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2010 Toyota Camry

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Comments

  • oparroparr Member Posts: 74
    If you own a Camry involved in the recall, do not drive it!

    And drive what?..My wife's '96 Camry? Sorry, it doesn't have a decent gang. When Toyota sends me a notice I will **probably** schedule my recall at the same time as the 10,000 mile service. No great hurry here.
  • Sandman6472Sandman6472 Member Posts: 6,953
    As I said in another post, most car companies have had issues. Ford had their Exploders and Pinto's and Chevy had their Vega's. Look back in history folks...it's all there. This will pass and consumers will still buy what they feel is right for them. So let's quit badgering Toyota and Honda folks...companies (and people) in glass houses should never throw stones!

    The Sandman :sick: :shades:

    2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)

  • revitrevit Member Posts: 476
    Yeah, I feel for any owners who have a Toyota as their only vehicle.

    Was just watching the news and a Toyota owner went to the dealership today and they don't have the parts. Like many, she doesn't feel the car is safe to drive and they wouldn't give here a loaner.

    Way to go Toyota!
  • revitrevit Member Posts: 476
    As I said in another post, most car companies have had issues. Ford had their Exploders and Pinto's and Chevy had their Vega's. Look back in history folks...it's all there. This will pass and consumers will still buy what they feel is right for them

    And what year were both of those issue?

    Think Toyota has reached an all time low if it is now being compared to a Pinto. There goes Toyota's residual value...couldn't give the cars away at this point. :lemon:
  • revitrevit Member Posts: 476
    Toyota asked to make car payments for customers in new class action lawsuit

    And the Toyota beat rolls on. Or should we say the Toyota beat down rolls on. Check this out: a group of Toyota owners (and leasers) have asked a judge to file a class action suit demanding that until their accelerator pedals are fixed, Toyota should pick up the tab for the recalled cars. That's right, some folks in Cincinnati feel they shouldn't have to make any payments to Toyota until their cars are fixed. Here's what the lawyer filing the suit has to say:

    "Until they make it safe, people shouldn't have to pay their lease payments and shouldn't have to make their bank payments. Let Toyota pick that up."
  • oparroparr Member Posts: 74
    Yeah, I feel for any owners who have a Toyota as their only vehicle.

    Save it for those who cannot think for themselves or those who hear Nelson Muntz's (from the Simpsons) "Hah-Hah" from every other vehicle while driving their Toyota.

    As for me, there are so few Camrys like mine on the road now that I feel like a member of an exclusive club. Wish it could remain that way.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    I've never put "Camry" and "Exclusive" in the same sentence. The only real "exclusive" Camry these days might look like this...

    image
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Yeah, that'll be the day if that lawsuit goes anywhere.
  • blin279blin279 Member Posts: 21
    "...we have no idea if the judge will allow this, as it would set a fairly dangerous precedent for all auto makers. Imagine if every time a car got recalled for a faulty cup holder (or whatever) the owners didn't have to pay for it."

    Yeh! Let's start this...but remember: Every Stick Has Two Ends!

    Folks, do not panic! Drive your Camry's and enjoy them like I do! Neither floor mats no gas pedal assy are dangerous. I think there is a glitch in ECU (software and/or
    hardware). The problem is intermittent and this is the worst part of this story. Toyota will fix it soon! Simply avoid using cruise control now.
  • gtgtcobragtgtcobra Member Posts: 268
    "Simply avoid using cruise control now."

    Why shouldn't we use cruise control? I just started using my cruise control today in my 2010 Camry LE when my car reached the 2,700 mile break-in mileage mark and the vehicle was driving very nice and smooth while the cruise control was on. I didn't notice anything wrong while using the cruise control.
    Please tell me what's wrong with using the cruise control? Is the cruise control related to the gas pedal problem? I would like to know.
    THANKS
  • chris789chris789 Member Posts: 37
    After I turned my car off tonight I heard a very high pitch sound that lasted about 20 seconds. I couldn't tell where the sound was coming from, maybe the speakers. The car has 10,000 miles on it and this is the first time its happened. Has anyone else had similar sound issues?

