353877_toyotalawsuit16m.html

 

[Westy]

I once watched my girlfriend's mother crash into 11 cars in a Syracuse parking lot before her car came to a stop in a nearby lake. She claimed the accelerator stuck. Reality was she panicked, hit the gas and thinking she was on the brakes just kept it floored. There was no evidence of a stuck accelerator pedal and no evidence that the brakes were ever on. It was one of the most surreal and hilarious experiences of my life (no one got hurt).

 

[stevew]

You ever hear anyone get into a car accident and say, "I made a driving error."

i've wrecked two cars falling asleep in stop and go traffic....

 

[ohio]

You ever hear anyone get into a car accident and say, "I made a driving error."

It doesn't happen that often. It's usually someone or something else's fault according to the driver. Funny how that happens...

Well, me. I bumped a guy in Tahoe last winter. Tried to make a turn on solid ice. Didn't quite make said turn. I was driving too fast (~8mph) for the conditions (~3mph). Come to think of it, it WAS in a Toyota... apparently this sticking throttle problem goes at least as far back as 1987, when my truck was manufactured. It just keeps getting worse.

 

[stoney]

an interesting angle...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011353877_toyotalawsuit16m.html

There are words to describe this... Frivolous?

They are selling a 2009 in 2010? I'd put good money that it is a distressed sale, and they got jipped for $3k... pookie.
It's not the seller's responsibility to maintain the value of your vehicle after it has been sold. Take some responsibility for your poor decisions.

 

[kidwoo]

Wait





A prius can go 90mph?

 

[Pesqueeb]

an interesting angle...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011353877_toyotalawsuit16m.html

Wait, so when these idiots bought a car, did they think they were making an investment? Now I don't have the education in high finance that Joker or Dante have, but its always been my understanding that a Car is a depreciating asset. Unless your buying vintage Ferrari's your not gonna make money, and maybe not even then. God I hope the Judge throws that case out.

 

[Inclag]

Wait, so when these idiots bought a car, did they think they were making an investment? Now I don't have the education in high finance that Joker or Dante have, but its always been my understanding that a Car is a depreciating asset. Unless your buying vintage Ferrari's your not gonna make money, and maybe not even then. God I hope the Judge throws that case out.

Jay Leno?

 

[IH8Rice]

Wait





A prius can go 90mph?

itll go 109 apparently
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http://www.vg.no/bil-og-motor/artikkel.php?artid=591653&sl=no&tl=en

 

[eaterofdog]

Haha my dumbass friend went and bought a Toyo the week after this came out. AND he got really bad dealer financing, thinking he could refi, but none of the banks would touch it.

 

[Pesqueeb]

A new survey is casting light on the extent of consumer wariness in the wake of the ongoing Toyota recalls. Almost three out of every four Americans now trust the Toyota brand less because of the recent recalls and negative publicity according to the survey commissioned by DriverSide.com.

While there has been widespread speculation that Toyota was taking serious knocks due to the unrelenting tide of recalls on some of its most significant models, the extent of the damage had not been quantified. The new DriverSide.com survey shows that the brand has indeed been damaged. Of the 74% who now trust the brand less there was consistency across ages and other demographics although slightly more women than men (76% vs. 71%) have experienced a dip in their trust of Toyota. The numbers are a sobering reminder that Toyota has work to do if it is going to restore people's trust in the brand.

If there is a silver lining it is that 69% of car owners have been motivated to pay more attention to their own car's maintenance. Much recent data shows that people need to keep their cars longer. And yet, most people are not performing the most basic maintenance like following the manufacturer's recommended service schedule or rotating their tires. If the recent Toyota issues can get a larger percentage of the population to focus on preventative car maintenance, then it would be a positive development.

As for Toyota, there are a number of recent developments that cast some doubt on Toyota's detractors. Questions about the Prius driver in San Diego, questions about the accuracy of the recent coverage of the recalls on television, etc. may spell the turning point for this crisis. It will be very interesting to see how this all plays out and what the ultimate impact is. A very similar scandal almost killed Audi in the 1980's only to be proven driver error. It took Audi ten years to recover but I suspect that Toyota will be back in the driver's seat much sooner than that.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/trevor-traina/new-survey-shows-toyota-r_b_500350.html

ORLY? If I was in the market for a new car Toyota is still the first place I would go.

 

[eaterofdog]

Webfound. Dialog NSFW

 

[rockofullr]

That guy has a big fvckin head.

BTW what is he so afraid of that he has to hide his fvckin identity?

fvckin!

 

[stoney]

That is brilliant

 

[jimmydean]

Damn.

WASHINGTON – The Transportation Department says it's seeking the maximum penalty, more than $16 million, against Toyota for failing to promptly notify the government about defective gas pedals among its vehicles.

 

[rockofullr]

Those idiots apparently notified agencies in Europe months before they told anyone here in the US.

