Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Most popular vehicles
Popular New Cars
- New Acura MDX
- New Acura RDX
- New Audi Q5
- New BMW 3 Series
- New BMW X3
- New Buick Enclave
- New Cadillac Escalade
- New Chevrolet Equinox
- New Chrysler 300
- New Dodge Challenger
- New Ford Edge
- New Ford Escape
- New Ford Expedition
- New Ford Explorer
- New Ford F-150
- New Ford Focus
- New Ford Mustang
- New Honda Accord
- New Honda Civic
- New Honda CR-V
- New Honda Fit
- New Honda Odyssey
- New Honda Pilot
- New Hyundai Elantra
- New Hyundai Santa Fe
- New Hyundai Sonata
- New Hyundai Tucson
- New Jeep Compass
- New Jeep Grand Cherokee
- New Jeep Wrangler
- New Mazda 3
- New Mazda 6
- New Mazda CX-5
- New Nissan Altima
- New Nissan Maxima
- New Nissan Rogue
- New Porsche Cayenne
- New Ram 1500
- New Subaru Crosstrek
- New Subaru Forester
- New Subaru Impreza
- New Subaru Outback
- New Tesla Model S
- New Tesla Model X
- New Toyota 4Runner
- New Toyota Camry
- New Toyota Corolla
- New Toyota Highlander
- New Toyota Prius
- New Toyota RAV4
- New Toyota Sienna
- New Toyota Tacoma
- New Volkswagen Jetta
- New Volvo XC60
- New Volvo XC90
Popular Used Sedans
- Used BMW 5 Series
- Used Chevrolet Impala
- Used Chevrolet Malibu
- Used Chrysler 200
- Used Dodge Charger
- Used Ford Fusion
- Used Ford Taurus
- Used Honda Accord
- Used Honda Civic
- Used Hyundai Elantra
- Used Hyundai Sonata
- Used Tesla Model S
- Used Toyota Camry
- Used Toyota Corolla
- Used Volkswagen Jetta
Popular Used SUVs
- Used Acura MDX
- Used Acura RDX
- Used Ford Edge
- Used Ford Explorer
- Used Honda CR-V
- Used Honda Pilot
- Used Hyundai Santa Fe
- Used Jeep Compass
- Used Lincoln Navigator
- Used Mazda CX-5
- Used Nissan Rogue
- Used Subaru Crosstrek
- Used Subaru Forester
- Used Tesla Model X
- Used Volvo XC90
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Driver Error in Toyota Prius Investigation
Posted By Becky Diamond On March 22, 2010 @ 2:47 PM In Technology, U.S. | Comments Disabled
According to Police Captain Anthony Marraccini, driver error caused the crash of a Prius on March 9th 2010 in Harrison N.Y. and not faulty brakes.
In an investigation of the incident, Harrison Police Captain Marraccini said the brakes had not been applied, a finding that contradicted claims from a 56 year old woman who told police that the car had accelerated as she drove down her employer’s driveway and hit a stone wall. The woman told police that she had hit the brakes but the car did not respond.
Below is a transcript of what Captain Marraccini told Fox News on Monday:
"The vehicle accelerator was compressed and there was no brake application. We looked at data extracted from the car’s computer system. We looked at the vehicle diagnostic trouble code and we have video taped every key stroke that Toyota made while they extracted the data so we know the data is reliable and trustworthy.
"The event data recorder showed two collisions in this case. The first was a minor collision when the car impacted the curb. There as a speed indication of 35 miles per hour and an indication of deceleration. The second event recorded the main collision. We have indications that the car was traveling 27 miles an hour at the point of impact. The diagnostic data shows that the accelerator pedal was depressed at the time of impact and was in the idle position after impact. The pedal was returned to its normal position after impact.
"Sensors on the gas pedal showed that the throttle position was depressed fully by the driver. The data indicates the accelerator was depressed. There was no pressure applied to the brakes at the time. The shift sensor was in drive and the accelerator sensor indicated that accelerator was fully depressed. There is no indication that the brake lamps were on.
"The data provided to us through this process is conclusive to us and I think that its factual data. Toyota provided us with the data and there is no possibility of distortion of the data.
"The driver is very passionate about her statements. When a driver believes they are on a brake pedal they believe it. The operator stated that halfway down the driveway the car had accelerated but she insisted her foot was stepping on the brake pedal.