    Chris

    ps. I have a 2010 Camry LE 4-Cylinder
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    There's nothing wrong with the cruise control; just continue using it.
  • oparroparr Member Posts: 74
    I think there is a glitch in ECU (software and/or
    hardware).


    I notice that there were Japanese statistics regarding the Prius brake problem. Have there been any statistics regarding runaway Toyotas in Japan or elsewhere in the world besides the US?

    If the answer is yes then an ECU glitch would be more of a possibility, however, if the answer is no or relatively few then that would be less likely assuming the same ECU is used worldwide. Assuming the latter and this being a predominantly US problem then Toyota is probably correct regarding the US made pedal IMO.
  • oparroparr Member Posts: 74
    Assuming the latter and this being a predominantly US problem then Toyota is probably correct regarding the US made pedal IMO.

    Other possibilities;

    1. Sabotage.
    2. The HAARP weather modification and control installation in Alaska, that scared away the bees, is also scaring Toyotas.
  • camry2k5camry2k5 Member Posts: 38
    Exclusive Video: How Toyota's Fixing Your Recalled Car :lemon:

    http://autos.aol.com/article/toyota-recall-pedal-fix-walkthrough
  • revitrevit Member Posts: 476
    Toyota recalls 7,300 Camrys with potentially leaking brake tube

    In a separate and completely unrelated (to unintended acceleration cases, floor mats or brake pedals) voluntary recall, Toyota will be fixing approximately 7,300 2010 four-cylinder Camrys with a shorter-than-intended power steering pressure hose that can interfere with the braking system and cause a brake fluid leak.

    According to the announcement made by Toyota late Monday night, the issue with the brake fluid tube begins when a crimp from the power steering hose comes in contact with the number seven front brake tube. If this occurs, the crimp can wear a hole in the brake tube over time and eventually lead to a loss of brake fluid.

    Toyota says that there are no symptoms associated with this problem that a driver may notice until the leak has already begun. In the event that the brake tube is punctured and brake fluid begins to leak, brake pedal stroke and stopping distance will be increased due to a decrease in power-assisted braking.

    Toyota says that the affected Camry models will need to be inspected by a dealers, and if necessary, adjust the space between the brake tube and power steering pressure hose crimp. In some cases, the dealer may replace the brake tube if damaged.

    Camry owners will be notified starting in mid-February 2010.
  • camry2k5camry2k5 Member Posts: 38
    Todate, this must be the fourth.
    ____________________________________
    Toyota to recall more 2010 Camrys in U.S.
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100209/bs_nm/us_toyota_camry_1

    DETROIT (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) will recall 7,314 model-year 2010 Camry sedans in the United States due to the risk that a potential defect in steering may make it harder for drivers to stop the vehicle.

    In a document sent to U.S. dealers on Tuesday and obtained by Reuters, Toyota said the 2010 Camrys equipped with a 4-cylinder engine might have a shorter-than-required power steering pressure hose in the engine compartment.

    That could deplete the brake fluid, increasing the brake pedal stroke and making it more difficult and requiring more time to stop the vehicle, Toyota said.

    Toyota notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday of its intention to conduct a voluntary safety recall, the document showed.
    Toyota was not immediately available for comment.

    The latest move follows a string of recalls over the past few months that cover more than 8.5 million vehicles globally due to the risk that a loose floor mat or a sticky accelerator pedal may lead to unintended acceleration.

    Earlier on Tuesday, Toyota said it would recall nearly half a million new Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems, the third recall in a spiraling safety crisis at the world's biggest automaker.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Wow, 7300 cars! What's that -- one week's worth of production?
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    Yes, about one week.

    Probably a supplier or associate error on the assembly line.

