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Well, we should all feel safer now that congress and Toyota's CEO had their "shame on you" / "I'm sorry" dog and pony show.
Good info. Thanks.
Well, we should all feel safer now that congress and Toyota's CEO had their "shame on you" / "I'm sorry" dog and pony show.
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/car...override-.html
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009...r-mat-problem/
Pretty much every car with drive-by-wire pedals (most older luxury/newer cars) are entirely software controlled. As you can see, only those with smart throttle reduce engine power when both the gas and brake pedals are hit at the same time.
It was to me too. I actually asked my boss about it, since he owned Porsches forever, and he told me he actually doesn't like the brake override system because it burns your brakes in no time. If you have a problem, can't shift to neutral, just shut off the engine then brake.
As far as your Car and Drivers articles, I trust them to be correct, however, not all Toyotas are the same. The article actually confirms what I told you:
This guy think he's funny, and that people are dumb for pressing both pedals at the same time, but when one is stuck and the car keeps on accelerating, keeping your cool or recognizing what's going on could be a matter of seconds, and in some cases it can be enough to kill yourself.3. The "electronic issue." Unlike vehicles from some other automakers, Toyotas don't kill the throttle when you hit the brakes. This means it's possible to apply both at the same time. Our own instrumented testing determined that you can safely brake a car from highway speed, even with the throttle pegged. But if the accelerator is floored and the car is in gear, repeated stabs at the pedal and modulation of speed with the brake will eventually overheat the brakes and cause them to fail. Pumping the brakes is a bad idea beyond the overheating issue. When the throttle is stuck open, the engine isn’t producing sufficient vacuum to enable power assist for the brakes, so press the brake pedal firmly once and don’t let up. (Some allege that electromagnetic interference could be causing the electronic throttles in Toyotas to become stuck open; this is completely unsubstantiated. It’s also possible that alien tractor beams are to blame.)
The lack of a throttle kill is probably the explanation for Toyotas' higher reported rate of "unintended acceleration" than other brands. But it's critical to note that the lack of such a throttle kill isn't a defect. It isn't Toyota's responsibility to account for every possible stupid thing people might do in a car. Anyone so uncoordinated that they can't differentiate the pedals and operate them independently shouldn't be driving.
And this is going to sound uncharitable, but even if the recall dealing with potentially sticking pedals applies to a lot of Toyotas, why aren’t people just shifting into neutral? Even if the throttle really sticks fully open, it won't have any accelerative impact on the car if it's in neutral. By this point, if you have a Toyota (or any car), and you don't know to shift to neutral if the engine races unexpectedly, you're going to suc b to what can only be described as natural selection.
The very first reaction is to hit the brake. It's natural. Realizing the gas is stuck, and that you need to shift to neutral, then slam the breaks, but you don't have to pump them (even though people in cold places, as you know, that don't have ABS are used to pumping when the car won't slow down) it's a lot of stuff to know unless you're already aware of it. Not to mention that you can easily burn through your brakes if you don't know you don't have to pump them.
More of what I was talking about from the other article you posted:
Turn It Off
Switching off the ignition is a sure way to silence an engine, but it’s probably the least desirable action because it will also make the car more difficult to maneuver. It causes a loss of power-steering assist, plus it will cut off vacuum boost for the brakes. The new wrinkle here: the keyless, push-button start-and-stop systems in many vehicles. Owners need to be aware that these systems require a long press of the button to shut off power when the car is moving (so that an inadvertent touch of the button by the driver doesn’t kill the engine). Here, too, the Toyota was slightly behind the curve; the Infiniti’s engine shut down after a 2.5-second press of the button versus 3.3 seconds for the Camry. In an emergency, that would probably feel like an eternity. For some perspective, if a V-6 Camry’s throttle became stuck at 60 mph, the car would accelerate to nearly 80 mph before the engine would surrender.
Furthermore, short, frantic pressing of the Toyota’s start/stop button—the probable response in an emergency—does nothing, whereas the Infiniti kills the engine after three rapid-fire presses.
I went back to read my original post, and I see where I misspoke. It's not that the brakes that won't work, it's the throttle that won't be shut down. My apologies for the confusion.