"I believe that based on the factual information that we have it was driver error. With all of the hype about Toyota people are trying to point fingers. The operator believes she depressed the brake but that isn’t the case here."
Police did not file charges because the woman did not intentionally deceive authorities.
Article printed from Liveshots: http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com
If you like good quality cars, be happy. They are going to find out it's cheaper to make a good car than get sued all the time, and they have already fired the president of Toyo and some of the folks that lost the ball on quality in the past.
My prediction is they are going to have to spend lots of money, settle a lot of cases, and their cars will be better than ever. Ford is my favorite car company now, but I still love my Avy and wouldn't give it up for anything.
I think Djohnson1 handled your question nicely.
NTSHA data over this time period shows that complaints about sudfden acceleration in Toytota cars amounts to 11% of their cars while GM is less than 3% and Ford is about 4.5%. That said, there is a one in ten chance thatyou will end up with a Toyota that might kill you or some one else.
lying via ambiguous/imprecise statistics,
always trying to adapt any data whatsoever so that it fits whatever favorite "agenda".
1 in 10? ROFLOL
By Brian Wilson
FOXNews.com
Experts look to the sky for cause behind unintended acceleration.
The story is one you’ve heard before, the story of a Toyota that somehow malfunctioned and unexpectedly sped away.
Reverend Milton Allen remembers arriving on the scene moments after a 2005 Camry veered off US Highway 69 in Eufala, Oklahoma at a high rate of speed. Allen comforted the critically injured passenger, 70 year old Barbara Schwarz. Schwarz later died of her injuries.
Allen says, "she didn't deserve to die like that." He recalls that “she talked about how she kept yelling at her friend to slow down and try to get it to stop and her friend kept telling her it won’t stop it won’t stop.”
Schwarz’s family believes the fatal crash was caused by a flaw in the Camry's electronic throttle system. A lawsuit is pending.
While it’s not clear exactly where the Camry started to malfunction, the car passed under a bridge and several power lines shortly before impact. Big power lines that can generate powerful fields of energy.
Professor Paul Steffes of the Georgia Institute of Technology says "those invisible fields are caused by current flowing through the wire also the electrical voltage on the wire creates a different kind of a field called an electrical field both are capable of creating voltages in other devices.”
Thirty nine suspected Toyota sudden acceleration deaths do appear to be loosely clustered around the heaviest parts of the U.S. electrical grid, but no definitive link between the two has been made.
I admit to a certain amount of apprehension driving my Prius,but I think that's from all the disinformation and sensationalism out there.
The Audi 500 SUA lawsuit is still "pending" in Chicago after more than 20 years (after a bunch of appeals, it's back before a jury).
I suppose some will claim that Reverend Allen is lying about what the failing lady was saying about the driver's not being able to stop the car. It will be just that the drive had the foot on the wrong pedal--he just didn't know the difference.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aaU6VAG.43hg
1.Toyota has gone on a publicity campaign to rightly or wrongly discredit/debunk any and all. Damage control is in full swing, the Toyota PR juggernaut has pulled out all stops and dropped the gloves in an attempt to salvage public opinion.
2.Toyota still refuses to admit the possibility of electronic UA. Prefering to blame on driver error/floormats.
3.There have been cases of what look like (unconfirmed) fraudulent attempts to take advantage of Toyota by staging UA.
4.There have been several new reported cases of UA that appear authentic.
5. Most people outside of Toyota and on this forum agree that electronic UA is at least a possibility and that the floormat recall is questionable.
6. There has been no concrete proof to suggest EUA is either impossible or possible.
7.Some Toyota drivers are still quite concerned (even though Toyota claims the odds of experiencing UA appear to be about the same as meeting a Martian) with the safety of driving their cars.
Is anyone here interested in seeing a video of the kill switch I installed in my new Tundra. It bypasses the computer, shuts down the engine. After driving the S Cal freeways over the last little while , I can see that it would require considerable driving expertise to utilize from the left lane of an 8 lane freeway but on anything less than 3 lanes it actually works quite well with minimal experience.
Regardless, I think most people that have been following the Unintended Acceleration issue closely do not believe the pedal assembly is the actual cause anyway.
Here is a July 6 2009 Toyota internal slide presentation belonging to Inaba (who testified at the congressional hearing). The second to last slide titled Key Safety Issues includes Sudden Acceleration on multiple models. Inaba and Toyoda testified that the first they were aware of a sudden acceleration issue was in November.