    This kind of thing happens quite often. We are hearing about it now because Toyota is under the microscope.
  • pixshooterpixshooter Member Posts: 51
    The lawyers are diving into the bloodbath, which Toyota deserves for the deaths, cover up and ridiculously slow response to the problems. I called the Toyota Hotline (800-331-4331) yesterday and finally got through. Then spent 20 minutes getting bounced around. My main question was why my dealer or Toyota NEVER CONTACTED ME ABOUT THE RECALL and when were they going to fix my car? This is unacceptable. As usual the Toyota spokes person could not answer basic questions. after 25 years of driving Honda's, I decided to switch to Toyota because both companies have great reputations for safety and quality. I was upset with Honda for not addressing the brake/rotor problem in 08-09 Accords. It is well documented. Not sure if they fixed them for the 2010 models. I was also was tired of Accord road noise, bumpy ride and uncomfortable seats. I test drove a Camry and was sold! I'm not happy with the 2010 Camry oil change fiasco and would not of bought the car if I had read about this acceleration problem and how Toyota is handling it. I finally got my appointment for repair next week. The 10 minute fix will take 3-4 hours. My fix includes the shim and a shortening of the pedal....so far.
    Toyota is only sending limited amount of kits per dealer. (If your dealer is fixing the cars on lot before fixing cars on the road then I consider this another class action lawsuit.) Back to lawsuits my city (Pensacola) has a big time lawyer that has started class action>
    PENSACOLA/PANAMA CITY - A class-action lawsuit against Toyota has been filed in Panama City.
    Pensacola attorney Fred Levin filed it on behalf of Justin Johnson.
    Johnson's wife drove their new Tacoma pickup into a ditch when the accelerator stuck. The dealership later told them there was no problem with the vehicle.
    The lawsuit wants millions of Toyota owners reimbursed for having to find other transportation while their cars are recalled. It also wants punitive damages brought against Toyota for knowingly selling defective vehicles.

    http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_6569.shtml
    Here is the link for our local newspaper forum regarding the recall.
    http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckForum&plckForumPage=Forum- Discussion&plckDiscussionId=Cat%3ac465a418-e5ac-4734-b866-ad2ca76c20bfForum%3abb- 9f5dff-8eb2-4a28-8bcc-e5f5e627f114Discussion%3a40b85c7f-9d1e-4fcd-a7cb-7571672c6- 50c
  • camry2k5camry2k5 Member Posts: 38
    • FEBRUARY 9, 2010
    Secretive Culture Led Toyota Astray

    By KATE LINEBAUGH, DIONNE SEARCEY and NORIHIKO SHIROUZU
    On Jan. 19, in a closed-door meeting in Washington, D.C., two top executives from Toyota Motor Corp. gave American regulators surprising news.
    Evidence had been mounting for years that Toyota cars could speed up suddenly, a factor suspected in crashes causing more than a dozen deaths. Toyota had blamed the problem on floor mats pinning the gas pedal. Now, the two Toyota men revealed they knew of a problem in its gas pedals.
    AFP/Getty Images
    Toyota Motor's President Akio Toyoda, second from left, and Vice President Shinichi Sasaki, left, bow following a news conference Tuesday.
    The two top officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "were steamed," according to a person who discussed the meeting with both sides. As the meeting closed, NHTSA chief David Strickland hinted at using the agency's full authority, which can include subpoenas, fines, and even forcing auto makers to stop selling cars.
    Toyota had known about the gas-pedal problem for more than a year. Its silence with U.S. regulators, and other newly uncovered details from the crisis enveloping Toyota, reveal a growing rift between the Japanese auto maker and NHTSA, one of its top regulators. Regulators came to doubt Toyota's commitment to addressing safety defects, according to interviews with federal officials and industry executives, and accounts of Toyota and NHTSA interactions the past year.