DERP

 

[Pesqueeb]

12345

by james r. Healey, usa today
government safety officials are investigating reports of axle failures that can send ford windstar minivans out of control at highway speed.
Two crashes have been reported — with no deaths or injuries — as a result of the rear axles breaking on 1999 through 2003 windstars. Ford last sold the windstar in may 2007 and has replaced it with crossover suvs, which are more popular.

Ford (f) says it produced about 1.5 million windstars during the years under investigation by the national highway traffic safety administration.

Nhtsa says it began a preliminary evaluation — the first of three steps that can end with a mandatory recall — after receiving 234 complaints about rear-axle failure. That's a large number. Nhtsa sometimes begins investigations after just a few, or few dozen, complaints.

Nhtsa seldom orders a recall. Either an investigation shows one is not warranted, or the automaker voluntarily recalls the vehicles.

Ford says it is cooperating with the investigation.

The agency says that 128 of the axle-failure reports — 55% — say the rear, beam-style axle fractured completely; 56 complaints say the axles broke while traveling 40 mph or faster.

In one case, according to the nhtsa file, the driver said the axle " 'snapped in half' after the vehicle struck a pothole." that apparently blew out the rear tires by causing them to rub the wheel wells, nhtsa says, and the driver struck a guardrail while trying to stop.

The other crash report cited a similar axle failure. In that case, the van hit a curb at low speed.

Most minivans use beam-type axles in the rear. Honda odyssey and kia sedona don't, their makers say. Those use independent rear suspensions: No beam runs across connecting right and left wheels.

But nhtsa suspects that windstar's particular rear-axle structure — the beam is made from an inverted "u"-shaped length of metal — collects road salt used to melt ice in cold-weather states. The agency says that both crashes and most of the other failures are from "salt belt" states.

Road-salt problems also have hit toyota. It had to recall 1998 to 2010 sienna minivans and 2000 to 2003 tundra pickups because road-salt corrosion could eat through frame rails that hold spare tires, and let the spare tires fall off the vehicles.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2010-05-18-windstar18_st_n.htm

 

[stoney]

another non-govt owned car company getting targeted...

 

[MMike]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128519779

Anyone see this?

Well, we have been saying several dozen, all of them that were -fit the criteria, were found to have the brake not depressed and the accelerator wide open. So 100 percent of the incidents where it fit that criteria, that's what was found.

 

[$tinkle]

that's a dark day for america when the japanese have to tell us how to drive

 

[IH8Rice]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128519779

Anyone see this?

A Toyota spokesman, Mike Michels, said the company’s investigation involved inspecting the vehicles and downloading data from onboard recorders if a crash occurred. Mr. Michels said the investigation found sticking accelerator pedals in a small number of vehicles and a larger number with floor mats that interfered with pedals.

He said none of the vehicles with a sticking pedal was involved in a crash, and he did not know how many of those identified as having problematic floor mats had crashed.

The Toyota review pointed to human error in most instances when a vehicle crashed while the driver was trying to brake, Mr. Michels said. Nearly all of the crashes in those instances resulted from “pedal misapplication,” meaning the driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, he said.

No evidence of malfunctioning electronic throttle systems has been found, Mr. Michels said.

“We’re not implying that everything is driver error, absolutely not,” he said. “But in instances where they reported having their foot on the brake pedal, there is very clear evidence that this is pedal misapplication.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/business/global/15toyota.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

 

[syadasti]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/business/global/15toyota.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Also the original WSJ was a plant by Toyota:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/15/report-wsj-unintended-acceleration-story-planted-by-toyota/

 

[syadasti]

More Toyota "Quality" news:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/21/toyota-recalling-1-66-million-vehicles-globally-over-brake-and-f/

Toyota recalling 1.66 million vehicles globally over brake and fuel pump woes

Embattled automaker Toyota is staring down another massive recall. The safety action affects 1.53 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles globally, with the U.S. making up around 740,000 of that total and about 600,000 units coming out of the company's home market of Japan.

Stateside, models covered under the recall may have a faulty master cylinder seal in the braking system that could leak fluid, triggering a warning lamp and/or potentially resulting in reduced braking capability. Toyota models covered under the recall include the 2005-2006 Avalon and 2004-2006 Highlander (non-hybrid only), while Lexus service bays will open their doors for 2006 model year GS, IS and RX cars and crossovers.

In all, Toyota has called back over 10 million vehicles this year, with the most recent action being the Corolla/Matrix ECU recall that covered 1.1 million cars.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Can I get a second on changing Syadasti's custom title to "i heart toyota"?

 

[ohio]

Can I get a second on changing Syadasti's custom title to "i heart toyota"?

Second.

(or "pathological contrarian")

 

[IH8Rice]

(or "pathological contrarian")

this! this!

 

[syadasti]

Contrarian would be saying the Toyota quality problem does not exist.

Toyota themselves admitted this revelation was coming years ago such as the article from the Japanese WSJ reporter back in 2006. I'm reinforcing Toyota's own viewpoint from actual Toyota engineers and executives, not refuting reality.