Toyota is about to recall 3.8 million cars here in the US to refit them with a revised shaped gas pedal and new front floormat. There have been a few cases where the mat has been jammed under the accelerator and in a the ensuing panic people have been injured or killed. From Autoweek, Bold by me. The funny bit is thinking about someone in a Camry trying Heel/Toe. The sad part is all those teens driving Mom's Camry that will no longer be able to hold the brake with the left foot, floor it with the right and slip off the brake when they are racing their buddies driving Moms Honda Accord.
Toyota is a really on a roll... Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 110,000 Toyota Tundra pickups for the 2000 to 2003 model years after reports that rusted frames in cold weather may cause spare tires under the truck bed to break loose and fall onto the road. Corrosion of the rear cross-member, which supports the spare tire, also eventually may affect the rear brake line and lengthen vehicle stopping distances, increasing the risk of a crash, Toyota said in a statement Tuesday. Toyota will contact owners of vehicles in 20 cold-weather states that have high road salt use--including New York, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania--the statement said. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received about 300 complaints, including reports of three injuries but no deaths. NHTSA on Tuesday urged owners of the recalled Tundras to remove the spare tires before bringing the vehicles to the dealer for repair.
One article I read said that until a revised pedal/mat were available step 1 was to tell owners to remove the floor mat and step 2 would be to get them all in so service departments could CUT the gas pedal.
I don't see how this is a big deal. On my dad's 72 Olds, my mom's 75 Buick and a slew of other cars that was pretty much a build in feature.
Litigiousness. Yes, I stopped beating my wife for the same reason. Disclaimer: Above is a joke. I do not advocate, nor condone violence against women. The sense of humor is my own and is not reflective of this site, its owners, or agents.
Damn, I thought you were PROMOTING domestic abuse. I didn't notice your disclaimer until AFTER I beat my wife.... Now I'm in a world of hurt, all because of you. Goaljinky, since my domestic abuse incident is all your fault, expect a call from my lawyer on Friday. My wife's lawyer will follow shortly thereafter. (They're both shysters, but even they won't work on Thanksgiving....). I suppose I should put a disclaimer of some sort in here too, but I'm just too lazy.
Took a law class and the dumb professor couldn't pronounce litigious. He said "litiginous." It was annoying. Toyota: what can I say, are we surprised that things are being dumbed down because we are, in general, much dumber than we used to be? BMW/MINI can take away heel/toe if they want; my cars can still do it:cornut:. This could be a fun thread idea: BMW takes away dipsticks, Toyota takes away heel/toe - what's next, and who's the car company? :lol:
From the Whoops we screwed the pooch big time again file... Toyota Motor Corp., in yet another blow to the Japanese car maker's quality reputation, said late Thursday it will recall an additional 2.3 million vehicles to fix sticking accelerator pedals. The company said this is a separate action from the recall of about 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles currently in progress and that about 1.7 million Toyota division vehicles are affected by both recalls. Irv Miller, Toyota Motor Sales group vice president, explained that the company has investigated "isolated reports" of the problem in cars and trucks without floor mats, which are to blame in the ongoing 4.2-million-vehicle recall. "Our investigation indicates that there is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position," he said. Toyota issued a safety advisory warning regarding the floor-mat glitch back in September following a fatal accident involving a Lexus. The most recent recall includes several Toyota nameplates such as the Camry, Corolla and Tundra but does not include any Lexus or Scion branded vehicles. U.S. listed shares of Toyota bucked a steep downturn in the broader market Thursday to close up 1.2% at $90.42. The stock has gained 34% in the past year
Part of the interesting thing about the Lexus that crashed was that it was not the Lexus or Toyota floormat that caused the problem, it had a large aftermarket rubber mat made for a different car in it, on top of the Lexus mat and that's what caused the gas pedal to jam. However, the push button to start systems require you to hold the button down for three seconds to kill the engine, and in addition, the computer systems don't recognize certain gas pedal/braking situations and wouldn't give full brake effort when the throttle was fully depressed. I think it's a case of automakers trying too hard to be innovative or different and getting caught up in unforeseeable circumstances. Add to that lots of hungry lawyers and you've got a 4 million car recall. I wonder if we'll see a return to actual keyed ignitions again? Personally I'd be OK with it, the keyless system in my '09 MINI is not my favorite thing about the car...... But you're right, the idea of someone heel/toeing a Camry did make me smile....
What's funny, and my Grandpa pointed this out to me not too long ago when he got a rental Lexus. When he was younger almost every car had a push-button ignition system, the turn-ignition key to start was the innovation back then and it was the base model cars that had a button you had to push. We've managed to sue ourselves through and entire cycle of innovation. Next thing you know Ford's going to come out with a new car that has a clutchless manual transmission shifted by a pedal on the far left of the vehicle.
The Japanese automaker is taking the drastic and unprecedented step of suspending U.S. sales of eight recalled vehicle models to fix accelerator pedals that stick. Toyota is also halting production at five manufacturing facilities - in Indiana, Kentucky, Texas and Canada - for the week of Feb. 1 "to assess and coordinate activities." 2.3 million vehicles are involved in the recall, which was announced last week. "This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized," Bob Carter, Toyota's group vice president and general manager, told the Associated Press. Sales will be suspended on the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia. It is not known how long the production stoppage or sales suspension will last, but it's clear that Toyota feels it had to act to get at the problem once and for all in order to move on from the steady stream of bad news - an earlier recall included 4.2 million vehicles - that has plagued the automaker for months. That sounds like a reasonable plan, except this was the lead story on news broadcasts on Tuesday evening, and the negativity associated with this move will haunt Toyota for years to come. It qualifies as a PR nightmare of the first degree for the formerly bullet-proof automaker.