The last slide titled Toyota Wins, under Defects says "negotiated...no defect found" for Sudden Acceleration saving $100 million. During the hearing, Inaba testified that he was not aware of any claimed savings of $100 million for negotiating a deal.
Internal Toyota Documents Related To Recall
Remember the Ford "unintended reverse acceleration " back in the 70"s? Instead of doing a recall to fix the slipping transmission that would go suddenly in reverse while in neutral, Ford negotiated with the NHTSA to distribute dashboard stickers to Ford vehicle owners warning them and whoever is behind them that the car/truck car is a POS and they might get killed or be injured if they keep on driving it or park behind it. This problem has affected 22.9 million vehicles with 6000 accidents, 1710 injuries and 98 deaths.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19801231&id=yPUhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XaI- FAAAAIBAJ&pg=6194,6669112
Stickers? You kidding me?
How many lives would have been saved if the NHTSA had pursued the Toyota UA problem in 2007? Instead they gave Toyota a freebie with no letter to the car owners saying if you experience UA shift into neutral. The bottom line is, the comparison with the Ford issue in 1980 is not a legitimate comparison.
Including a recent surge of complaints, the defect has been raised as a possible cause of 102 fatalities, according to NHTSA records, lawsuits and police reports.
More than 100 deaths have now been blamed on sudden acceleration of Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles, nearly twice the number that had been reported two months ago, according to a Times review of public records.
With a recent surge of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration factored in, sudden acceleration has been raised as a possible cause of crashes involving Toyota vehicles that led to 102 deaths, according to NHTSA records, lawsuits and police reports.
Department of Transportation spokeswoman Olivia Alair said NHTSA officials review all complaints and "take reports of injuries and deaths extremely seriously."
"Right now, the agency is working to get to the bottom of the unintended acceleration issue by undertaking a new review of possible causes, including potential electromagnetic interference," Alair said.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-deaths26-2010mar26,0,5790258.story
the best lesson you can learn is from others' mistakes, to quote one of my russian friends.
Here's a little secret to all naive people. These car companies are out there to make profit, everyone of them. The government agency should be doing their job of protecting the consumer.
Just makin' sure. They have folks on the inside and lobbyist covering the Congress. They just did not count on the Government getting into the auto manufacturing business. So they hired Exponent to discredit anyone else that may have a legitimate complaint.
Maybe Barry should Nationalize all the Toyota factories. :shades:
http://www.zazzle.com/toyota_warning_bumper_sticker-128862039791633157
and
http://www.zazzle.com/get_out_of_my_way_im_driving_a_toyota_tshirt-2354243679041- 22643
At least we can laugh!
1- the stop switch is activated (ie the brake lights come on by pressing the brake)
2- the cruise CANCEL switch is pressed
3- the cruise on/off is moved to OFF
4- the shift selector is moved from D to any other position[/quote]
There are at least 2 more.
5- The road speed falling below ~35MPH.
6- The road speed falling more than ~5MPH below the CC set speed.
And maybe the following:
7- The road speed rising more than ~5MPH above the set speed.
8- TC activation.
9- VSC activation.
10- OAT below ~35F
IMMHO 8, 9 and 10 should be REQUIRED.
I wonder...
In an airplane many of the functions that a pilot would not want to inadvertently or casually activate have "guards" over the control switches. The guard must be removed, flipped aside, in order to activate the function.
Couldn't something like that approach be used to prevent unintentional SUA events..?? In this case if I wish to go WOT, or even dramatically increase the throttle opening, I must first move the "guard" aside..
With a manual transmission the driver would almost always downshift before going WOT or even going to a higher acceleration rate. So why not have a simple PB, Push-Button, control that must be depressed just momentarily prior to applying a substantial level of additional pressure to the accelerator pedal.
With these new sequential shifting automatic transmissions a quick, momentary downshift signal could be used to "arm" the WOT capability.
Along those same lines, thoughts, why not prevent cruise control from accelerating beyond a sensible road speed, say 65-70MPH, without the driver having first released CC "accel" mode and then re-engage the "accel" mode.
And what happens when you or your passenger accidentally bumps it as you are trying to merge into heavy traffic?
There's a reason Toyota did the 3 second hold down option on their start/stop buttons.
If you protect the switch ("in case of emergency, break glass"), that's going to take more time than trying to put the car in neutral.
