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Posts Tagged ‘ABC News’

Toyota Prius Brake Problems Latest Outrage

February 5th, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 3 Comments | Filed in Autos Express

Brake problems are emerging with the 3rd generation Toyota Prius.

Toyota owners, and for that matter Lexus and Scion owners, should be outraged at the way that the Toyota Motor Corporation has responded in the wake of known engineering and technology glitches which have caused numerous accidents that have injured or killed many. Evidence is emerging that Toyota knew about its gas pedal problems as far back as early 2007, but now a new problem is emerging: the latest generation hybrid Prius may have brake problems.

Slipping Brakes

The problem with the Toyota Prius surfaced when customers began to complain of brakes slipping under certain conditions. Beginning in late January, Toyota tweaked the software controlling the brakes of cars which had yet to be sold, but they still have not offered a fix for customers who already own the car. The third generation Prius has been available since early 2009.

Complaints from American drivers have been sent to the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration (NHTSA) who has been behind a pair of investigations related to the runaway Toyota issue. Japan’s Ministry of Transportation is also investigating Prius complaints logged by Japanese drivers.

SayEducate first mentioned the runaway Toyota issue last November on the heels of an ABC News investigative report detailing several fatal accidents and incidents involving runaway Toyotas and the fatal runaway Lexus case last summer. Since then, numerous media outlets have helped put pressure on the NHTSA to follow through, with the federal government ordering Toyota to stop selling eight affected models.

ABS Braking

According to Automotive News, Toyota Managing Officer Hiroyuki Yokoyama said yesterday that the slipping feeling is caused by a lag time in the shift between the car’s regenerative braking system and the antilock braking system.

That situation has become most apparent on slippery or bumpy roads particularly in December as icy road conditions resulted in more frequent use of ABS braking. Yokohama added, “When ABS comes into play, you may feel a little bit of slip, but if you continue to apply the brake it will work. It may cause customers a little unease.”

Millions Recalled

Toyota’s problems continue to mount and has extended recalls to cover more cars than it sold last year. Thus far, at least eight million vehicles in North America, Europe, Japan, and elsewhere are subject to a recall, with fixes ranging from replacing the driver’s floor mat to swapping out the accelerator pedal.

Those repairs are expected to begin by early next week with all cars serviced within the next few months.

Meanwhile, not selling its eight affected models has hurt Toyota financially. According to the Detroit Free Press, the automaker is losing $100 million daily with no date set when the company can fully resume sales.

Photo Source: Wikipedia file photo


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Toyota Suspends Sale of 8 Models

January 29th, 2010 by Matthew C. Keegan | 1 Comment | Filed in Autos Express

Japanese automaker sounds the alarm

Toyota Tundra

This beefy Tundra pick up is one of 8 affected models being recalled and pulled from the market.

Last November Say Educate reported that the Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) was coming to grips with a problem which revealed that several of its cars were involved in serious accidents due to one or more defects. Those accidents have reportedly killed or injured hundreds of people, leading to ABC News and other media outlets to launch their own investigation.

Defective Accelerators

We followed up that earlier report with news that Toyota would be replacing gas pedals on affected models, recalling millions of cars. But that recall may only be the tip of the iceberg as TMC has now suspended the sale of eight of its models. What is more, the eight affected car lines account for 57 percent of Toyota’s sales which means that until a solution is found, then Toyota sales will grind to a slow crawl.

TMC has yet to announce how they will handle a recall which may replace floor mats, gas pedals, or both on certain cars. Indeed, reports this week in Thursday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal indicate that current owners do not know what to do with some people choosing to keep their cars off the road until Toyota offers clarification.

Eight Toyotas

The affected models being recalled and part of the stop sale initative include:

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

Unaffected Models

TMC was quick to point out that no vehicles sold under its two other brands, Lexus and Scion, are affected. Nor are other Toyota models including the Tacoma, Yaris, certain Camrys, Venza, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, FJ Cruiser, Sienna, Solara, and Prius. If you plan to shop for a car this weekend at your Toyota dealership, you may see signs in place on affected models saying “no sale” or “currently unavailable” while unaffected models will still be marketed.

In addition to sales being stopped for a time, Automotive News reports that TMC will be shutting down five North American factories which produce these vehicles until further notice. At the moment, TMC does not have a solution in place which means your dealership is not in the position to handle recall related repairs. If you own an affected model, you will receive notification over the coming weeks on what steps you should take.

The recall comes just as Toyota begins to recover from an industry wide drop in sales last year and its first yearly loss ever. TMC’s fiscal year ends on March 31, with another multi-billion dollar loss expected.

Source: Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia file photo


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Toyota Proposes Gas Pedal Fix For Runaway Toyota Problem

November 17th, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 4 Comments | Filed in Autos Express

Earlier this month, we amplified a report from ABC News regarding their investigation into what is being dubbed as a “Runaway Toyota” problem involving select Toyota and Lexus vehicles. These vehicles have reportedly surged to speeds exceeding 100 mph, despite driver efforts to get their cars to stop.

