Toyota "Drive by Fire" Accelerator

Post by **DPDISXR4Ti** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:48 am

Somewhere, I'm on record as saying drive-by-wire is a bad thing that will cause people to die. Unfortunately, I was correct...

http://jalopnik.com/5458241/toyota-negl ... orced-them

milehighXR · Post by **milehighXR** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:12 pm

Yeah, we've been debating the hell otta this on MSF...

T4EaterJonny · Post by **T4EaterJonny** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:18 pm

Hi Ford....yeah, its Toyota, hey....um, I just wanted to let you know, I got tested.....and I have unintended acceleration, so you might wanna go see someone......"

the comments on there are priceless!

xr4man · Post by **xr4man** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:07 pm

Post by **DPDISXR4Ti** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 11:45 am

Toyota claims they've finally pinpointed the issue that could, on rare occasions, cause accelerator pedals in recalled vehicles to stick in a partially open position. The issue involves a friction device in the pedal designed to provide the proper "feel" by adding resistance and making the pedal steady and stable. The device includes a "shoe" that rubs against an adjoining surface during normal pedal operation. Due to the materials used, wear and environmental conditions, these surfaces may, over time, begin to stick and release instead of operating smoothly. In some cases, friction could increase to a point that the pedal is slow to return to the idle position or, in rare cases, the pedal sticks, leaving the throttle partially open.

Toyota's solution for current owners includes a precision-cut steel reinforcement bar being installed into the assembly that'll reduce the surface tension between the friction shoe and the adjoining surface. With this reinforcement in place, the excess friction that can cause the pedal to stick will supposedly be eliminated.

In summary....

Post by **Grayson** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 1:46 pm

I wonder if Toyota has ever heard of an f'ing spring.

xr4man · Post by **xr4man** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:26 pm

my toyota with e-throttle has a spring.

i still stand by my statement that this is being totally blown out of proportion and that more people died from pinto fires than toyota accelerators.

Post by **DPDISXR4Ti** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:41 pm

xr4man wrote:i still stand by my statement that this is being totally blown out of proportion and that more people died from pinto fires than toyota accelerators.

The number being thrown around in several articles is "at least 19 deaths". Did even that many perish from the Audi 5000 "unintended acceleration" problem that nearly ended Audi's presence in North America?

Rocky's Wrench · Post by **Rocky's Wrench** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:36 pm

DPDISXR4Ti wrote: The number being thrown around in several articles is "at least 19 deaths". Did even that many perish from the Audi 5000 "unintended acceleration" problem that nearly ended Audi's presence in North America?

No, only 4 people died in Audi "Sudden Unintended Acceleration" incidents, adn it was determined to be "Pedal Misapplication"
instead of driver error as it should have been... Anyway, here's an interesting article...

http://www.safetyresearch.net/2009/07/2 ... eleration/

Note the first two incidents in 2005...

Post by **DPDISXR4Ti** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 10:34 am

Now The Woz thinks it's a software problem...
http://jalopnik.com/5461945/apple-co+fo ... -dupilcate

Someone needs to create a Toyota Accelerator Pedal of Misfortune Wheel - today's options...

1) Accelerator pedal too tall
2) Floor matt stuck under accelerator
3) Software glitch
4) Stuck pedal due to cheap PA46 polymer used in pedal

Maybe Vanna will be back tomorrow with some more options.

In the mean time, it's presenting some awesome humor opportunities....

Hmm, maybe it's time for Apple to come out with an iCar...

It'd be powered by the sun, reliable, five times as fast as any other, and twice as easy to drive, but would only run on five per cent of the roads.

On the other hand, a Microsoft car would crash every day and require a Start button to turn it off

In other news, Consumer Reports lauds Toyota for their superior engineering and presents them with the brand new "Best Undocumented Feature Award" for truck frames that collapse when an unintended acceleration event is detected. All Toyota trucks given "Top Choice" ranking.

BeefFajitas · Post by **BeefFajitas** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 10:51 am

I read that part of the fix is to program the car to bring the motor to idle when the brake is pressed, which I assume means the trans will pop out of drive. That sounds reaaalllly annoying. The trans will shift in and out of drive everytime you tap the brakes on the highway.

xr4man · Post by **xr4man** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:44 pm

yeah, that sounds incredibly annoying.

gopadge · Post by **gopadge** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:56 pm

Grayson wrote:I wonder if Toyota has ever heard of an f'ing spring.

I was going to say WD-40....

Post by **DPDISXR4Ti** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:54 am

"While Toyota is taking responsible action now, it unfortunately took an enormous effort to get to this point. DOT officials flew to Japan in December to remind Toyota management about its legal obligations and followed up with a meeting at DOT headquarters in January to insist that they address the accelerator pedal issue," LaHood said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/02/ ... index.html

Post by **DPDISXR4Ti** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:20 pm

CNN Breaking News

-- Toyota owners should stop driving cars affected by recall, take them to dealers, says U.S. transportation secretary.