Doing so, first depressing the PB, would soon become a learned trait, instinctive reaction, just as applying the clutch first before shifting gears is with a manual transmission.
We would then be left with only manufacturer design flaws as a possible
explanation for SUA.
Personally I think the PB start/stop is a REALLY bad design idea. What would be wrong with having to insert a "credit card" type of device, say the current remote code enable device, into a slot to enable the PB start. Removing the "card", or pressing the PB, would stop the engine.
"..why not a simple KILL switch..."
Like:
Have electrical contacts inside the slot so that the code device's internal battery must be present for initially "powering" the engine/tranaxle controller computer, or at least the BTO "segment". Once the engine is started a PWM (10/90 duty-cycle) recharge path could be provided for the code device's internal battery. No battery to recharge, no engine POWER.
This would also solve the current problem of walking away from the car with the engine still running and the remote in your pocket/purse.
The stomp it button has possibilities. Someone will surely duck tape it in the on position.
How about shaping the card to look like a key to avoid further confusion? And then, instead of a swipe gizmo you stick the card in, you could make a little hole for the "key". Call it, oh, I dunno, how about a "switch"? To make it even simpler, require the driver to turn the "key" in the "switch" to turn the car on and off.
Nah, never fly. Too simple. :P
The reason Toyota and the other auto companies would not want a kill switch, is it would be admitting their cars have some sort of electronic flaws that can cause UA. Toyota has done everything in their power to divert attention from an electronic failure to some kind of mechanical failure like the throttle or floor mats.
Duct tape woudn't work if the system always required for a full switch cycle, open-closed-open.
Wis. Woman Claims Her Toyota Accelerated, Causing Crash
Posted: Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Updated: March 31st, 2010 03:08 AM EDT
A Sheboygan Falls woman said her Toyota Camry accelerated on its own while she was trying to park, sending her crashing into a wall.
Myrna Marseilles, 76, of Kohler said she was parking her 2009 Toyota Camry in the YMCA parking lot when it just took off.
"All of a sudden, there was this very loud noise and the car shot forward and hit the wall," Marseilles said in a phone interview with 12 News.
Marseilles fractured her sternum in the crash, and said it all happened faster than she could react.
"There wasn't time to think what I might do because the car was zipping toward the building," Marseilles said.
The crash happened just steps from the Sheboygan Falls police station. It was the kind of accident that Police Chief Steven Riffel hadn't seen before.
"From that stop position to there, it was a pretty good impact. There was a pretty good amount of damage to the front end of the vehicle," Riffel said.
There's little evidence at the scene, but noticeable cracks inside the YMCA -- where the morning crowd heard the crash.
"They just heard a thud like weights hitting the floor and some of the members went outside to see what happened and called 911 and fire and rescue took over from there," said YMCA Manager Mike Gustafson.
Marseilles' car had been recently repaired as part of the Toyota recall.
Police are now reviewing surveillance video to see whether it sheds any light on what may have caused the crash.
"At this point, it would be premature to even speculate if it was either driver error, a mistake was made, or if it was a vehicle malfunction or error," Riffel said.
The investigation has moved just a few feet from where the accident took place -- across the parking lot to a police garage where the car is locked away out of sight.
A Toyota spokesman told 12 News that the company has started an investigation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will also review the case.
Investigators said they hope to know more about the car's mechanics by the end of the week.
Toyota CEO Apologizes to His Customers: 'I Am Deeply Sorry' Akio Toyoda Apologizes for Safety Problems, Then Drives Away in a Black Audi.
Jan. 29, 2010
Akio Toyoda apologizes to customers for random acceleration problem."I am deeply sorry," said Akio Toyoda in a brief interview with the Japanese network NHK as he left his hotel in Davos, Switzerland. After the interview he was seen leaving in a black Audi.
Toyoda had been attending the economic conference with other corporate and government leaders this week, while his deputies struggled to quell a consumer rebellion triggered by the recall of nine million cars worldwide.
In the interview, Toyoda said he could not answer questions because the company "was still investigating." He said he hoped to provide an explanation to Toyota customers soon.
"Truly we think of our customers as a priority and we guarantee their safety," he said, according to a translation. Referring to the near collapse of the company's once strong reputation for safety and quality, Toyoda said, "I would like for the people to trust us."
Toyoda is the grandson of the car company's founder and has publicly criticized the company's drive for profits in the last decade.
