Toyota on the mend?

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Comments

  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    edited March 2010
    Gilbert has been totally discredited because of financial support from Sean Kane's Safety Research and Strategies, which in turn was funded by...

    Ta daaa...5 trial lawyers suing Toyota! Oh, the objectivity -- riiiiiight. :sick:

    BTW, has ANYONE found Sean Kane's resume?

    And I'm still not answering wisecracks from the resident retirees on this forum.

    Later.
  • sharonklsharonkl Member Posts: 660
    MEDICAL STATUS

    Once stopped CHP officer Neibert asked if he had any known medical conditions.
    Mr. Sikes related:
    High Blood Pressue - daily rx
    Hx Cardiac Bypass Surgery - 5 way - 5 yrs ago

    C/O - chest tightness

    CHP Officer Neibert - dispatched for ambulance reponse to scene to evaluate patient condition - c/o chest tightness - medical conditions - high pressure & hx bypass surgery. Neibert noticed Sikes visibly shaking, eyes quite wide, rapid respirations.

    AMR - American Medical Response Ambulance w Paramedic/EMT- responded - arrived at scene

    Neibert report -
    Paramedic/EMT medical evaluation - BP & pulse "quite" elevated - w frequent monitor BP & pulse & patent symtoms, verbal questions - vital signs(BP & pulse) gradually decreased acceptable level - patient stated felt ok & denied chest pressure - patient not transported

    RN Medical observation from/per CHP report - chest pressure w known existing high blood pressure w rx therapy, increased respirations, elevated pulse, positive hx cardiac bypass surgery 5 way 5 yrs ago - higher risk possible heart attack, stroke, etc. Ambulance w paramedics/EMT dispatch to scene appropriate
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    I was going to comment, then I remembered -- no more from me about that lunatic fraudster.
  • sharonklsharonkl Member Posts: 660
    Yes, his alleged dicey background - has created major big blowup problems. If correct he is not a person I would like at all.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    I think we can safely leave out the "alleged" part; this is not a court of law here.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    So we can put you down on the side of Toyota. The Corporation built on deceiving, lying, covering up information, paying off politicians and having a horde of lying attorneys multiple times worse than Sean Kane.

    I'll take the side of the little guy until proven guilty. Something the Toyota faithful are not interested in doing.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    edited March 2010
    Feds say no brakes, full throttle in N.Y. runaway Toyota Prius crash

    No surprise here. Housekeeper was driving, not the homeowner, could have been unfamiliar with the car. This is a classic pedal misapplication case -- start from a driveway and just cross the road into a stone wall. Very Audi 5000-like.

    My son has a Prius, and I would not let someone drive it if it were my own, unless I gave him or her a "briefing" first. The salesman was very good in walking both of us through the fine points of driving it.

    My son doesn't even let my other, younger son drive it, because he wants to keep the lifetime mpg high, LOL.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    edited March 2010
    I'll take the side of the little guy

    You're leaving yourself wide open here, Gary, considering your political views and the pile of moolah you're sitting on. :P

    Have a fun weekend in your TOYOTA Sequoia!
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Have a fun weekend in your TOYOTA Sequoia!

    We did. Took another couple and drove out to the Desert. The flowers are blooming everywhere. The Sequoia is a very comfortable 4 passenger vehicle. Our friends did ask me if I could shift into Neutral. I gave him a quick demo cruising down the highway. Explained this was the last year before Toyota screwed up the Sequoia.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    >You haven't decided what it will be ketchup or mustard on your crow. Toyota back peddled on their findings. Brakes hit multiple times. Throttle full the whole time.

    Absolutely amazing how toyota-lexus and probably their friend Exponent tried to slant the info reported, either by omission or by inference. For a company that operates on minimization of parts such as the data recorders, it was striking they implied that Sikes had applied brakes and then throttle 250 times or more based on data from such a recorder.

    >Toyota needs to figure out what is wrong with their electronics.

    toyota-lexus already knows, in my opinion; they just don't want to admit publicly because it's going to mandate replacement of all the powertrain computers in their cars.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    >Our friends did ask me if I could shift into Neutral.

    But your engine isn't out of control with the powertrain control computer telling it "full throttle," was it?