    The End of the Fix-It-Yourself Car
    4:11
    Even as computers have revolutionized car safety, efficiency, and performance, they've made those same cars increasingly hard to fix, and robbed arm-chair mechanics of the thrills of tinkering in the garage. WSJ's Andy Jordan reports.
    The heart of Toyota's problem: Its secretive corporate culture in Japan clashed with U.S. requirements that auto makers disclose safety threats, people familiar with the matter say. The relationship soured even though Toyota had hired two former NHTSA officials to manage its ties with the agency.
    Toyota's troubles spread Tuesday when it recalled all Priuses to address a braking problem, even as executives suggested the step was unnecessary.
    Toyota acknowledges the rift with regulators. "Believe me, we have changed our mind-set," said Shinichi Sasaki, Toyota's quality chief, referring to a heated December confrontation in Tokyo with NHTSA officials over floor mats. "We don't believe this is going to be a problem in the future. We are completely on the same page with NHTSA."
    Toyota's woes have roots in 2001's redesigned Camry sedan, which featured a new type of gas pedal. Instead of physically connecting to the engine with a mechanical cable, the new pedal used electronic sensors to send signals to a computer controlling the engine. The same technology migrated to cars including Toyota's luxury Lexus ES sedan. The main advantage is fuel efficiency.
    Journal Community
    Vote: Do you believe Toyota's gas pedal fix will solve the problem?
    But by early 2004, NHTSA was getting complaints that the Camry and ES sometimes sped up without the driver hitting the gas. It launched its first acceleration probe, focusing on 37 complaints, 30 of which involved accidents, according to a NHTSA document filled out by Scott Yon, an agency investigator, dated March 3, 2004.
    Mr. Yon and another NHTSA official, Jeffrey Quandt, discussed the case several times over the next 20 days with Toyota, according to a deposition by a Toyota official filed in a Michigan lawsuit related to one of the fatal crashes. In that accident, a 2005 Camry allegedly raced out of control for a quarter-mile, and sped up to 80 miles an hour from 25, before crashing and killing its driver.
    By month's end, Mr. Yon updated his NHTSA case file with a memo. It said NHTSA had decided to limit the probe to incidents involving brief bursts of acceleration, and would exclude so-called "long duration" incidents in which cars allegedly continued racing down the road after a driver hit the brakes.
    The reason: Investigators decided it would be more effective to isolate any possible defect by zeroing in on shorter incidents, a Transportation Department official said. The shorter incidents looked more like "pure cases of engine surging due to a possible defect," the official said. Longer incidents were excluded because they showed more signs of driver error such as mistaking the accelerator for the brake.
    Messrs. Quandt and Yon didn't respond to requests for comment.
    Of the 37 incidents, 27 were categorized as long-duration and not investigated. On July 22, 2004, the probe was closed because NHTSA had found no pattern of safety problems.
    Complaints kept rolling in. In 2005 and 2006, NHTSA got hundreds of reports of unintended acceleration involving Toyotas, according to Safety Research & Strategies, a consumer-safety research firm. On two occasions, Toyota filed responses arguing that no defect or trends could be found in the complaints.
    In a Nov. 15, 2005, letter to Mr. Quandt, Christopher Tinto, a Toyota liaison with the safety agency, asked NHTSA to drop a preliminary probe into sudden acceleration by the Camry and Lexus ES, saying "there is no factor or trend indicating that a vehicle or component defect exists." He used similar language in a June, 11, 2007, letter responding to a subsequent probe.

    In March 2007, the agency opened a new probe, focusing on whether the gas pedal in the Lexus ES350 sedan could get caught beneath heavy rubber floor mats sold as accessories. It looked at five crashes, including four multivehicle accidents.
    NHTSA sent surveys to 1,986 owners of ES350s. Six-hundred responded, and 59 said they had experienced unintended acceleration. Thirty-five attributed the surge to a floor mat pressing down on the gas pedal. The rest either didn't specify or cited other possible explanations.
    NHTSA officials worked on the probe with their main contact at Toyota, Christopher Santucci. The NHTSA team knew Mr. Santucci: He had worked there from 2001 to 2003. Mr. Santucci's supervisor at Toyota, Mr. Tinto, had worked at NHTSA in the past, too. Messrs. Santucci and Tinto didn't respond to requests for comment.
    At one point, Mr. Santucci brought a Lexus ES350 to a parking lot outside Washington, D.C., for testing. Messrs. Yon and Quandt raced across the lot, hitting 60 mph before jamming on the brakes to measure the force needed to stop.
    It's common for NHTSA to work cooperatively with all auto makers in this way. NHTSA can do its own testing, but it generally relies on manufacturers to supply technical data. Its Office of Defects Investigation has only 57 employees to deal with some 35,000 complaints a year.
    Car makers "are almost self-regulated," said an auto-industry chief executive who has worked with NHTSA. Without makers' help, there's "no way for NHTSA to look into all these issues." To spur cooperation, the agency has the power
  • camry2k5camry2k5 Member Posts: 38
    Continuation:

    - - - power to force recalls and fine companies for providing misleading information or not providing safety information in a timely fashion.

