Seems that Toyota Engineering stuffed up!

[mowog]

This cant be real good news for Toyota.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/RunawayToyotas

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/26/breakin...elected-models/

[DJKOR]

It's a bit of old news and there is quite a bit of discussion over on the American boards (the only country where this problems seems to have occurred).

I personally think the occurrence wasn't really that high and was caused by people putting all-weather mats on top of the standard mat and/or not using the clips on the standard mats. Then it got blown out of proportion by people getting into accidents and using a stuck accelerator as an excuse since it was an ideal blame. Then the media got a hold of it and this is what you get. That's my theory anyways as crazy as it all sounds.

[Guni]

Since a Ford vehicle has a sticky accl pedal, I'm sure this is just a counter stunt by the media to bag some non GM made vehicles ....

;)

I love conspiracy theories .... :P :P :P :P :P

[SuperDave]

Since a Ford vehicle has a sticky accl pedal, I'm sure this is just a counter stunt by the media to bag some non GM made vehicles ....

;)

I love conspiracy theories .... :P :P :P :P :P

Damn Ford, curse them for having sound business practices and not declaring bankruptcy and not requiring a massive handout to remove all the lifetime pensions for retired employees.

[Kenneth.]

Haha, the Ford had a faulty cruise control module..

[Guni]

Haha, the Ford had a faulty cruise control module..

That's what they WANT YOU to believe ...

:P :P :P :P :P :P :P

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[DJKOR]

It has begun:

[Guni]

git down .........

[David the Viking]

It has begun:

So does this mean Toyota Link = Skynet ??

[Speedz]

meh only happens on the land of the yanks... Toyota also issued recalls on Prius's uneven braking which i reckon it has got to do with their regenerative braking unit thingy (watever you call it...) and Ford having to suspend their Ford Transit production in China due to faulty sticky accerlator paddle...

[RoM2nV]

At least toyota has recognized where it has gone wrong, and are being open about it. This will cost them a lot now, but they will benefit greatly in the future to it.

Also this has hardly damaged the reputation of toyota, ask any non-car enthusiast to describe a toyota, and they will say 'reliable'

[Dharma]

At least toyota has recognized where it has gone wrong, and are being open about it. This will cost them a lot now, but they will benefit greatly in the future to it.

Also this has hardly damaged the reputation of toyota, ask any non-car enthusiast to describe a toyota, and they will say 'reliable'

Are they still reliable? In terms of fit and finish and mechanical? Has the quality of these cars dropped in recent years from where they were to have achieved the said repuatation?

I'd just like to know because i'm thinking of buying one for the first time.

I need an absolutely unbiased opinion though.

Edited February 8, 2010 by Dharma

[DJKOR]

My best response would be....

Meh.

To be honest, I am really not phased by all this.

[Tofuboi]

Please wait a few seconds for Video to Load!

I think this explains it pretty well.

EDIT: Bugger embedding's disabled on the video but check it out via youtube anyway.

[Ascendant Rice]

At least toyota has recognized where it has gone wrong, and are being open about it. This will cost them a lot now, but they will benefit greatly in the future to it.

Also this has hardly damaged the reputation of toyota, ask any non-car enthusiast to describe a toyota, and they will say 'reliable'

Are they still reliable? In terms of fit and finish and mechanical? Has the quality of these cars dropped in recent years from where they were to have achieved the said repuatation?

I'd just like to know because i'm thinking of buying one for the first time.

I need an absolutely unbiased opinion though.

Truthfully yes, My family has 3 differnet toyota models, a 2005 rav 4 a2006 yaris and a 2007 corolla. They all start up everytime engines are in good condtion no bits fallign off or anything. There have been a few recalls but for minor things such as a noisy steering coloumn and drive shaft.

[David the Viking]

At least toyota has recognized where it has gone wrong, and are being open about it. This will cost them a lot now, but they will benefit greatly in the future to it.