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    edited March 2010
    >no more from me about that lunatic fraudster.

    I thought you'd said you were going to stop posting complete rather than just stop about one item. :blush:

    So far Kane is unqualified and goofy.

    Gilbert is deceptive and meaningless.

    Sikes is a fraudster.

    Saylor should have been able to stop the car (haven't seen anything publicized about a questionable past for him).

    The older lady in New York in her Prius was incompetent and hit the wrong pedal on a car with which she was familiar.

    Hmmmm. I see a pattern here. Everyone is wrong except lexus-toyota. :P

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    But your engine isn't out of control with the powertrain control computer telling it "full throttle," was it?

    I believe the shifter on the steering column of my Sequoia is still a mechanical linkage to the transmission. My guess it is still old technology. I really do not know what is and is not controlled by computer in my 2007 Sequoia. I do know there are NO complaints of UA as with many of their other models.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    I was curious if the transmission disengaged with the throttle at full load or was it "locked" into gear until the torque dropped. Some have posited that the runaway lexus-toyotas won't shift because of the load on the transmission; but then perhaps that is electronic shifter related and yours is a real link to transmission.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    Do as I say, not as I do, right Gary?

    I am surprised that you would risk not only your life but also your wife and friends in that kamakaze Toyota which you were foolish enough to buy. Apparently you think the comfort, reliability, great driving part of the equation outweighs all these phantom ua incidents !!

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    >which you were foolish enough to buy.

    Actually it was a model before toyota-lexus lowered the quality in the. I believe it was a leftover year model. He has explained that many times. :sick:

    >phantom ua incidents

    "Phantom" implies that aren't noticeable. Someone, however, is noticing them because they are being reported to the attention of NHTSA, CHP, and even directly to toyota-lexus dealers. Oh, maybe that's where the "phantom" concept comes in: the toyota-lexus dealers told people there was nothing there and just go drive your safe car, and then the reports apparently didn't get collected and sent upstream to lexus-toyota from the dealer--that's where they became "phantom." :P

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I just went and looked under the hood to see if I could tell about the linkage to the transmission. I did not see any direct linkage so I still do not know. What I do know is the service I get from Toyota dealers is sub standard. My battery negative battery terminal was covered with corrosion. I have not had that on a vehicle in 20 years or more. What kind of service does Toyota provide? Five GM PU trucks since 1988 and never have I seen that kind of corrosion. I would think the 15k mile service I paid Toyota dearly for would have taken care of that. Sheesh what a LOSER company. Toyota has a long ways to regain any kind of image in my mind.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I do not see any complaints of UA with the 2007 Sequoia. It was the complete model change in 2008 that brought on the recall of that platform. Same goes for the current 4Runner that must be older tested technology. No complaints or recalls. I have not said all Toyotas are crap. Only the DBW systems seem to be problematic. Along with some early Cruise controls.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    edited March 2010
    Are you kidding me? You mean to tell me that you have driven that truck 15,000 miles and apparently never opened the hood before?

    I can see that you are a real car guy. Explains some of your expert posts. Brush off the excess corrosion, put a little soda water on the terminals then a light coating of high grade lubricant. You'll be good to go.

    Or, on second thought, maybe you should hire someone to do it for you. And certainly don't attempt to drive the vehicle before the repairs are completed. And don't forget to file a complaint with nhtsa.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    That is exactly what I did to the battery terminal. Just find it incredible a company that is supposed to be so service oriented would allow something so glaring as that slip by them. I did my time overhauling cars and engines. I don't like getting grease under my fingernails anymore. What is wrong with Toyota, is a lack of caring about their customers. When I pay $55 for service I expect more than what I would get with a $19.95 oil change. My guess is the Toyota dealer was hoping to sell me a new over priced battery cable when that one corroded away to nothing.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    If you want that first class service you have to step up to Lexus. Things like that would never happen to my LX 470. :)

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    >If you want that first class service you have to step up to Lexus.

    Why should people have to pay for service for a car from the same company--toyota?

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    No thanks, Been there done that. Lexus may be OK until the warranty is up. After that forget it. Besides my local Lexus dealer killed a cop and his family with their shoddy workmanship.