    Toyota for years has been one of the most difficult auto makers for regulators to deal with because it is resistant to being told what to do, said Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator who later became president of consumer-advocacy group Public Citizen until stepping down last year. But she also blamed the agency's collaborative approach for undermining its role. "They have tremendous power and authority but they don't tend to use it."

    A Transportation Department spokeswoman disputes that, saying: "NHTSA has the most active defect investigation program in the world. In the last three years alone [it] resulted in 524 recalls involving 23.5 million vehicles."

    By August 2007, NHTSA wanted Toyota to issue a Lexus and Camry recall to remove the floor mats Toyota blamed for the acceleration problems. "Toyota assured us that this would solve the problem," said Nicole Nason, then NHTSA's administrator.

    In their probe, NHTSA investigators asked Toyota, "Are you sure it's not the gas pedal?" Ms. Nason said. "They assured us it's just the floor mat."

    Toyota says that, at that time, it had no indication of problems with the pedal design.

    Toyota ended up recalling Camrys and ES350s from 2007 and 2008 model years. Owners were told to bring the cars to dealerships to get new mats. The action involved 55,000 cars.

    After the recall, reports continued trickling in that it may not have resolved the issue. One major case was 2008's spectacular fatal crash in Michigan. On April 19 that year, Guadalupe Alberto, 77 years old, was driving a 2005 Camry on Copeman Boulevard, a residential street in Flint. She was traveling about 25 mph when the car accelerated to 80, according a lawsuit against Toyota in Michigan. The car raced about a quarter mile before going airborne and colliding with a tree, killing Ms. Alberto, according to the suit, in Genesee County circuit court. The suit remains under way.

    Floor mats couldn't have been the cause. Ms. Alberto had removed hers days before the accident, said one of the attorneys handling the case against Toyota. The accident was similar in some ways to the "long duration" type excluded from NHTSA's first probe in 2004.

    A year later, NHTSA was asked to open a new probe by a Minnesota man who said his Lexus ES350 took off on a highway and raced for two miles before he regained control. Toyota filed a rebuttal, saying it believed a floor mat was the cause.

    Separately, since December 2008 Toyota's European unit had been looking into a problem causing cars in Ireland and England to surge or fail to slow. After months of testing, Toyota found the culprit: a plastic part in the pedal mechanism also widely used in the U.S.

    Toyota redesigned the pedals for new cars coming off the assembly line. But it didn't issue a recall in Europe or notify U.S. regulators. Nor did Toyota alert its U.S. unit to the situation in Europe, according to a person familiar with the matter.

    Last month, Toyota's Mr. Sasaki said the company didn't alert U.S. regulators then because it didn't see in the U.S. specific consumer complaints about sticky pedals, although a few complaints started to come in by early autumn.

    The Europe issue hasn't been linked to accidents and isn't related to sudden acceleration because it happens near idle speeds. Toyota says it's looking into other potential causes.

    Toyota is still very much run by its Japan headquarters, despite being active in the U.S. since 1957. Top leadership doesn't include U.S. executives. The Toyota officials who run the recall process are in Japan.

    For reasons like these, Toyota often reacted relatively slowly to safety issues raised by NHTSA, according to three people familiar with Toyota's inner workings.

    "What has really happened is a breakdown in communications within Toyota" between its D.C. office and Japan headquarters, said one of these people. "The Washington office didn't have the information it needed to provide to the government."

    In August 2009, another fatal accident in the U.S. put the problem in the spotlight. Mark Saylor, a California Highway Patrol officer, was driving a Lexus ES350 near San Diego when it accelerated to more than 100 mph. As the car careened out of control, one occupant called 911 to report the emergency. The call ended when the car crashed.

    Everyone in the car died, including Mr. Saylor, his wife, daughter and brother-in-law. A tape of the 911 call drew attention to the acceleration issue.

    The Lexus, a loaner from a dealer that Mr. Saylor was driving while his car was being serviced, did have the all-weather mats. And a previous driver of the loaner had told the dealer the mat had hit the pedal.