Also this has hardly damaged the reputation of toyota, ask any non-car enthusiast to describe a toyota, and they will say 'reliable'

Are they still reliable? In terms of fit and finish and mechanical? Has the quality of these cars dropped in recent years from where they were to have achieved the said repuatation?

I'd just like to know because i'm thinking of buying one for the first time.

I need an absolutely unbiased opinion though.

I think you have come to the wrong place to get a unbiased opinion this a Toyota owners forum.

I will still purchase new Toyotas in the future, 9 out of the 10 cars I have owned have been Toyotas.

[RoM2nV]

At least toyota has recognized where it has gone wrong, and are being open about it. This will cost them a lot now, but they will benefit greatly in the future to it.

Also this has hardly damaged the reputation of toyota, ask any non-car enthusiast to describe a toyota, and they will say 'reliable'

I need an absolutely unbiased opinion though.

I said to ask any non-car enthusiast... they're most likely not to be biased :P

buy any car mate, these days they come with warranties, everything.. if you're buying a used car, avoid hyundai is all i can say!

Edited February 8, 2010 by RoM2nV

[Milgram]

At least toyota has recognized where it has gone wrong, and are being open about it. This will cost them a lot now, but they will benefit greatly in the future to it.

Also this has hardly damaged the reputation of toyota, ask any non-car enthusiast to describe a toyota, and they will say 'reliable'

Are they still reliable? In terms of fit and finish and mechanical? Has the quality of these cars dropped in recent years from where they were to have achieved the said repuatation?

I'd just like to know because i'm thinking of buying one for the first time.

I need an absolutely unbiased opinion though.

The reality is all cars today have a certain degree of cost reduction built into them and the majority of brands on the market today build reliable cars backed up by warranties.

The number of features (particularly expensive safety features) that are fitted as standard today on cars adds a significant amount to the cost to produce a car and manufacturers are forced to look at "cheapening down" vehicles in order to produce vehicles and sell them to consumers at competitive prices.

A Corolla today costs little more than one 10 years ago, yet you get much more car for your money but it could be argued that the fit and finish and quality of interior materials used today is not as good as 10 years ago. Some may not agree.

I do not think Toyota's reliability has suffered too much, I think the competition has caught up to them which narrows the gap and the perception of reliability and quality that Toyota once held so dearly. All car companies build lemons from time to time (including Toyota), some more than others.

You also have to factor in how good the customer service is at a company. In the US, it could be argued the Big Three (GM, Ford & Chrysler) suffered because of their customer service which ultimately let to their financial woes because they became out of touch with customer wants and needs. Toyota has slipped in this area going by reports in the US, which has possibly led to the sticking accelerator issue becoming as large as it has because customers were not getting results from Toyota and thus turned to authorities and the media to resolve the situation. As others have pointed out, the number of reported cases is minimal given the number of Toyotas on the road but nonetheless the correct thing to do is acknowledge the problem and fix it. Toyota was slow to do this (others have too) and it took instruction from the US Government for them to act on the problems which has resulted in a lot of bad press.

I would feel confident buying a Toyota but to be honest, I would also take a look at what else is out there by means of looking at dealers, reading reviews from the media and owners and talking to new car owners. The only vehicles I am not comfortable recommending are European vehicles as they can be expensive to maintain and repair and quite often people find they are not too well suited to Australian conditions.

Edited February 9, 2010 by JMacca53

[peregrine]

At least toyota has recognized where it has gone wrong, and are being open about it. This will cost them a lot now, but they will benefit greatly in the future to it.

Also this has hardly damaged the reputation of toyota, ask any non-car enthusiast to describe a toyota, and they will say 'reliable'

Are they still reliable? In terms of fit and finish and mechanical? Has the quality of these cars dropped in recent years from where they were to have achieved the said repuatation?

I'd just like to know because i'm thinking of buying one for the first time.

I need an absolutely unbiased opinion though.

You can always go one better and buy a Lexus. Higher price more prestige.

