Prius Problems plus Toyota Sales Slump

[st4]

SENSOTRONIC BRAKES-------oooooh! I said a bad word!

They rarely fail and many SBC pumps are fixed FOC by MB regardless of service history. There is also a back up brake sysyem (unservoed) but nonetheless its still there in case the system fails.

Its good however to see Toyota are taking this issue seriously and doing what they can to rectify it.

 

[jasonyw]

Last week, a spokesperson for the Department for Transport, VOSA’s masters, complained that Toyota didn’t tell them about the problem and they didn’t know about it until the American NHTSA alerted them to it. "We expect them (manufacturers) to come and tell VOSA about problems when they see a pattern emerging ... ".
Oh, really? Why is it that the US safety watchdog actively investigates safety problems and chase manufacturers, but our equivalent simply waits for the manufacturer to come and admit their faults? Do we expect burglars to handcuff themselves and report to the nearest police station? What happened to that bit on the VOSA web site about undertaking “technical investigations into potential manufacturing or design defects”?

Toyota, VOSA Going On? - Times Online

I was at the highway agency building fixing a pc for them at the M25/A1 junction, these guys were just sitting back and drinking coffee with a high alert warning in the building. Now I know where my road tax gone.

 

[hawk20]

They don't seem to be at all pro-active/aggressive in Britain. Much more so in USA.

 

[grober]

I wonder how much of this is really true and how much "viral marketing" by Toyota's manufacturing rivals. One is struck by the media hysteria surrounding this and other "omens of mass destruction" such as the recent "Swine Flu pandemic"
At the moment attention seems to be focussed on CTS the American manufacturer of the item in question. This from the LA TIMES


Doubt cast on Toyota's decision to blame sudden acceleration on gas pedal defect
The pedal maker denies that its products are at fault. Some independent safety experts also are skeptical of Toyota's explanations. 'We know this recall is a red herring,' one says.
Toyota began using CTS-made pedals in the 2005 model year.
On Jan. 21, Toyota told federal regulators that CTS pedals were susceptible to moisture and could stick, forcing the recall of 2.3 million cars and trucks. CTS acknowledged that a tiny number of pedals had a rare condition that could cause a slow return to idle position, but it denied that this condition could cause unintended acceleration and said that it knew of no accidents or injuries caused by the issue.
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the company had no comment on CTS' statement.
Another Toyota spokesman, Mike Michels, said in an e-mail that the company had identified the pedal problem as "abnormal friction in the pedal pivot mechanism" and that the automaker hoped to announce a remedy soon.
Toyota has honored CTS three times since 2005 for the quality and efficiency of its work, citing the fact that the supplier "exceeded quality expectations" and achieved "100 percent on-time delivery and for shipping accelerator pedal modules with zero defects."
The automaker also uses pedals supplied by Denso Corp., a Japanese company with North American headquarters in suburban Detroit, but has said those do not appear to be defective.
However, the Times review of federal safety records shows several instances of complaints of stuck pedals on vehicles built in Japan, which Toyota has said are not subject to the recall. For example, one complaint, filed two years ago, told of a 2007 Japanese-built Camry in Maryland with a pedal that "stuck to the floor."
A wide group of national automotive experts say there is strong evidence that a hidden electronic problem must account for at least some, if not most, of the Toyota sudden-acceleration events.
The 19 sudden-acceleration deaths involving Toyota vehicles are more than those that have occurred in vehicles from all other automakers combined, according to figures provided to The Times by NHTSA.
The Times has previously reported that consumer complaints of unintended acceleration surged in the years after the automaker introduced electronic throttles, by fivefold in some cases.
The electronic throttle system uses sensors, microprocessors and electric motors, rather than a traditional link such as a steel cable, to connect the driver's foot to the engine.

 

[BTB 500]

On the news this morning they said that Toyota are going to issue a brake recall for 400,000 Prius worldwide now (including UK).

 

[NormanC]

It's good to see that Toyota are recognising the faults and recalling the cars involved.

Shame there isn't a recall for the drivers who either drive into things when the throttle sticks or can't understand that they have to press harder on the brake pedal when there's a small glitch in the braking.

NormanC

 

[hawk20]

It's good to see that Toyota are recognising the faults and recalling the cars involved.

Shame there isn't a recall for the drivers who either drive into things when the throttle sticks or can't understand that they have to press harder on the brake pedal when there's a small glitch in the braking.

NormanC

According to one Press cutting there have been 19 deaths so hardly a small glitch. Humans do panic when totally unexpected things happen.

 

[jasonyw]

Next problem: the steering

Existing customers will probably feel fine once they've had the tender loving care the dealers are well known for, but people who haven't bought Toyotas before will probably think again

Toyota cars are really origami.