    At NHTSA, patience was wearing thin. Its deputy, Ronald Medford, summoned Toyota officials to a Sept. 25 meeting in Washington, and told them they needed to act faster to more fully resolve the mat problem. Replacing mats wasn't enough, he said. Toyota also had to alter its gas pedals to make sure they couldn't get caught on mats.

    On Oct. 5, Toyota recalled 3.8 million vehicles to fix the floor-mat issue, its largest ever recall.

    But tensions kept rising. On Nov. 3, Toyota put out a statement saying NHTSA had concluded that "no defect exists" in the recalled vehicles. A day later, in an unusually public rebuke, NHTSA released its own statement calling Toyota's "inaccurate and misleading."

    Around the same time, the two were at odds again over a completely different issue. Toyota recalled Tundra pickup trucks for a corrosion problem that could lead to the spare tire falling off. But the recall hadn't come as quickly as NHTSA wanted, according to people familiar with the matter. Toyota had also been reluctant to include corrosion issues affecting the fuel tank, one person said.

    On Jan. 8, Toyota amended its original recall to include the fuel-tank corrosion issue. In a letter to NHTSA. it stressed that it didn't consider the issue "a safety related defect."

    Amid the clashes, NHTSA's Mr. Medford and other officials flew to Japan. On Dec. 15 they stood before about 100 Toyota executives and engineers and explained Toyota's obligation to comply with the U.S.'s defect-recall process, a Transportation Department official said.

    Later, Mr. Medford met with a smaller group of Toyota executives. According to the official, Mr. Medford told them bluntly: Toyota was taking too long to respond to safety issues. He reminded them that Toyota is obligated under U.S. law to find and report defects promptly.

    Mr. Sasaki, Toyota's quality chief, said the meeting included a "debate" in which NHTSA objected to Toyota's view that users needed to install the mats properly. NHTSA's response, he said, was Toyota couldn't expect that from every consumer. "NHTSA people expressed disbelief ov
  • camry2k5camry2k5 Member Posts: 38
    3/3

    - - - disbelief over Toyota's view, and we received some harsh words from them," he said.

    On Jan. 4, NHTSA's new chief, Mr. Strickland, was sworn in. His first crisis walked in the door Jan. 19, when two Toyota executives told him that Toyota's Japan headquarters had known there was a flaw in the pedals, according to a person familiar with the situation.

    A few days later, Toyota had the details of a 2.3-millon-vehicle recall worked out. But there was a hitch: Toyota didn't have enough parts in hand to make repairs immediately.

    At times, NHTSA gives car makers extra time to get replacement parts ready before recall notices go out. This time, it was too late. And regulators told Toyota it would have to stop selling cars. On Jan. 26, that's what Toyota did.

    _Original article from WSJ thru this link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704820904575055733096312238.html?m- od=WSJ_hpp_LEADNewsCollection#printMode
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    "..and robbed arm-chair mechanics of the thrills of tinkering in the garage.."

    "Shade-tree" in my case, but..

    Robbed....?? No way...!!

    Even get to teach the dealer service techs how things work, or "not".
  • dturrdturr Member Posts: 70
    Hey my neighbour has struck a deal with his local dealer. He will lease a vehicle if they swap out the pedals getting shut of the CTS assembly and they agreed.
    He would not do a deal with shims and stuck to his demand.

    Just listened to Toyota dealer on CNN called this 'shim' a reinforcing bar !!!!
  • oparroparr Member Posts: 74
    He will lease a vehicle if they swap out the pedals getting shut of the CTS assembly and they agreed.

    I would also want the brake override firmware upgrade if not already installed. More important IMO.

    http://cbs5.com/video/?id=61614@kpix.dayport.com
  • legalmanlegalman Member Posts: 6
    Giving my opinion to any of you folks that are considering the purchase of a 'fixed' Toyota - DO NOT DO IT.
    If some accident was to take place you would have some serious problems.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    You're more likely to be hit by a bus than have a crash in a Toyota due to the faulty pedal. Actual statistic.

    I don't drive a Toyota, don't want to, but the media and the lawyers have made this fiasco bigger than it really is.
  • Sandman6472Sandman6472 Member Posts: 6,953
    The Sandman

    2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)

  • pixshooterpixshooter Member Posts: 51
    Doubt the relatives of the dead victims care about the statistics.
  • gooddeal2gooddeal2 Member Posts: 750
    Doubt the relatives of the dead victims care about the statistics.

