Via MattarMedia DETROIT - General Motors says it will install a new brake safety measure that can prevent unintended acceleration on all its new vehicles worldwide by 2012.
The step comes as federal regulators consider making the system mandatory on cars and trucks after Toyota's big problems with vehicles that can speed out of control.
A brake override reduces power to the engine when the driver steps on both the brake and accelerator. It should also slow a vehicle if the gas pedal is stuck.
GM has not had major problems with unintended acceleration, but says the safety measure is meant to reassure drivers.
Showing posts with label toyota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toyota. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
More questions raised over Prius accident
Via MattarMedia WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - It's the wrecked 2005 Toyota Prius that Toyota has been waiting to get its hands on.
Under tents and hooked to machines in a parking lot behind the Harrison Police Department, investigators from the company got their first look. It was last week when police say the car's driver told them she crashed into a wall after the car accelerated all by itself.
“If it is a problem with the car we want to find it and fix it,” said Wade Hoyt, Toyota Northeast Public Affairs Director.
Toyota spokesman Wade Hoyt says technicians were able to recover information from the car's data recorder. Hoyt says from that data, technicians should be able to find out how fast the car was going at impact and if either the accelerator or brakes were pushed.
“If everything in the car is working correctly, the brakes will override the engine, in cars that have a brake override feature it will do it automatically,” said Hoyt.
Police said last week’s driver error did not appear to cause the accident, but Wednesday stepped back a bit saying investigators had not ruled any cause out. Hoyt says Toyota remains confident it is not an electrical problem and Acting Police Chief Anthony Marraccinni says the recovered data may not fill in all the blanks.
“I am not sure we are going to have conclusive information as to what caused this accident,” said Police Chief Anthony Marraccinni.
Marraccinni says it will take some time to go over the data and the department has hired independent forensic technicians to help investigators understand the collected information.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Toyota Prius Crash in Westchester
Via MattarMedia and MYFOXNY.COM - A woman crashed her Toyota Prius into a stone wall in Westchester County Tuesday morning, police said. Investigators said the 2005 Prius hit the heavy stone wall in Harrison that it also barreled right through.
Police said it all began when the 56-year-old woman was coming out of a winding driveway and then lost control. The driver told cops that the car suddenly accelerated and would not stop even though she slammed on the brakes. She was hurt, but luckily her injuries were not life-threatening.
Right now, there is no way to know for sure what went wrong. That will be up to federal agencies. Although this particular car was part of Toyota's floor mat recall, detectives said the floor mat had nothing to do with this case.
Toyota issued a statement about the crash: "Toyota is committed to investigating reports of sudden acceleration involving our vehicles. It's not appropriate for us to comment on specific reports whose causes are under investigation or have not been verified."
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Runaway Prius Hits 90 MPH
Via MattarMedia EL CAJON, Calif. - A California Highway Patrol officer helped slow a runaway Toyota Prius from 94 mph to a safe stop on Monday after the car's accelerator became stuck on a San Diego County freeway, the CHP said.
Prius driver James Sikes called 911 about 1:30 p.m. after accelerating to pass another vehicle on Interstate 8 near La Posta and finding that he could not control his car, the CHP said.
"I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny... it jumped and it just stuck there," the 61-year-old driver said at a news conference. "As it was going, I was trying the brakes...it wasn't stopping, it wasn't doing anything and it just kept speeding up," Sikes said, adding he could smell the brakes burning he was pressing the pedal so hard.
A patrol car pulled alongside the Prius and officers told Sikes over a loudspeaker to push the brake pedal to the floor and apply the emergency brake.
"They also got it going on a steep upgrade," said Officer Jesse Udovich. "Between those three things, they got it to slow down."
After the car decelerated to about 50 mph, Sikes turned off the engine and coasted to a halt. The officer then maneuvered his car in front of the Prius as a precautionary block, Udovich said.
In a statement, Toyota said it has dispatched a field technical specialist to San Diego to investigate the incident.
Toyota has recalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide - more than 6 million in the United States - since last fall because of acceleration problems in multiple models and braking issues in the Prius.
Toyota owners have complained of their vehicles speeding out of control despite efforts to slow down, sometimes resulting in deadly crashes. The government has received complaints of 34 deaths linked to sudden acceleration of Toyota vehicles since 2000.
One of the crashes claimed the life of a CHP officer last August.
Off-duty CHP Officer Mark Saylor was killed along with his wife, her brother and the couple's daughter after their Lexus' accelerator got stuck in La Mesa.
The Toyota-manufactured loaner vehicle slammed into a sport utility vehicle at about 100 mph, careened off the freeway, hit an embankment, overturned and burst into flames.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Drivers complain that Toyota's fixes didn't work
Via MattarMedia DETROIT (AP) - At least 15 Toyota drivers have complained to U.S. safety officials that their cars sped up by themselves even after being fixed under recalls for sticky gas pedals or floor mat problems, according to an Associated Press analysis.
The development raises questions about whether Toyota's repairs will bring an end to the cases of wild, uncontrolled acceleration or if there may be electronic causes behind the complaints that have dogged the automaker.
Although the allegations were unverified by the agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday it was contacting people who have complained about acceleration problems even after repairs were done under two large recalls. The agency wants to hear from others who have had similar troubles, it said.
"If Toyota owners are still experiencing sudden acceleration incidents after taking their cars to the dealership, we want to know about it," agency administrator David Strickland said in a statement.
The new complaints raised eyebrows in Congress, which has held three hearings on the recalls in the past week and is investigating Toyota's safety problems.