[carmad]

There have been numerous deaths and they are real. There is a definate problem with the cars that until recently have been exposed. Ive witnessed a Toyota going crazy and I dont need anyone to tell me what I had seen. The car went into the front of a woolworths ramming bolards and trolleys and smashing large glass sections of windows. It then bounced back of it hitting a parked vehicle and then ram the shop front again with engine reving to high heavens. Never seen anything like it. Kids crying in the shop and everyone else shocked with horror. Luckily no one was injured or killed a pure miracle. My wife in the shop said it was like an explosion going through the store. Yes it is a Toyota and a good looking one at that. I think there is a time bomb out there waiting to happen and it will be un predictable to determine when they go crazy. Toyota is covering it up. In a recent test it showed a controlled fault as is the case. The car sped up to the kamikaze death swoop whilst a scanner was fitted to it. The result showed no error code whilst the car went hay wire. Thats why Toyota wants to wash itself from this problem because its sort of a "millenium" bug in the electronics that can be triggered by condensation, heat or wear. 39 lives have been lost and there will be others to come. The story is not old as it is happening right this very moment. I hope you wont be next! It has already begun in Australia of which Toyota said will not happen.....Any prius and Corrolla drivers out there?

Some info:

Faulty Toyota Sensor Is Part of Drive-by-Wire System

By STUART F. BROWN

The back-to-back recalls of Toyota cars and trucks for problems related to the accelerator pedals offer a textbook example of how major safety issues can arise from matters both simple and complex.

The recall last week of 2.3 million Toyotas for sticking gas pedals brought on Tuesday’s announcement that sales and production of eight Toyota models would be stopped — demonstrating the complexities of cars. (This recall is unrelated to an earlier problem, the recall of 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles for gas pedals hanging up on floor mats. And late Wednesday, Toyota added 1.1 million vehicles to that recall.)

Some 2.35 million vehicles are subject to both recalls, Toyota said Thursday.

In a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Toyota said the latest problem was in the pedal sensors of affected vehicles. When the heater is turned on in a car that is cold, internal water condensation on the cold parts can cause a sliding component inside the gas pedal assembly to stick instead of move smoothly. The defect may cause the throttle to stick in an open position or to move stiffly during opening and closing, requiring more pedal pressure.

The pedal sensor is part of a so-called drive-by-wire throttle system, in which the gas pedal has no direct connection to the engine through a cable or mechanical linkage. A sticking pedal in an older car with a cable or mechanical link would typically be solved with a squirt of oil or dab of grease, a straightforward task for a handy car owner.

But in today’s cars, the connection between the pedal and the engine is made by electrical signals traveling through wires. The pedal sensor gauges how far the driver is pressing the gas pedal and signals the engine’s control computer, which determines how much to open the throttle based on input from a variety of sensors, choosing a setting that will achieve the lowest exhaust emissions, the best fuel efficiency and good engine response.

Lets hope they are not time bombs!

[SHIRE.ZRE]

Thanks for sharing this info. carmad, I agree with you that the problems is serious and it is real! and it only takes a moment to listen to Mr. Toyoda confirming it himself in the media TODAY to realize that this problem can happen anywhere in the world, not just the US.

[Ascendant Rice]

Thanks for sharing this info. carmad, I agree with you that the problems is serious and it is real! and it only takes a moment to listen to Mr. Toyoda confirming it himself in the media TODAY to realize that this problem can happen anywhere in the world, not just the US.

well from reading that all i gathered is that he is deeply upset by this. where does it quote him confirming that this can happen anywhere?

[DJKOR]

I don't know whether he said that or not, but to me, him saying this problem can occur anywhere is like someone saying you could potentially die this week while going about your daily duties. It's possible, but it's not particularly likely.

[Foss]

Another Prius incident

The incident came as Toyota staged a technical demonstration overnight to attack allegations by a vocal critic that problems with its electronics may cause its cars to speed out of control.

Great timing, that.

Also, 140kmph? Hardly a terrifying speed, is it?

Edited March 9, 2010 by Paradigm