    +1
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    As do I, but this is still a case of the media piggybacking on each other and riding Toyota's case more than it normally would. Like I said: I'm not a Toyota guy, and I'm not trying to diminish the problem, but working for a TV news station and having been in broadcasting for a few years, its like the Swine Flu outbreak. It proved less dangerous than the actual flu in most cases, but somebody decided it was a top story every day for 3 months. That somebody wasn't me. :)
  • marvin6marvin6 Member Posts: 72
    I think there are two schools of thought. One would be what is the "acceptable number of fatalities" and the other is a lesson I learned many years ago. If you can scare people you can take their money. In this case, I think if you can scare people you can prevent them from spending their money (on toyota).
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    Go back 10 years, remember the Ford Explorer issue? The one where they would roll over when a tire blew out? It wasn't really anything to do with the car itself, the tires were bad, Firestone had to replace them all, but the blame, through the Media was strictly against Ford. The fact that people who drove the Explorer had no experience on what to do when a tire blew was never mentioned, just that the vehicle rolled over. How many people would know that if you blew out a tire, you don't hit the brakes, but punch the gas to bring the vehicle to a stable state before braking? I'll bet not many do, and that right there is why the vehicle rolled, had nothing to do with the design, it is in fact part of the nature of a top heavy vehicle, but man did the media ever go down hard on Ford. So why should they be any different over Toyota?
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Two wrongs don't make a right... :)
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    edited February 2010
    Wow, how stories change..

    The Ford Explorer design was at fault, pure and simple, for those rollovers.

    Ford engineers knew the Explorer had too great a propensity for rollover but rather than change/correct the design they decided to "lower" the Explorer's center of gravity by running the tires partially deflated, YES, PARTIALLY DEFLATED.

    Apparently no one foresaw (and if they did they kept their mouth shut) the potential short-coming of this measure, with an extended, long, drive at fairly high speed the poorly inflated tires would overheat and blowout.

    We can probably never know the % of drivers who were able to handle these blowouts successfully, we only know of the ones who didn't. So the ratio might well be 100:1, only 1% of drivers actually crashed as a result.
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    So you are saying that 4 psi lowered the Explorer's center of gravity? Kinda doubtful.

    As I recall, the load rating for the tire that the Explorer was fitted with was almost identical to the load rating of the vehicle. Overload the rear of the Explorer, run over the speed limit, and "BOOM" one of the rear tires blows out. Who's to blame? Ford, I guess, since they recommended 26 psi for the tires on the Explorer that were marginal to begin with.

    No way that I would have run 26 psi, but I guess many people did. Or even worse, they never checked their tire air pressure at all.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Firestone had to replace them all, but the blame, through the Media was strictly against Ford

    I dunno, I seem to recall a big drop off in Firestone tire sales and IIRC they ultimately had to merge with Bridgestone to survive. IMHO it was a combo of cheaply built tires and a top heavy SUV that could have used a bit more width in its design. So I blame them both. However, I think Ford handled it better than Toyota is right now. There seems to be a lack of clear communication between Toyota and its customers.
  • i_luv_toyotai_luv_toyota Member Posts: 350
    edited February 2010
    As per Toyota's website.

    It's only mid-February! I guess this is the "long" model year before the full redesign for MY2012 (that is, if Toyota keeps on their 5-year redesign cycle).
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    All Camrys since the 2007 model year came out early, with the exception of the 2008 model. I'd expect the redesigned 2012 about a year from now.
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    Toyota is really going to have to hit a homerun inside and outside on the 2012 Camry when it comes out next year; it has heavy competition from the 2011 Sonata and the refreshed Ford Fusion; the Fusion for example, was improved to be quieter, smoother, and more comfortable than the previous 3 years! those three adjectives sound really similar to ones describing the Camry so I think Ford had Toyota in its sites!