The Wall Street Journal reported Toyota would place full page newspaper ads in 25 cities Sunday and Monday to explain how it plans to fix the most-recent defect found in eight of its models involving a sticky gas pedal.
The company is awaiting federal government approval of a redesigned accelerator pedal that is being produced by its supplier, CTS, and has already been shipped to some of its factories, according to CTS.
The company ordered a halt to sales and production of the eight models with the flawed pedal on Tuesday, following a recall of millions of cars a few days earlier.
The recall, which spread to Europe and China, is now estimated to involve at least nine million cars and trucks.
Waxman: Toyota Told Us Gas Pedals Were Not the Problem
In Strongly Worded Letter, Reps. Waxman and Stupak Suggest That in Private Toyota Execs Are Telling A Different Story About the Causes of Runaway Toyotas
Two congressmen issued a strong statement Tuesday afternoon suggesting that recent statements by Toyota's top U.S. executive to the public about the causes of random acceleration were misleading, and that in private Toyota officials had said that sticky gas pedals were not the cause of the most serious acceleration incidents.
More PhotosRep. Henry Waxman, D.-Calif., and Rep. Bart Stupak, D.-Mich., questioned public claims made earlier this week by James Lentz, Toyota's U.S. president, that sudden acceleration was due to "two different issues," sticky gas pedals and poorly fitting floor mats, and that the company was "confident" that fixing those two problems would stop runaway Toyota incidents. Waxman and Stupak demanded answers from Lentz by the end of the week.
Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Stupak, chair of the Investigations Subcommittee, said that during a January 27, 2010 meeting with committee staff, Toyota executives said sticky gas pedals were probably not the cause of the more extreme incidents of acceleration, and that the actual causes of random acceleration were hard to pinpoint.
"Your public statements are different than the representations that Toyota officials made on January 27, 2010," Waxman and Stupak wrote in their letter. "When Committee staff inquired whether Toyota could be certain that floor mat entrapment and sticking accelerator pedals fully explained reports of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the Toyota officials present responded that causes of unintended acceleration are 'very, very hard to identify."
"Furthermore," continued the letter, "Toyota officials indicated that sticking accelerator pedals are unlikely to be responsible for the sensational stories of drivers losing control over acceleration as their cars race to 60 miles per hour or higher. The officials said that condensation build-up in a 'sticky pedal' can cause the accelerator to become lodged in a slightly depressed position, but they said that this would not lead to full-throttle acceleration.
"The Toyota officials did tell the Committee staff that accelerator pedals entrapped by all-weather floor mats could cause high-speed acceleration. There are, however, well-publicized, high-speed unintended acceleration events in Toyota vehicles that do not appear to have been caused by all-weather floor mats."
Waxman and Stupak requested that Lentz clarify his public statement about sticky gas pedals, and explain whether Toyota's position on the role of gas pedals had changed between January 27 and February 2. They also asked that Toyota provide evidence to their committee that sticky gas pedals were causing sudden high-speed acceleration, and for Lentz's public claims that electronics were not to blame for the acceleration problems.
In addition, the congressmen questioned the timeline offered by Lentz in his public appearances this week. Lentz said in two different interviews that Toyota became aware of sticky pedals in October 2009. According to Stupak and Waxman, Toyota officials said last week that the company learned of the problem through reports of sticky pedals in England and Ireland in April or May 2009.
Waxman and Stupak asked that Lentz provide documents and evidence to support his public claims by this Friday, February 5.
Research proves it.
Something about the aging brain causes people to mix up the brake and gas pedals.
I actually checked that out after reading how people were pressing the wrong pedal. They are well spaced...hardly an issue at all in my view.
IMO if there is a problem, and there probably is,it's in the electronics,but having said that...that lady in NY evidently never touched her brake pedal.In her case ,your theory probably applies.I think she goofed and then just panicked.Many years ago,I saw my dad do that.He hit a parked car and instead of braking,he kept pushing the accelerator.Shortly thereafter,he stopped driving.
Oh, we have Buicks that suddenly accelerate all the time over here. They are driven by retirement village folks, pull out a side street faster than the laws of physics should allow, pop right in front of you and proceed to do 15mph on a highway with a 55 speed limit.
Oh, you mean unintentional sudden acceleration!
mickeyrom - good move on your dad giving up driving after that.
My dad got pulled over for speeding when he was 85. I was so proud of him!