    My wife's step daughter has a LX470. The rear side glass popped out cruising down the Interstate. It was covered by warranty. I guess it is not that uncommon. Still scare you half to death when it happens. I would not trade my Sequoia for the LX470. It is not as roomy. I love the pearl white paint though.
  • beachfish2beachfish2 Member Posts: 177
    I can't believe anybody would complain about it. It's easier to wipe it off than complain about it. And please stop being a crybaby and telling everybody how you are going to badmouth Toyota no matter what the facts are. It's so unseemly.

    The '06 Avalon I just sold had 46k miles on the original battery and had a little growth on one terminal. A little Pepsi and a rag took care of it.

    I thought all cars did this sooner or later. But I've only been driving since 1966, so maybe they haven't always. I got 7.5 years out of a 1978 Datsun battery once. The guys at the battery wholesaler couldn't believe it.

    beachfish
  • sharonklsharonkl Member Posts: 660
    I was not using "alleged" as a legal term. But word is used frequently by law enforcement, lawyers, court, etc.
  • jam1000jam1000 Member Posts: 182
    edited March 2010
    Does this mean we can leave out the "alleged" part when discussing the claims against Toyota, for example the Washington Post's claim that Toyota "resisted" and "ignored" NHTSA findings, dating back to 2007, of "a number of potential dangers in Toyota cars and trucks."

    Toyota is of course entitled to lobby the government within the bounds of the law to achieve what it believes is the best outcome for it. But let's not pretend that there is not strong evidence that (a) there were and are serious problems with a seemingly large number of Toyota cars and trucks; and (b) Toyota was aware of these problems for several years and did not disclose them, preferring instead to adopt an approach of lobbying to conceal the problems, in the hopes of saving $100 million.

    The article is available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/18/AR2010031805376_- - - pf.html, and I have taken the liberty of pasting it below; I hope that is within forum rules.

    *******

    Toyota used its 'game plan' to escape a major early recall

    By Peter Whoriskey
    Washington Post Staff Writer
    Friday, March 19, 2010; A01

    As congressional investigators learned last month, Toyota Motor lobbyists claimed last year to have saved the company $100 million by fending off a 2007 federal investigation into unintended acceleration.

    Toyota and agency officials dismissed the claim as an idle boast.

    But a closer look at the 2007 investigation, revealed in agency records and internal Toyota e-mails, shows that after federal investigators at the time diagnosed a number of potential dangers in Toyota cars and trucks, the automaker resisted the findings and in the end escaped a broad recall that could have cost millions of dollars.

    Investigators with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Toyota in 2007 that the design of Toyota pedals or floor pans could allow floor mats to entrap the accelerator. They saw a problem in Camrys, Priuses, Avalons and Lexus ES350s. Moreover, they believed that any type of floor mat could pose a danger.

    But the company, which had developed a "game plan" for handling the inquiry, ignored NHTSA's broad findings and agreed only to a minor recall of a single type of floor mat.

    The agency, which has the authority to order a recall, did not push for more.

    With the recalls of millions of Toyotas in recent weeks, the agency has been faulted by critics for failing to wield its enforcement power and opting instead to cajole automakers to make cars safe.

    In the fall, after two years and 20 more deaths attributed to unintended acceleration, Toyota disclosed that, just as regulators had warned, accelerator pedals and some floor pans in 12 different models would need to be fixed to prevent the floor mats from entrapping the accelerator. They told consumers to remove any driver's-side floor mat in the cars.

    Toyota declined to answer questions this week about its lobbyists' efforts in 2007 to limit the scope of the recall.

    In a statement Thursday, NHTSA portrayed Toyota as unyielding during those discussions.

    Moreover, the agency said that while its engineers had concluded that the Toyota pedal and floor pan design could pose a danger, that alone was not enough to force a recall.

    "In order for NHTSA to push a company to recall a vehicle for a safety defect, we must have evidence that it presents an unreasonable risk to safety," it said.

    "The investigation was contentious," the agency said. "After upgrading the investigation, and after many discussions and meetings with Toyota, the company remained resistant to recalling the floor mats."

    Toyota finally agreed to the limited floor mat recall, which the agency said it believed at the time to be "an effective remedy."