    I think the main thing Toyota is going to have to do to stay competitive with the Camry is more (1) more aggressive/sportier body style, (2) better interior materials/fit and finish, (3) keep the same kind of ride while improving handling/road feel (something the fusion and altima are kicking its butt at right now), and (4) add a couple of new features already done in competitors, like ambient cabin lighting, rear camera option without having to get navigation, intelligent high beam control, illuminated steering and homelink controls at night, HID Xenon option on V6 models, etc!!
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Just don't overcomplicate it!
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    edited February 2010
    well thats certainly true and with Toyota's current situation they are going to have to focus a lot on safety issues with the next gen Camry but those things I mentioned have to happen in order for Toyota to compensate for the negative publicity their current recalls are going to have on their reputation for the immediate future, which I would say is 1-2 years; after that, I think people will forget about these current recalls and things will be back to normal for Toyota!

    because of recent events, they are going to lose some sales for the time being, that being the case, it makes it ever so more important that when they go to introduce the next Camry that things are just as competitive in regards to body style, technology, etc in order for them to comeback and possibly be the sales leader again, which I think will def happen once all this media hype and blowout is over, which as you know over on the auto news forum, has gotten the GM and Ford sharks foaming at the mouth, lol!!!

    its just that, competition in the mid-size car segment is extremely competitive and after seeing the new 2011 Sonata I was like wow, okay that's different! plus, keep in mind the Altima will be redesigned for 2012 also giving the Camry competition and the Accord and Malibu are on the same schedule so what ever Toyota comes out with, Honda and Chevy will have a year to study it before they introduce the next gen for the Accord and Malibu respectively in 2013!! thats why its even more important for them to get the Camry right!!
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    edited February 2010
    which as you know over on the auto news forum, has gotten the GM and Ford sharks foaming at the mouth, lol!!!

    A'int that the truth, esp. for the GM fanboys! ;)

    Honda and Chevy will have a year to study it before they introduce the next gen for the Accord and Malibu respectively in 2013!!

    A year isn't enough time for either competitor to make more than minor tweaks to these cars, other than changing standard vs. optional equipment.
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    edited February 2010
    I've never been that crazy about the Accord or Malibu; especially the Malibu after the horrific problems I had with m 01 and 04, which have kind of tarnished me! I've typically only been interested in the Altima and Camry, mainly because each has been the best out of the rest in regards to seat comfort for my back, which is really important for me because my back is so sensitive after two major spine surgeries!!

    I am pretty sure thatToyota will do good with the redesign, the 07 was a pretty big departure from the 02-06 body style so I'm hoping that trend will continue from 11 to 12!!
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    Boy Howdy, you hit that one on the head. the Camry has a LOT of catching up to do if it wants to equal out the Fusion. Ford has plans in to totally redesign the Fusion in the next few years too, and with the trend they have been going, the next one will be a knock out. When you put them together now, side by side and compare, the Camry is a plain Jane car now, about what a Corolla was to a Camry. The Fusion has Sync, which is great, rear view camera in the mirror, don't need NAV to have it, BLIS, which I find is really good to have, it detects cars or people on either side if you are trying to back out of a blind spot, such as between two minivans or SUV/s, the styling of the dash is impressive compared to the Camry's HoHum dash. Look at the Fusion Hybrid dash against that on the Camry Hybrid, all the information you want, programmable, and you don't need an $1800 NAV unit to look at it. Ford has out now the JukeBox if you have NAV. When you hear a song you like, you can tag it, next time it plays, it gets recorded to the car's hard drive so you always have it. It is in the Flex, and should soon be in all NAV equipped Fords soon. Toyota really has their work cut out for them on this one to get back into the game.
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    yeah, the 2012 has to get some of these tech updates that the Altima and Fusion have to stay competitive; the 2012 Camry is going to say a lot for Toyota and I'm anxious to see what they come up with; this next gen Camry can't be a single or double, it needs to be a full home run!!
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    Given all the bad press the Camry is getting lately, I wonder if the next new model will sport a different name?
  • pixshooterpixshooter Member Posts: 51
    Thought i got my first recall contact/notification today from my dealer today but it was just an ad for $1000.00 off purchasing a new Toyota. Wow!!! I am going to run out and buy another 2010 Camry so i can have two cars waiting to be repaired. Idiots!
  • smarty666smarty666 Member Posts: 1,503
    thats sales for ya! ;)
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