Toyota Announces Global A Recall Of Its New Prius Model Due To Brake Problems | Business | Sky News

 

[npuk]

Now they want to investigate a steering problem. Funny how this comes out now like the Prius brake problem. Anyone else think this is all getting a bit OTT.

 

[NormanC]

According to one Press cutting there have been 19 deaths so hardly a small glitch. Humans do panic when totally unexpected things happen.

"Nonetheless, an internal NHTSA memo says: “It appears that when you hit a bump, the regenerative braking (front wheels only) cuts out, and there is a short delay until the friction braking kicks in. This results in loss of braking, which is experienced as acceleration (due to sudden end of deceleration from braking). Net impact is still a loss of braking/ increase in stopping distance."

If this has resulted in 19 deaths then it re-inforces the point I was trying to make. When driving on the road you should always be expecting the unexpected and not be driving so close to the limit that a short delay in braking causes an accident except in emergency braking situations due to others. As far as I can see the stated problem does not happen in these situations as the braking would all be by friction.

Yes, you do get some mad drivers - I was probably one 40 years ago (vide Mk1 Mexico) but I wouldn't have thought the Prius attracted that sort of person. I've had both throttle stick wide open and total brake failure without hitting anything. (The hit was when the navigator didn't call the 90 left after brow and I discovered that you can't steer or stop when in the air!!)

I think that the point I'm really trying to make is that I'm worried by what appears to be drivers who don't know what to do when the unexpected happens.

NormanC

 

[hawk20]

Honda is adding 437,000 vehicles to its 15-month-old global recall for faulty airbags in the latest quality problem to hit a Japanese car maker.
The company will replace the driver's side airbag inflator on the cars because they can deploy with too much pressure, causing the inflator to rupture and injure or kill the driver.
Japan's number two car manufacturer originally announced the recall to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in November 2008 and the total of number vehicles recalled since then is approaching one million.
http://news.aol.co.uk/honda-expands-recall-over-airbags/article/2010021000191957603383

 

[jasonyw]

Now Honda want to grab the headline news about airbag

Honda extends car recall over airbag fault | Business | guardian.co.uk

 

[wemorgan]

How much of this is journalists filling column inches?

Recalls happen all the time. The scale and severity vary. The Toyota accelerator story has been high profile, so to continue to ride the wave further recall stories are now being printed. I’m not saying they shouldn’t be printed, but some of the lesser stories are now being given undue prominence.

This country has too many bored ‘New Media’ students if you ask me Next week it'll be stories of EU demanding straight bananas again.

 

[scumbag]

Toyota

You just can't stop them

 

[Rory]

How much of this is journalists filling column inches?

Said on the news last night that the US is taking full advantage of the opportunity to kick the Japanese auto manufacturers - as they blame them for the demise of the US auto industry.

 

[npuk]

 

[jasonyw]

The Audi A3 1.8T apparently has had the same problem as the Toyota: possible jamming of the accelerator pedal. Several other Audis — the A2, A3, A4, A6 and TT — have gone back because “the airbag may not deploy” (certainly a worry when the accelerator jams open on your A3 1.8T). So much for Vorsprung durch Technik.
In the Porsche 911 Carrera “steering could be impaired”. In Ferraris, leaking fuel seems to have been a problem; it is especially serious if you have a 550 Maranello, because fuel apparently leaks into the engine compartment.
For Fiat owners, the worry has been brake failure: the Panda, Grande Punto, Bravo and Multipla have all suffered an intermittent problem. If you have a Bravo 105 there is also a possibility of fire in the engine.
In the BMW 5, 6 and 7-series, the rear axle carrier could fail. If you are driving a BMW 5-series, there is also the possibility that the airbag will deploy when you are least expecting it. Jaguar XJ models have suffered from brake pipe corrosion, while “fire may occur” in the diesel Volkswagen Tiguan.

Stop laughing at Toyota owners - they’re not alone - Times Online

Thank goodness there are none for Merc except the SBC, Vito, Viano, Sprinter and Citaro
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/apps/rec...p?whichpage=522&pagesize=10&resultString=(All Makes All Models) for the date range 01/1/1992 to 01/12/2010&tx=VOSA.

 

[jasonyw]

Cheeky Japanese

"That's why [US transport secretary Ray LaHood] has been saying we're going to hold Toyota's feet to the fire and make sure they do what's necessary to make their cars safe for the driving public."

Toyota memo shows $100m savings over floor mat recall | Business | guardian.co.uk

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Check the page before!

(Even when id posted it, someone had beaten me too it aswell doh!)