TommyT-Bone wrote:
Was your Moms car an effected model?

Here is a list of recent recalls issued by Toyota Motor Corp. and the vehicles involved.

Sept. 30, 2009: Toyota warns owners to remove floor mats from their vehicles because of the potential for them to trap the accelerator, causing sudden acceleration.

Oct. 5: Toyota recalls 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles in the U.S. because floor mats could trap the gas pedal. It's Toyota's largest U.S. recall. Models involved are the 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350 and 2006-2010 IS250/IS350.

Nov. 24: Toyota recalls 110,000 Tundra trucks from the 2000-2003 model years because excessive corrosion could cause the spare tire to come loose.

Nov. 25: Toyota announces a plan to fix the floor-mat problem by shortening the accelerators so they won't get stuck against the floor mat. It also expands the number of vehicles involved to a total of 4.2 million.

Jan. 21, 2010: Toyota recalls 2.3 million Toyota vehicles in the U.S. because the accelerator pedal can stick, causing unintended acceleration. It is not related to the floor mat recall, although about 1.7 million of the vehicles are also involved in both recalls. Models involved are the 2009-2010 RAV4, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, certain 2007-2010 Camrys, 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2008-2010 Sequoia.

Jan. 26: Toyota temporarily suspends U.S. sales of the eight models whose accelerator pedals can stick.

Jan. 27: Toyota adds 1.09 million models to the floor mat recall. Models involved are the 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.

Jan. 28: Toyota recalls 75,500 vehicles in China for the same acceleration pedal problem as the U.S. recall. Toyota RAV-4 SUVs made between March 2009 and January 2010 are affected.

Jan. 28: Toyota says it will recall vehicles in Europe because of the accelerator problem, but says it doesn't yet know how many.

Jan. 28: Ford Motor Co. halts production of the Transit Classic van in China because it contains gas pedals built by the same company that built Toyota's. Ford began production of the Transit Classic in December and had built 1,600 vans.

Ultraman wrote:
They had a big article in the new Car and Driver about what to do if the gas peddle gets stuck. First was overide it with your brakes and they did a lot of testing to see if that would work, it did. Then they said you could put the car in nuetral or push in the clutch. (you think?) Lastly you could turn off the car but there goes the steering and power brakes. Or you could run into trees and stuff like Tiger did.

TommyT-Bone wrote:
Reminds me of the Ford/Firestone debacle. :fall:

Man’s truck strikes BR Toyota dealership

A man who attempted to return his recalled Toyota pickup truck to All Star Toyota on Airline Highway on Saturday crashed into the dealership building when his allegedly faulty accelerator stuck, the Baton Rouge Police Department reported.

The crash caused extensive damage to the truck involved, but no major injuries were reported, said Lt. Todd G. Lee Sr., chief of administrative services for the Police Department.

Mikel Valviva sought to return his truck to the dealership at 9150 Airline Highway, saying he no longer wanted it because of the recall on the accelerator, Lee said.

The dealership’s manager, Joe Costanza, offered to repair Valviva’s truck and loan him a car in the meantime, Lee said.

Matt McKay, owner of the All Star Automotive Group, said Costanza explained to Valviva on three separate occasions on Saturday that the dealership could not refund his money for the truck.

McKay said the process during the recall requires dealerships to provide a loaner car while the recalled vehicle is repaired.

Valviva refused the offers and tried to leave the dealership, but his gas pedal stuck, Lee said. The truck accelerated forward, striking the building, Lee said.

EMS personnel treated Valviva and his passenger for minor injuries on scene, Lee said.

McKay said a cosmetic column on the building received only minor damage.

Costanza confirmed Valviva’s truck is one of the models included in the recall, Lee said.

The investigating officer found no evidence the incident was intentional, Lee said.

“He didn’t have enough evidence to say that definitively,” Lee said.

McKay said he had “no comment” when asked if he believed the incident was accidental.

This is the first report of an accident caused by a faulty accelerator on a Toyota in the Greater Baton Rouge area, Lee said.

McKay said Valviva bought the truck in March 2009, and he had “no previous complaints or issues with the gas pedal.”

Attempts by The Advocate to reach Valviva on Saturday afternoon were unsuccessful.

Toyota Motor Co. said Tuesday it was suspending the sale of eight models and recalling more than 2 million cars because the gas pedals could become harder to press, slower to spring back or stuck.

Sean Kane, director of Safety Research and Strategies, a consumer group that conducts research into motor vehicle safety issues, said his firm has identified 2,274 incidents of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles leading to at least 275 crashes and 18 deaths since 1999, the Associated Press reported.

pr0zac wrote:
i don't see the need for drive by wire. seems like you are adding too much to a simple system. how are the chances of voltage spikes and/or crossing of wires not a potential hazard. and i would rather lose power steering and be slowing down then WOT into another car/truck/bus/child/brickwall

CentralCoaster wrote:
That works. IF you have linkage or if the jam is on the pedal itself.

BrianCunningham wrote:
My traction control, even though it leaved the trottle cable connected, can be rather annoying, but it doesn't hold it OPEN under any circumstance.

BillH wrote:
Quote:

BrianCunningham wrote:
My traction control, even though it leaved the trottle cable connected, can be rather annoying, but it doesn't hold it OPEN under any circumstance.

Mine's in the "always off" mode.

The throttle by wire thing is stupid..

Matatk wrote:

The only traction control in my car is in the driver's seat.

Matthew

CentralCoaster wrote:
Quote:

The throttle by wire thing is stupid..

Oh my F-150 I could snap the throttle to the floor and back without the truck even doing anything.

If you hold it there, it takes a second for the computer to realize it's what you intended, and even then it ramps up the throttle. In 2nd gear. Lame.

CentralCoaster wrote:
I think more people have been electrocuted by cross walk buttons since 1999.

Part of the problem is cars are so "user friendly" now that people have no clue how to drive them. Gas, brake, steering, don't bother me with anything else!

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak gets help with his Toyota problem
February 2, 2010 | 7:21 pm

Apple Inc. co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak has seen his share of software glitches in the gadgets he has created and in those he collects.

Wozniak But Wozniak said he was surprised several months ago when his 2010 Toyota Prius started accelerating on its own — to as much as 97 mph — when he used cruise control to increase the vehicle’s speed. He said he had to tap the brakes to stop the car from accelerating.

Wozniak, 59, wanted to alert Toyota Motor Corp. and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to the possible safety issue, but he grew frustrated when no one would listen.

Thanks to a media blitz Tuesday — including an appearance on CNN — Toyota engineers are going to borrow Wozniak’s car for a week to diagnose the problem, he said. A Toyota spokesman confirmed that the automaker has reached out to Wozniak.

Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles and temporarily halted the sale of eight models because of reports of unintended acceleration. Toyota has not recalled Wozniak’s model, which has a steering-wheel-mounted radar cruise control.

Wozniak is famous for collecting technology he likes including Segways, iPhones and Priuses. “No product is perfect,” he said. “I would buy another one.”

-- Jessica Guynn

BrianCunningham wrote:
OMG the DOT just issued a STOP DRIVING

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35216587/ns/business-autos/

BrianCunningham wrote:
any chance she's getting a free rental car out of the deal?

BrianCunningham wrote:
OMG the DOT just issued a STOP DRIVING

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35216587/ns/business-autos/