    It wasn't until a San Diego accident claimed the life of a California Highway Patrol officer and three family members in August 2009 that NHTSA fully recognized the danger, it said.
    Hardly a new concern

    The agency's initial suspicions, however, date back much further.

    NHTSA investigators opened the floor mat inquiry in March 2007 after five complaints concerning Toyota's 2007 Lexus ES350. Three involved crashes.

    Then, over the summer, it broadened. A 2007 Camry had gone speeding out of control in San Jose, killing the driver of another vehicle, a 39-year-old father of three. The floor mat appeared to have been involved. The investigators began to look at 2007 Camrys.

    At the same time, other data available to NHTSA, including insurance statistics and consumer complaints, were similarly showing a rise in unintended-acceleration events in Toyotas, a phenomenon the agency had been opening and closing investigations into for years.

    Some at the agency apparently did not seem to consider the floor mat inquiry a serious one, however.

    "I ran into a lot of different investigators and ODI [Office of Defects Investigation] staff and when asked why I was there, when I told them the ES350 floormats, they either laughed or rolled their eyes in disbelief," Chris Santucci, a Toyota lobbyist, wrote in an August 2007 e-mail.

    In the course of the inquiry, NHTSA asked Toyota for any reports of unintended acceleration involving the ES350. In a departure from other investigations, however, it did not ask Toyota for any such reports regarding the Camry, or about the Avalon or Prius, the other cars involved in incidents NHTSA had been reviewing.

    Nevertheless, the e-mails show that NHTSA investigators had already begun to diagnose some of the same problems that Toyota would not admit to for another two years.

    NHTSA investigators "believe that something about the throttle pedal or floorpan design lends itself to easier jamming than other models produced in the past," said one of the internal Toyota e-mails from Chris Tinto, vice president of regulatory affairs for the company. "They also believe that the Prius, Camry and Avalon may also be prone to being overly sensitive to floormat jamming and claim to have some evidence of such; they claim that jamming can occur with Toyota mats or aftermarket mats."

    Frustrated that Toyota was dismissing NHTSA's analysis, one of the agency's top regulators, Daniel C. Smith, called Tinto in August 2007 to warn that the agency considered the floor mat danger a "serious issue."

    The two Toyota lobbyists dealing with NHTSA knew their way around the safety agency. Just a few years before, Santucci had been working for NHTSA. Tinto is also a former NHTSA employee.

    One of Tinto's first moves after the call was to buy some time, according to e-mails. A meeting between NHTSA's engineers and lower-level Toyota staff members was arranged.

    "I will not attend, to insure that NHTSA does not try to negotiate any next steps at this phase," Tinto wrote in the e-mail, which was released to Congress.
  • cuti932cuti932 Member Posts: 5
    I'm not into auto engineering, but I do troubleshoot my car problems, 1994 Infiniti J30t, with repair technicians. By the way, Mrs. Smith Lexus was driven by a second owner for 24K miles without any UA. If you ask a question, please focus on the UA issue. I do have some realistic theory about the possible causes. Keep in mind that unless I have Toyota Service manual, I do not have one, I can only answer with the knowlegde I have on my car, to a certain degree.
  • windjammerwindjammer Member Posts: 25
    If you ask a question, please focus on the UA issue. I do have some realistic theory about the possible causes

    Your new to this forum. The vast majority of posters on this board don't want answers.
    They are very content on just bashing Toyota or at the very least posting the same thing over and over believing that if they post it enough it will become factual

    Windy
  • graphicguygraphicguy Member Posts: 14,140
    jam.....I think that's what most would agree that there's no perfect car out there. And, as your post points out, the real issue with Toyota is trying to circumvent U.S. safety laws and regulations.

    Mr. Inaba tried to distance himself from the slide show that he gave (tough to distance yourself if you're name is the only one on the first slide) outlining how Toyota saved $100M+ by stalling and sidestepping safety regs.

    Further, Toyota's dismissal of consumer complaints only adds to their problems. The most recent, a Corolla stalling issue that they don't consider a safety hazard. I suppose it isn't, until it happens and someone rear ends one of them.

