Is Toyota’s Recall Fix Working?
Date Published: Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Some Toyota owners whose vehicles have already had accelerator pedals modified or floor mats replaced have begun complaining that their vehicles suddenly accelerated, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times. The new complaints are raising fears that Toyota has yet to address the real reason behind its recent problems with sudden acceleration.
Since September, Toyota has recalled nearly 8 million vehicles worldwide for issues involving unintended acceleration. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has now received more than 2,000 complaints of sudden, unintended acceleration with Toyota and Lexus vehicles that involve more than 50 deaths and hundreds of accidents since 2000. Toyota has blamed the problems on faulty floor mats and defective accelerator pedals, but some believe a problem with the vehicles’ electronic throttle control system is behind the problems.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the NHTSA has received seven new complaints in the last two weeks from Toyota owners alleging that their cars surged out of control after they underwent recall repairs. In addition to these complaints, several others in the NHTSA database reported unusual vehicle behavior, such as errant check-engine lights, after the recall service, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The newly filed complaints claiming recurring sudden acceleration include incidents involving the Avalon, Camry and Matrix. Those models are currently being given new brake override software as part of the recall, along with the Lexus IS and ES, the Times said. The brake override software is designed to automatically reduce the engine to idle when both the brake and the accelerator are depressed. Last week, Toyota said it would also add that upgrade to the Venza, Tacoma and Sequoia.
According to the Times, some safety experts are concerned that the brake override software may in fact cause more problems by adding a new layer of software to the system.
Such brake override systems could eventually become standard in all U.S. automobiles. According to a report in USA Today, Secretary of Transportation,. Ray LaHood, told a congressional committee yesterday that the NHTSA is considering making brake-override systems mandatory for all cars.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 6:33 am and is filed under Accident, Defective Products, Motor Vehicles, Product Recalls, Recalled Vehicles.
Is Toyota’s Recall Fix Working?
Date Published: Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Some Toyota owners whose vehicles have already had accelerator pedals modified or floor mats replaced have begun complaining that their vehicles suddenly accelerated, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times. The new complaints are raising fears that Toyota has yet to address the real reason behind its recent problems with sudden acceleration.
Since September, Toyota has recalled nearly 8 million vehicles worldwide for issues involving unintended acceleration. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has now received more than 2,000 complaints of sudden, unintended acceleration with Toyota and Lexus vehicles that involve more than 50 deaths and hundreds of accidents since 2000. Toyota has blamed the problems on faulty floor mats and defective accelerator pedals, but some believe a problem with the vehicles’ electronic throttle control system is behind the problems.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the NHTSA has received seven new complaints in the last two weeks from Toyota owners alleging that their cars surged out of control after they underwent recall repairs. In addition to these complaints, several others in the NHTSA database reported unusual vehicle behavior, such as errant check-engine lights, after the recall service, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The newly filed complaints claiming recurring sudden acceleration include incidents involving the Avalon, Camry and Matrix. Those models are currently being given new brake override software as part of the recall, along with the Lexus IS and ES, the Times said. The brake override software is designed to automatically reduce the engine to idle when both the brake and the accelerator are depressed. Last week, Toyota said it would also add that upgrade to the Venza, Tacoma and Sequoia.
According to the Times, some safety experts are concerned that the brake override software may in fact cause more problems by adding a new layer of software to the system.
Such brake override systems could eventually become standard in all U.S. automobiles. According to a report in USA Today, Secretary of Transportation,. Ray LaHood, told a congressional committee yesterday that the NHTSA is considering making brake-override systems mandatory for all cars.
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This entry was posted
on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 6:33 am and is filed under Accident, Defective Products, Motor Vehicles, Product Recalls, Recalled Vehicles.
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March 3rd, 2010 at 10:16 am
A software change is NOT the solution. The Decelerator (www.thedecelerator.com) implements brake override without added software. There needs to be a disconnect from the computer’s directive. There are TWO distinct problems: Stuck Accelerator (floor mats, pedals) and Sudden Unintended Acceleration or SUA (rouge throttle signal). The Decelerator is a much safer, more solid solution to ANY source of sudden acceleration OR stuck accelerator. The Decelerator plugs into ANY Toyota vehicle equipped with electronic throttle control systems. Fully tested, patent pending, will not void vehicle warranty.
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:49 am
Why is the LA Times not reporting, yet again, that “Safety Research & Strategies”, which is a main source in that article, is a for-profit firm that makes its money off of lawsuits against vehicle manufacturers? The LA Times has repeatedly presented this agency as if it were an impartial source, when it’s obviously not–as disclosed in congressional hearings. Makes one wonder how impartial this paper’s reporting is.