According to ABC News and other sources, Toyota has been insisting that the problem involves all-weather floor mats while various outside investigators suggest that the problem could be computer in nature.

19 Dead

Regardless of the causes of these accidents which have killed as many as 19 people, Toyota now appears ready to redesign the accelerator pedal for its impacted models, a fix that just may get the blessing of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the federal organization tasked with overseeing automotive safety.

Nearly four million Toyota and Lexus vehicles are under the recall, by far the largest recall ever for Toyota in the United States. The vehicles included are: 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350, and 2006-2010 Lexus IS250. The vehicles will be serviced at U.S. Dealerships at no charge to owners.

False Claims

Toyota apparently made the problem worse by initially falsely claiming government inspectors had found “no defects exist” in the suspect cars other than loose floor mats. The Japanese auto giant went so far as to post a video on their website saying as much which resulted in an immediate rebuke from federal officials. Moreover, effected owners soon rallied together pushing the Runaway Toyota issue to the top of the news via blogs, web sites, and through newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times as well as with ABC News which continues to track the story.

Owners of vehicles featured will receive official notification within the coming weeks on how and where to take their cars in for service. Toyota hasn’t indicated if they have new pedals in stock or whether they’ll have to await the manufacture of same. In any case look for the recall to take months to complete with many owners wondering if the runaway problem is being solved or if a larger issue lurks underneath the hood of their cars.

Adv. — Are you considering purchasing a new car over the next few months? Get a car quote/find a dealer or find auto loan financing to help save money on your next set of wheels.


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ABC News Spotlights Toyota Runaway Problem

November 5th, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 41 Comments | Filed in Consumer Tips, News


The Toyota Motor Corporation is finding itself in an unfamiliar place as media, consumer groups and government officials examine a problem regarding select Toyota and Lexus models. “Runaway Toyota” may soon become a commonly used term as that describes a serious situation involving certain vehicles.

Fiery Crash

Indeed, it was this past August when a fiery Lexus crash killed four members of one family in California. That crash involved a California Highway Patrol officer, Mark Saylor, and his family as their loaner Lexus suddenly surged to speeds in excess of 100 mph before crashing into another car, flipping over, and landing down an embankment.

Saylor’s brother-in-law, who had been riding in the back seat called 9-1-1 to report the runaway car, telling the emergency operator that the Lexus was surging out of control. The car, on loan to Saylor as their own Lexus was in for maintenance, allegedly experienced a jammed accelerator due to an all-weather floor mat that wedged up underneath the pedal.

Toyota’s floor mat finding was supported by the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration (NHTSA) who ordered the Japanese automaker to recall some 3.8 million vehicles with floor mat problems. The NHTSA agreed to allow Toyota to temporarily fix the problem by using zip ties to hold drive side floor mats in place. In the meantime, Toyota and Lexus owners were instructed to remove their floor mats in advance of their service call.

ABC News

But not everyone is convinced that floor mats are to blame for this and other crashes which have killed as many as sixteen people. ABC News’s Brian Ross has been investigating the problem airing reports on “Good Morning America” and “Nightline” in recent days to outline his findings. Ross shared comments from other Toyota and Lexus owners who have insisted that their cars surged for reasons other than jammed floor mats.

Indeed, in one account aired by Ross a Toyota Prius driver, Elizabeth James, claimed that her car surged even though her foot was not on the accelerator. Slamming on the brake failed to bring her Prius to a stop, rather it took her driving off the road, through a field and crashing into a river to end her ordeal.

Sean Kane

One safety advocate, Sean Kane, was interviewed by Ross for his expose. Kane, who founded Safety Research & Strategies, Inc. in 2004 following a tenure with Ralph Nader’s Center for Auto Safey, claims that the situation with affected Toyota and Lexus vehicles points to an electrical problem, not floor mats.

Kane told Ross that beginning in 2002, Toyota began to use an electronic computer control system to regulate the accelerator. Instead of the driver controlling acceleration directly from the gas pedal, these particular cars send a signal to the computer which exercises electronic control over speed. Thus, there is no longer a mechanical component for drivers to rely on, which means that they may be at the mercy of an errant computer. Kane has recorded more than one thousand accidents and incidents since then involving Toyota surge problems.

Toyota Responds

On Tuesday, Toyota responded to the initial ABC News report, dismissing claims that anything other than floor mats were to blame. Later in the day, the NHTSA noted that the floor mat fix was a temporary measure and that the federal agency was still investigating the problem. That night, ABC News followed up its earlier investigation with an update by Ross who spoke to several owners involved in crashes, including some who are now suing Toyota.

Finally, Ross contacted Consumers Union to learn what people can do to stop their runaway Toyotas. Their test driver explained that drivers need to first put their foot on the brake…hard. Then, with foot still on the brake put the car in neutral which will stop the still high revving car. Once stopped, the driver can turn their vehicle off and exit.

Resources

ABC Nightline

Safety Research & Strategies, Inc.

Toyota Acceleration Problem Is Still Unresolved (The New York Times)

Toyota’s Answer To Deadly Floor Mats: Zip Ties!


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