    Toyota's issues isn't attributable to 100% of 1 thing (like UA). It's more like 1% of a 100 things that have gone wrong with their Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

    They're trying very hard to minimize them, and attacking those who complain. Until they cease that sort of action, they'll never get to the bottom of their problems. That's something that they can't seem to understand.
    2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD Long Range
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    The vast majority of posters on this board don't want answers.
    They are very content on just bashing Toyota or at the very least posting the same thing over and over believing that if they post it enough it will become factual


    Yeah that's it. The anti Toyota propaganda machine working as intended.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    >Mrs. Smith Lexus was driven by a second owner for 24K miles without any UA.

    And what does that mean?

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I can't believe anybody would complain about it.

    My point may have been too complicated. If the dealers are so blind as to not notice corroded battery terminals when they do their "Platinum" high priced inspection, what about the other items they are supposedly checking? Yes it was common 30-40 years ago for battery terminals to corrode. I just did not have any on the last 5 new GM vehicles I owned. I guess GM sprays something on the terminals to protect them. And Toyota hopes to sell new cables.

    So I appreciate you giving me another opportunity to "Bad Mouth" a automaker that deserves all the bad publicity they are currently getting.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    Well it could mean that even though Mrs. Smith is sure that she had her foot on the brake and not the gas pedal, she could be mistaken. That is why there are such terms as human error.

    People have gone to prison because someone swore they saw them commit a crime...only to be cleared later. Current dna technology is freeing a lot of people who were convicted on the strength of eye witnesses who made a mistake. It happens.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    People have gone to prison because someone swore they saw them commit a crime...only to be cleared later.

    Isn't there a guy in prison now who maintains that his Camry accelerated out of control? Hmm interesting point. If he's eventually cleared I'm sure he won't have to work again with the settlement that he'll receive from Toyota.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    I still think you should at least consider filing a formal complaint with nhtsa. Many of the complaints you see there are similar to yours. Maybe you will be awarded a free terminal wipe or some such. Also explore the lemon law.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    Anyone who was ever convicted of any type on motor vehicle crime/accident is probably huddling with their lawyers right now, screaming their innocence. They are also probably trying to figure out a way to blame Toyota for their DUI convictions.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    >Well it could mean that even though Mrs. Smith is sure that she had her foot on the brake and not the gas pedal, she could be mistaken.

    She surely didn't look incompetent to me. So you're saying that somehow you know that she had her foot on the accelerator in her toyota for the miles before it finally relented its acceleration?

    And the motor started up for the AAA tow guy when they turned the key on to move the transmission selector to Neutral was just another facet of her having her foot on the accelerator instead of the brake?

    This is like watching people who have seen UFO's.

    >That is why there are such terms as human error.

    Exactly agree. It sounds like someone is making a human error in their thinking about the nice lady having intentionally perpetrated a fraud or accidentally through mental weakness had her foot on the accelerator instead of the brake?

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    Not at all. What I am saying is that neither you nor I know what went on in that automobile.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    They're trying very hard to minimize them, and attacking those who complain.

    To understand the business executive from Japan one needs to read and understand the Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi as many business executives consider themselves the new generation of samurai as they deal with businesses on a global level.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Five_Rings

    With all the recalls and bad publicity, Toyota named Yoshimi Inaba as the new president for Toyota USA. When testifying before both the House and Senate comittees he always maintained a smile and his replies never answered questions directed to him rather having repeatedly deflecting them by saying he didn't know, would find out, and would get back to them with the results. This guy has to be one of the best to be chosen by Toyoda to lead their US team.

    http://www.toyota.co.jp/announcement/100302_1.pdf

    http://www.pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/yoshimi-inaba-96558.aspx
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    >What I am saying is that neither you nor I know what went on in that automobile.

    But she does AND she was there AND I listened to her.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,796
    is getting stale, there is always this ;)
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • sharonklsharonkl Member Posts: 660
    MY QUESTION
    Involves SUA/UA. May I ask what you think of Dr. Dave Gilbert's study and testimony at Congressional Oversight Committee Hearing?

    http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20100223/Toyota.Electronic.Throttle.Co- ntrol.Investigation.pdf

    http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20100223/Gilbert.Testimony.pdf

    Many thanks.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    edited March 2010
    So Toyota says the your car stalling while cruising down the Freeway at 75 MPH is not a safety issue. That is amazing. There is that name again. Toyota's man with the inside connection to the NHTSA.

