Toyota the next automaker to join the ranks of "unintended acceleration".

Jstas

Counselor: Audi, Jeep, say hi to our newest group member, Toyota.

Audi: Guten Tag, Toyota!

Jeep: Howdy!

Toyota: Hey, you know, I don't really need to be here. This is just some trumped up stuff that...

Counselor: Now, now Toyota! The first step in starting down the path of wellness is to admit we have a problem. You're in denial. Let's come back to reality. Goosfrabah! Goosfrahbah!

Audi/Jeep: {in unison} Goosfrabah! Goosfrahbah!

Toyota: I guess you're right. Hi everybody, my name is Toyota and I have a problem.

Counselor: There! Don't you feel better!

Toyota: Yeah, I kinda do! What a relief! Kinda like when you take a dump so big, your pants fit better when you're done!

Counselor: Excellent! Welcome Toyota!


Audi/Jeep: {in unison} Welcome!




Should be interesting to see what happens with this one. Toyota is denying it and blowing it off as essentially mass hysteria caused by user error. The Gubment says "Hold on a minute there Kemosabe! We wanna take a looksee here and WE'LL tell YOU if there's a problem!"

I smell class action lawsuit if it drags on too long.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080610/BUSINESS01/806100389/1014/BUSINESS01

bobman1235

"A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling at 60 miles per hour. The rear differential locks up. The car crushes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now: do we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field (A), multiply it by the probable rate of failure (B), then multiply the result by the average out-of-court settlement (C). A times B times C equals X.. If X is less that the cost of a recall, we don't do one."

"Are there a lot of these kinds of accidents?"

"You wouldn't believe."

"Which car company do you work for?"

"A major one."

wingnut4772

I had a call with a Nissan SUV and the driver could not stop as it kept accelerating. Eventually I guess she was able to turn it off and there was a happy ending.

Jstas

Honestly, the brakes on any vehicle should be strong enough to stop the vehicle from accelerating even under throttle application. But turning off the ignition, unless your gas engine is "dieseling" due to improper maintenance resulting in carbon build up and hot spots in the combustion chamber, should stop the engine and there should be enough vacuum left in power assist system to bring the car to a full stop one or two more times after the engine is shut off.

bobman1235

Throwing it in neutral has always been my preferred method. That way you still have power brakes / steering.

Having owned enough old junkers in my poorer days I've certainly had a throttle stick a few times.

mule

happened to a friend of my brothers, Acura rl I think, maybe tl.

One of my brothers is a teacher for a automotive mechanics school, they get all the dirt from manufacterers to help train students on new models, apparently there has been hybrid toyotas have taken off unmanned while parked in garages, the batteries dumped current to the electric motors for some reason.

Jstas

mule wrote: »

happened to a friend of my brothers, Acura rl I think, maybe tl.

One of my brothers is a teacher for a automotive mechanics school, they get all the dirt from manufacterers to help train students on new models, apparently there has been hybrid toyotas have taken off unmanned while parked in garages, the batteries dumped current to the electric motors for some reason.

Heard about that on the Hybrids before. Something about a failed SCR circuit or switch grounding out and closing the circuit. I think they fixed it though. I would hope so.

devani

Jeep would be thrilled for this...lowest in IQS by JD power
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/04/j-dd-power-releases-2008-initial-quality-study/

Jstas

Looks like Volkswagen is taking a page for it's Audi book of history and is in on this game too!

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=126907

disneyjoe7

So a manufacture needs to be 100% before anything could be produced, I find troubling as if that was true as a nation we would go nowhere. I find this stupid as products are redesigned as the field troubles are found out, without a number of units out there how are the troubles to found out. So without some thinking a product needs to be 100% from day one for ever, we would never step forward as a whole.

Jstas

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

So a manufacture needs to be 100% before anything could be produced, I find troubling as if that was true as a nation we would go nowhere. I find this stupid as products are redesigned as the field troubles are found out, without a number of units out there how are the troubles to found out. So without some thinking a product needs to be 100% from day one for ever, we would never step forward as a whole.

Good job! Way to spin a simple news story post into a crusade.

Funny thing is that you argument you just tried to use to defend Volkswagen is the opposite of the standards you hold up to the American car makers that you hate so much.

But, I digress. Continue on, I just found humor where I guess others didn't. I'm just glad Volkswagen caught it before it became a real issue and did something about it instead of blowing it off and calling it user error coupled with mass hysteria. Any car company that says it made a mistake and then fixes it without a bunch of BS is OK in my book.

disneyjoe7

So I believe there's a half dozen ways to prevent a hybird from going on it's own.

But like all engineering decisions there are pluses and minuses. So they go one way because they felt it was best, but find out in real world not. So they need to walk on water. Ok I get it.

Jstas

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

So I believe there's a half dozen ways to prevent a hybird from going on it's own.

But like all engineering decisions there are pluses and minuses. So they go one way because they felt it was best, but find out in real world not. So they need to walk on water. Ok I get it.

No, you don't get it.

disneyjoe7

No offense but I don't care to get it.