"I am deeply concerned that NHTSA has received this many reports of possible sudden unanticipated acceleration even after these vehicles have received Toyota's recommended fix," said Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, who serves on one of the committees investigating Toyota.
"It's critical that we get to the bottom of this problem as quickly as possible."
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said Wednesday the company was investigating the complaints, though it remains confident in its recall fixes. Teams of engineers are being mobilized to check into the complaints, he said.
The development raises questions about whether Toyota's repairs will bring an end to the cases of wild, uncontrolled acceleration or if there may be electronic causes behind the complaints that have dogged the automaker.
Although the allegations were unverified by the agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday it was contacting people who have complained about acceleration problems even after repairs were done under two large recalls. The agency wants to hear from others who have had similar troubles, it said.
"If Toyota owners are still experiencing sudden acceleration incidents after taking their cars to the dealership, we want to know about it," agency administrator David Strickland said in a statement.
The new complaints raised eyebrows in Congress, which has held three hearings on the recalls in the past week and is investigating Toyota's safety problems.
"I am deeply concerned that NHTSA has received this many reports of possible sudden unanticipated acceleration even after these vehicles have received Toyota's recommended fix," said Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, who serves on one of the committees investigating Toyota.
"It's critical that we get to the bottom of this problem as quickly as possible."
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said Wednesday the company was investigating the complaints, though it remains confident in its recall fixes. Teams of engineers are being mobilized to check into the complaints, he said.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Government Reports Toyota Fatal Accident Complaints Rise
Via MattarMedia - Federal agencies are seeing a sudden spike in the number of fatal accident complaints linked to Toyota vehicles.
The Detroit News cites the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in reporting the total number of alleged deaths since the year 2000 related to claims of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles has reached 34. The increase has occurred since the automaker began recalling millions of vehicles.
A congressional committee investigating the Toyota recalls says the 34 alleged deaths are more than all other manufacturers combined when it comes to accidents involving unintended acceleration.
Toyota recalled 5.4 million vehicles in the U.S. because gas pedals could become trapped by improperly installed floormats. Another 2.3 million vehicles have been recalled for potentially balky pedal assemblies. Toyota has also recalled 437,000 Prius vehicles and other hybrid models due to braking concerns.
Toyota says it will review the new reports.
"We take all customer reports seriously and will, of course, look into new claims," said Toyota spokesperson Martha Voss.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Toyota Recall: Customers Voice Concerns about Insurance Coverage
Via MattarMedia - Toyota drivers all across the Capital Region are questioning their vehicle's safety, and whether insurance coverage will stand, if they drive the car while waiting for it to be repaired. Toyota service shops are busy repairing as many of the recalled Toyota's as they can. John Joyce of Clifton Park said he just discovered on Wednesday that his 2010 Camry is among the millions that have been recalled. He's scheduled for repairs next week. Joyce said, "I just didn't think that I'd be impacted because the car ran so well, but like I said, I checked it out today and it is one of the ones that has to be repaired."
Car insurance agents say your policy should have you covered, should something happen while waiting for that repair appointment. Joshua Dewez of Canoe Associates, an insurance company in Clifton Park says, "Insurance will cover you in case of an accident that you caused. Now that being said if its due to a faulty pedal that sticks and it's found that the manufacturers problem caused the accident, then there could be recourse." Dewez says insurance will fight it out with Toyota, in the meantime, he says, don't delay getting that pedal repaired.
Car insurance agents say your policy should have you covered, should something happen while waiting for that repair appointment. Joshua Dewez of Canoe Associates, an insurance company in Clifton Park says, "Insurance will cover you in case of an accident that you caused. Now that being said if its due to a faulty pedal that sticks and it's found that the manufacturers problem caused the accident, then there could be recourse." Dewez says insurance will fight it out with Toyota, in the meantime, he says, don't delay getting that pedal repaired.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Toyota announces plan to fix pedals
Via MattarMedia - Toyota Release: Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) U.S.A., Inc., Monday announced it will begin fixing accelerator pedals in recalled Toyota Division vehicles this week. Toyota’s engineers have developed and rigorously tested a solution that involves reinforcing the pedal assembly in a manner that eliminates the excess friction that has caused the pedals to stick in rare instances. In addition, Toyota has developed an effective solution for vehicles in production.
Parts to reinforce the pedals are already being shipped for use by dealers, and dealer training is under way. Many Toyota dealers will work extended hours to complete the recall campaign as quickly and conveniently as possible, some even staying open 24 hours a day. The company has also taken the unprecedented action of stopping production of affected vehicles for the week of February 1.
Parts to reinforce the pedals are already being shipped for use by dealers, and dealer training is under way. Many Toyota dealers will work extended hours to complete the recall campaign as quickly and conveniently as possible, some even staying open 24 hours a day. The company has also taken the unprecedented action of stopping production of affected vehicles for the week of February 1.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Toyota halts sales of 8 recalled vehicle models
Via MattarMedia WASHINGTON (AP) - Toyota is suspending U.S. sales of eight recalled vehicle models to fix accelerator pedals that stick.
As part of the plan, Toyota is halting production at five manufacturing facilities for the week of Feb. 1 "to assess and coordinate activities."
There are 2.3 million vehicles involved in the recall, which was announced last week.
The Japanese automaker says the sales suspension includes the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.
The recall came months after Toyota recalled 4.2 million vehicles due to gas pedals that could become trapped under floor mats, causing the vehicle to accelerate.
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