    In late November, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the Toyota Corolla and Matrix in response to reports of random and sudden engine stalling. Now, Toyota has contacted NHTSA to inform them it may have found a culprit in the engine computer.

    "Toyota does not believe that the alleged defect creates an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety," Chris Santucci, Toyota's regulatory affairs manager, wrote in a letter to NHTSA.

    In the letter, Toyota identified the Engine Control Unit, the computer that runs the engine, as the culprit in the sudden and random engine stalls. Toyota believes that a crack in a soldered joint inside the computer could be to blame, or possibly an electrical short. Either problem could cause the engine to shut down or fail to start. According to the letter, Toyota believes that an engine stall is the safest outcome of such a failure.


    More junk electronics used in Toyota vehicles.
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    I think the key is "unreasonable" level of risk.

    Is it less dangerous than a front-tire blowout at 75 MPH? Probably.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    If you go out on the highway with MayPops and have a blowout it is your own fault. Toyota knows they have a problem and refuse to do a recall. Just fix the ones that break. What are the odds that one of those cases of stalling will end in an accident? Then it should be on Toyota's back.
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    Blowouts are accidents !! None of the blowouts I have ever had (2 or 3) were preventable. Even good tires can blowout.....
  • sharonklsharonkl Member Posts: 660
    Rhoda Smiths Testimony
    Vehicle 2006 Lexus m350 ES
    Date of Incident October 12, 2006
    Odometer: 2728

    "Eddie arrived approximately 5‐10 minutes later at my location, still on the phone with me. After trying to calm me down he inspected the vehicle to make sure it was turned off and secure. At this time he
    made a visual inspection for anything out of the ordinary that might have caused this. There was nothing unusual concerning the accelerator or anything that might have jammed it open. The car radio
    and inside lights were still on, even though I had exited way away from the car and had turned it off. He immediately called a wrecker, as I knew I was never going to drive that car again. After the wrecker
    arrived, the wrecker driver was given the key fob and asked to tow it back to Sevierville. When he hooked to the car and prepared to winch it onto the rollback, he asked my husband to put the car in neutral so he could start his winch. The driver was standing 20‐25 feet away at the rollback controls. Without thinking, my husband sat down in the car with no fob on him and was able to pull the car from park to neutral. This should not have happened. As the car went into neutral, the car actually tried to start by itself with the engine turning over several times. This shocked my husband and he immediately exited the vehicle. At that time the wrecker driver walked back and they were dumbfounded as to how the vehicle could try to start with no key fob inside the vehicle. We have a notarized statement from Tommy Clayton, the driver with Baker’s Wrecker Service, stating this fact to be true. The vehicle was then towed back to Sevierville and then to the dealership in Kingsport, TN. The dealership was told this
    story and they advised they would thoroughly check it out. After several weeks we were advised they could find nothing wrong with the car."

    http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20100223/Eddie.Rhonda.Smith.Testimony.- pdf
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,691
    edited March 2010
    Nice link,, explorer.

    http://rumors.automobilemag.com/6655668/news/toyota-investigation-of-corolla-and- - -matrix-stalling-zeroes-in-on-engine-computer/index.html

    "In the letter, Toyota identified the Engine Control Unit, the computer that runs the engine, as the culprit in the sudden and random engine stalls. Toyota believes that a crack in a soldered joint inside the computer could be to blame, or possibly an electrical short. Either problem could cause the engine to shut down or fail to start. According to the letter, Toyota believes that an engine stall is the safest outcome of such a failure."

    Do ya' think there might be problems with computers in toyota-lexus beyong Corolla? Runaway acceleration?

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • sharonklsharonkl Member Posts: 660
    RE: Rhonda Smith claimed UA/SUA incident

    Mr. Smith did not have fob key, AAA tow agent had fob key for auto. Mr. Smith was stilll able to shift into neutral on auto, which should not happen it seems. When he did, that is when auto tried to start itself. AAA agent was witness to this. AAA agent provided notarized statement to this fact.

    This is where this particular case appears to have more support as an unbiased witness present.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,356
    Maybe Mr. Smith had his own fob. They come in pairs you know. Mine is always in my watch pocket and I sometimes forget it is there.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

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