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Sikes also said he was standing on the brakes but the CHP reported he saw the brake lights coming flashing.
It was only after Sikes applied the e-brake that the Prius began to slow down.
All perfectly consistent with the skid control not allowing frictional braking or minimal frictional braking.
20-30 minutes, 1200 to 1800 seconds and a total of 500 combined brake/gas pedal applications, one every 2-3 seconds, does that even sound humanly possible..or even reasonable?? And is there even time for the drive train to react with any reasonable level of drive torque between those 4-6 second brake pedal depressions..??
Sounds more like the kind of thing that would result from a rather serious computer coding fault.
I had a Shi.. er Chevy once that developed a blockage in a front brake line that mildly applied the brake on one wheel. Unknowingly, I drove a couple miles like that only noticing a pull to that side, but when I got out I found the brake disk glowing red with heat. When cool, the disk was badly warped, the pad wear was visibly different and the entire caliper had to be rebuilt. The point is even moderate braking pressure over an extended period of driving even at normal speeds will cause a dramatic heat buildup in the brake, causing easily observed damage.
Conclusion: The guy wasn't pushing the brakes as aggressively as he pretends.
You are kidding, right ???? Or maybe confused.
All brake systems have 2 circuits split diagonal and a loss of fluid in ONE circuit will still leave braking available via the other circuit.
The Sikes case is an interesting one, I am sure it would be more difficult to discredit the driver if they were say a good catholic nun !!!
I think there is a computer problem that would be much easier to track down if Toyota were more honest with themselves. You have to remember, most driver "control" is just inputs to a complex computer and in this case the guy could well have been pressing hard on the pedal but the computer overriding him via brake or engine control error.
As of right now, I will not be buying a Toyota or Honda van until the situations are completely understood, explained and FIXED.
orAND engine control error..."In the Sikes case BOTH.
The HSD system control computer was "stuck" in cruise control "set/accel" mode while the skid control computer would not allow hydraulic/frictional braking without "permission" from the HSD control computer.
After reading about the 2010 Odyssey and the below invoice pricing deals currently in play I jumped on a 2010 Odyssey with nav and rear seat entertainment. It has been ten years since I bought my first Odyssey with no leather and absolutely no options for ~$32,0000 because dealers were charging several thousand over MSRP. I bought a fully loaded 2010 Odyssey ten years later for almost exactly the same price! Amazing.
I love the exterior looks of the Sienna and really wanted to have one to call my own, but alas it wasn't the right time.
I was really surprised to find out, upon sitting in the seat that my legs were too long for the extended footrest. I would have to flex my legs(I'm 5'11) for my feet to rest comfortably on the footrest. I tried making some minor adjustments to the seat position, but without any luck. I guess the seat is designed for passengers a lot shorter than myself.
Any thoughts?
One other thing occured to me about the Sienna. The Antenna on the XLE and lower trims. What is up with that 1990's, Corolla-esq antenna. At least on the Corolla you could push it down. Another thing that is better on the Odyssey.
I'm sure the CHP would have felt differently if he knew this guy ran a porn web site, was bankrupt, had conducted fraud in the past, and owed Toyota $19,000.
Got some gifts, but the parking is $8.00.
Comparing with my 2002 Odyssey :
The handling appears to be at the similar level (can’t wait to test an SE).
The cargo space appears to be bigger.
The center base is acceptable to me. It looks like a booster seat with 2 cup holders on the floor.
The acceleration is not very impressive.
Short test drive, so that’s all I got to share.
Impressions:
Likes:
-Interior Dash Layout--love the 3.5 inch display, great place for trip computer info.
-Modern electronics--far better looking than the previous generation (which looked very dated and ugly)
-I'm fine with the dash materials
-Lots of room up front--felt very open and airy, even compared to the Odyssey
-Once up to speed, very quiet--very little wind and road news
-Suspenion dampened well--without feeling too soft
-Nice little details, like lighted cupholders
-Bluetooth even on LE
Neutral
-Little disappointed in the powertrain-I remember it really feeling faster than the Ody in the previous gen--not so much this time. It IS quicker, but it doesn't feel as effortless and frankly it is pretty noisy--noisier than the Ody at full throttle.
Dislikes
-Steering. And ultimately, this is probably the deal breaker, at least for my wife. This thing has very, very loose steering at lower speeds. It just "feels" big--my wife remarked that it felt like she was driving a much larger vehicle and she didn't like it. The feelings were a bit artificial, with a lot of play. It took more concentration and effort to steer the car.