It's a big deal to me. This is my government at work. They are protecting lives and consumers by taking on a company too big for me, as an individual, to do. If you watched the testimony--the excuses are the same. Engineers and complaining consumers were ignored by Toyota. We're too big to know, at all times, what everyone knows. We didn't get back because we didn't have time to investigate.
But someone asked the question, and in doing so, informed the public. The first recall that Toyota had was in 2000 concerning the floormats. Why is it in 2010 we're issuing a recall for 8 million domestic cars?
This is the reason for this government. This is how it still works. This shows how even the most reputable company can still lie and needs a regulatory body to oversee them. At a time when there's been so much politics and lying and nonsense, this has been welcomed. I mean, attacking 16-18 per cent of the Auto market-share in the US in the middle of a severe recession isn't welcomed. It worries me. But it's nice to know they are doing something for us.
I'd say about 90%+ of the Tundras built in San Antonio are made from materials made and assembled in the US. A lot of the small stuff like bolts, clamps, and screws are from Japan though.
No need to guess... posted earlier in this thread:
I think the media is making a bigger deal then they need to
it has nothing to do with the qualitly of the car
it is a a fabric issues with the gas pedal
if the usa gov did not own gmc would they even be as much talk about this
yeah they bought a car company and now are trying to bash one they do not own
hummm are they looking out for me or them
CG: Bump. Looks like Toyota's incentives are doing the job of mitigating the impact of the recalls.
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Toyota sales rise 40 pct in March on incentives
Toyota sales in US soar 40 percent in March; incentives to continue into spring
NEW YORK (AP) -- Toyota sales surged 40 percent in March compared with last year after the automaker offered some of its deepest discounts ever to cope with the fallout of millions of recalls.
The incentives were scheduled to end April 5, but Toyota Group Vice President Bob Carter said some will continue into the spring, including an offer of free maintenance for return Toyota customers.
"When you look at what retail consumers are buying, many more retail consumers are going to be buying Toyotas in the month of March than any other brand," Carter said in an interview with The Associated Press at the New York International Auto Show, which kicked off with press previews on Wednesday.
Toyota Motor Corp. has been reeling from the recall of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide -- including 6 million in the U.S. -- over problems with accelerator pedals and braking issues with the Prius hybrid. The automaker rolled out aggressive incentive programs in early March, including 0-percent financing on recalled models, low-priced leasing and the free maintenance offer.
Carter said Toyota would provide updates on its incentive programs on Monday, but added that any changes would be small.
"We'll tweak them, adjust them, but don't expect us to have much of a strategic change," he said. "They're working very well.
Carter said Toyota dealers have so far repaired about 2 million recalled cars and trucks in the U.S. Dealers are repairing about 50,000 vehicles a day, he said, by adding metal shims to the accelerators and shaving down pedals to prevent them from sticking or getting trapped under floor mats.
Automakers are scheduled to report March sales on Thursday. Toyota's sales fell 9 percent in February while the broader industry saw sales climb 13 percent.
Carter said one big seller in March was the RAV4 small SUV, which saw sales more than triple from February to about 24,000. Those sales got a boost from trade-ins from rival automakers and brisk business from young families, who like how the vehicle combines elements of a sedan and SUV.
Carter said "a small percentage" of Toyota's March sales increase was due to customers who would have bought Toyotas in later months. A large number of buyers remain "on the fence" about buying Toyotas and will make their purchase once the media frenzy over quality dies down.
Carter said he welcomed government investigations into any ties between electronics in Toyota vehicles and cases of unintended acceleration.
Toyota has repeatedly denied that its electronics are to blame for unintended acceleration, blaming faulty gas pedals or pedal entrapment under floor mats.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Toyota...&asset=&ccode=
I had my brakes go out on me while driving a car once, when I was a much younger driver; I will readily admit I didn't think about the emergency break. My first thought was avoiding the car I was rapidly coming up on, which I did manage successfully. I instead hit a telephone pole.
Nice.
I had the steering wheel of a Volkswagen Fox come completely off the column as I was driving down a residential street. It took me almost 2 seconds just to get over the incongruency of holding a steering wheel before my face that was not connected to anything.
I managed to stop safely and even roll over to the curb. But, not 5 minutes before, I was bombing around loop 820 @ 70mph. I can't imagine what would've happened if the wheel had come off then.
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