Toyota Sudden Acceleration Nightmare
Toyota recalled nearly 4 million autos in Nov. 2009 in order to alter gasoline pedals, mats and software to treat what was reported as sudden speedup issues. Car dealers were doing modifications on the gasoline pedals by removing inches from the underside so the throttle pedal would not get trapped under the floor mats.
Toyota has followed up that recall with a different recall including explosive and unbeatable acceleration on Jan. 21, 2010. On that day Toyota Motor Sales declared a recall of approximately 2,300,000 vehicles which included
‘05-’10 Avalon
2007-2010 Camry
2009-2010 Corolla
2010 Highlander
‘09-’10 Matrix
‘09-’10 RAV4
‘08-’10 Sequoia
2007-2010 Tundra
According to a USA item with the title “100 Toyota drivers filed complaints before recall”, “she would become one of more than 100 drivers, according to a USA TODAY search of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration complaints database, who over the past few years have had their Toyota vehicles take off when they weren’t expected to.”
If car owners think this type of issue is distinct to Toyota, they are misguided. According to the USA piece, “Jake Fisher, senior engineer at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center, says unintended acceleration is not a problem unique to Toyota. He pored through NHTSA’s database of complaints for 2008 and noted that every manufacturer faced similar complaints. Sometimes, the issue is driver error, he says. But sometimes, there are defects. Toyota accounted for about 40% of the 2008 unintended acceleration complaints, Fisher says. “This could happen to anybody, but Toyota was over-represented,” he says. “But the underlying message of this whole thing is that, while there are instances of this in Toyotas, it’s still very rare.” The sudden acceleration concerns are not solely a Toyota issue, but Toyota Motor Sales does have the greatest part.
Toyota has released a brief statement, “Our investigation indicates that there is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position. They also provided instructions on how to handle the situation if the acceleration issue occurs If your car begins to accelerate uncontrollably, immediately move the shift lever to neutral and firmly apply the brakes. Do not pump the brakes. And dont worry about the engine on modern vehicles, they have rev limiters to prevent damage. Once you have brought the car to a safe stop, turn off the engine.”
Toyota Motor Sales does not have a solution to deploy, and further notifications are awaited. Toyota and the maker of the gas pedal, CTS, have been working on a answer, but nothing of substance has been published up to now.
For more information an in-depth article on this situation by a 3rd party go to Consumer Reports article on the Toyota Motor Sales recall.
You can also remain informed on Toyota Motor Sales declarations at Toyotas recall page.
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