-The way its packaged. I've ranted aobut this before--can't get a DVD without buying premium package in MidAtlantic
-Fit and finish. In the car I drove, the cloth seat was misaligned with the base--so there was a big, ugly gap between the cloth and the hard plastic seat. Not good.
Steering on the SE is supposed to be better.
Unfortunately, the SE is only going to be available in that charcoal leatherette. We don't do dark interiors...beige or bust, baby! (Actually, grey is fine too unless it is really dark--the charcoal is really dark.)
I was at the Toyota dealership today getting my TCH dealt with and I talked to a sales manager about packaging. He said they are not allowed to order a vehicle configured differently than Central Atlantic Toyota offers, and that they can't go a dealer trade because the values are never equal. The best they can do is for you to buy a vehicle out of region and have it shipped to the local dealer, which I wouldn't do.
Sienna didn't see to be getting much traffic at either Toyota dealership I was at. One other person looking at it, but nothing compared to Prius/RAV4. Honda sold 12k Odys in Feb--up over '09--be interesting to see where Sienna comes in with a full first month. I've seen a fair number on the road, but then again I live in the minivan capital of the world.
Belt is quieter, but the chain doesn't need to be changed, so I'll accept that trade-off. They also added insulation to the firewall and door jambs for 2007 to compensate somewhat. I wonder if the 2011s have less insulation?
Regarding packaging; it was mentioned so many times all over that Toyota needs to improve in this area. I guess they are deaf (until some recalls happen).
IMO, they should offer the SE's steering in all models. Drop the loose, numb, power assisted steering. No one likes it (although many does not seem to care).
And as someone above mentioned, the steering wheel is a bit bigger than the Honda's, giving you the feel of driving a bigger vehicle, but not too much. I think the Siennas steering wheel is still smaller than Chrysler's gigantic wheel.
I think Toyota has is so focused on CYA on the accelerator problem that they have lost vision on quality across the board. My wife and I really wanted to get a 2011 Sienna. A couple of test drives and close looks changed our minds. We went Honda Odyssey. They have their issues also.
The key issue - is this water repellent material and/or permeable. With three young kids it is pretty much imperative to either have full leather seats or material which does not absorb whatever is poured etc. on it.
Thanks.
Plus spilled liquids would penetrate the seams, it's not just going to hold water.
We wash the removeable covers for the seats often.
Anyone else have this issue?
I keep a box of baking soda in each or our cars.
To give you a feel of how well you did, it would be helpful to know the MSRP of the van.
Toss in a box of Arm & Hammer baking soda anyway.
Once in a while I vacuum and I find 3 month old french fries back there. :sick:
And that's besides changing the interior door grab handles to something very disappointing. I would love to have the vertically aligned design, found on many other Toyota vehicles, like Camry, Highlander, Rav4, and more. They're so much more comfortable! But still the pre-2011 were much better than the 2011's.
I think that in many regards, Toyota went backwards.
Time for a re-re-design!! 2012 by any chance?? :P
Given the prices went up a bit (V6 no longer standard, too), you'd think they could have kept everything.
Instead of trying to compete with the Chrysler minivans, which offer power rear door on most models, even on lower end (at least as an option); Toyota just "expanded" this option from Limited only (pre-2011) to XLE.
I believe most people which opt for power sliding doors, are in need of a power rear liftgate as well.
That's besides other dumb things not copied from Chrysler, like not adding in floor storage; and not offering a built-in hard drive based mp3 player, or hard-disk-based navigation system in higher end models (Toyota is using instead old fashioned DVD-based navigation).
Bottom line, from all of my previous posts, I think Toyota have not done their research right. I must applaud them for many nice features added, and nice revised interior, but they must take notice, if they would like to stay stronger.
Typical Toyota thinking on options. Make a buyer step up to next level to get what they want. I think the folks at Toyota that put these option packages together go around with their collective heads up their *****. l
I do very much like, however, that Toyota tucked the rear wiper underneath the roof spoiler on the back of the van. That's a nice design touch. Also, they kept the sliding door rails integrated with the rear window, something Honda has yet to figure out how to do.
Agree the sliding door rails integrated with the rear window looks clean. Perhaps it is a design patent that keeps Honda from doing this feature. At least Honda puts the cruise controls on the steering wheel.
Nice styling but a lot less functional, limited rear view where you need it most.
They did add 3 zone climate control to all models, plus the backup cam on most.
Strange, because of those 3 I think the power hatch would be the most useful. Got something heavy in your hands? Just press a button.
Is it possible that charging a cell phone for 1/2 hour without the engine running could drain a new car battery?
Thanks...