Toyota announces major recall of several models in the US

[nirmaljusdoit]

The issue seems to be with the supplier parts & not the in house quality of Toyota.

Toyota engineers are known to be perfectionists when it comes to design of parts & things going wrong are hardly to be expected. maybe the supplier production process resulted in the defective parts ?

Talks are ongoing between Toyota Motor Corp. and CTS Corp., the supplier of accelerator pedals used on eight vehicle models that were recalled, to come up with a remedy. Last Thursday, 2.3 million Toyota vehicles were recalled due to the risks associated with accelerator pedals sticking and slow to return once a driver released pressure. Last Wednesday, CTS spokesman Mitch Walorski said that CTS continues to supply Toyota with pedals made at its plants in Streetsville, Ontario, Canada. As a result, CTS shares were down 16.11% at $7.24 in early afternoon trading Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange. CTS, which has been the supplier of Toyota for its auto parts needs since 2005, has annual sales of about $600 million. Walorski said that Toyota makes up about 3% of its sales and the pedals make up almost all of its business with Toyota. CTS has been made aware of eight incidents in which a pedal it made got stuck in a Toyota vehicle but Walorski says that none of those incidents led to an accident, injury, or a sudden burst of acceleration.

LInk below :

Supplier of accelerator pedals in talks with Toyota to solve the problem

[Rahulkool]

I heard that few cars are auto box with push button start, you can't even turn off the engine. To turn it off you have keep the button pressed for 3 secs, in emergency situation like this it could be fatal.
I don't think it will affect toyota in India but in USA it will be make a impact IMO.

[stanjohn123]

There is no guarantee that the pedals are defect free in India. I suggest every Toyota Customer in India make it a priority to check their accelerator pedals manufacturer and don't take Toyota dealer's word for it.Be the judge yourself. And why is this thread in the internatinal automotive thread. It should have been put up in the Indian Cars thread so that fellow bhpians would be more aware of what is at stake

[svsantosh]

All Said, This is either going to make or break the next decade of Automobile history in the world. Toyota has just been enjoying the #1 position worldwide (for a year now), now may be time for GM/Ford to regain it...

[McLaren Rulez]

Going a little OT here but if you're in an AT car and the throttle is stuck, isn't it possible to turn off the ignition? Or something? Or is the driver so helpless that he can make a 911 call but cannot remedy the situation?

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Going a little OT here but if you're in an AT car and the throttle is stuck, isn't it possible to turn off the ignition? Or something? Or is the driver so helpless that he can make a 911 call but cannot remedy the situation?

Best thing to do is push the gear towrds "N" - Neutral and brake the car or put it on "1"- think that might reduce the speed and minimize impact to a smaller extent.

[drpullockaran]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

The caller, a male voice, was panic-stricken: "We're in a Lexus ... we're going north on 125 and our accelerator is stuck ... we're in trouble ... there's no brakes ... we're approaching the intersection ... hold on ... hold on and pray ... pray ..."

The call ended with the sound of a crash.

Here's the news link : Despite fatal crash, Toyota reacted slowly

More than the fact that the accelerator pedal was stuck the company should find as to how the brakes failed.

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by drpullockaran

More than the fact that the accelerator pedal was stuck the company should find as to how the brakes failed.

Yeah even i missed that one , how come no one spoke about the brake failure yet. I believe Toyota are calling back all their vehicles just for the accelerator pedal.

[madan80]

SAN DIEGO – A harrowing 911 call made by a passenger in a fated Lexus that crashed seconds later and killed four people Aug. 28 was released Thursday by the California Highway Patrol.

In the 50-second tape, crash victim Chris Lastrella begins by telling the dispatcher: “We're in a Lexus ... we're going north (state Route) 125 and our accelerator is stuck.”

The dispatcher asks where they are passing, and Lastrella is heard asking someone in the car where they are. He exclaims: “We're going 120 (mph)! Mission Gorge! We're in trouble – we can't – there's no brakes, MissionGorge ... end freeway half mile.”

The dispatcher asks if they can turn the car off.

Lastrella doesn't answer and says repeatedly: “We are now approaching the intersection, we're approaching the intersection, we're approaching the intersection.”

The last sounds heard on the tape are someone saying “hold on” and “pray.” Lastrella says: “Oh shoot ... oh ... oh” Then a woman screams.

Killed in the crash were CHP officer Mark Saylor and his wife Cleofe who were both 45, their 13-year-old daughter Mahala, and Lastrella, 38, who was Cleofe Saylor's brother. All four lived in Chula Vista.

A preliminary investigation into its cause has indicated the accelerator may have become entrapped by a rubber floor mat, sheriff's Sgt. Scott Hill said.

The car was a loaner from Bob Baker Lexus El Cajon.

Hill did not know if Saylor tried to shift the vehicle into neutral or turn it off – actions safety experts say may have been impossible if the car was experiencing a malfunction. The shut-off button on the car must be held for three seconds to turn the car off, experts said.

Dave Ezratty, vice president of Bob Baker Lexus El Cajon, said Wednesday that the dealer was refraining from commenting until the investigation into the accident is completed.

Investigators with the Nation Highway Safety Transportation Administration looked at the vehicle last week. Spokesman Ray Tyson said the agency got involved because of a 2007 recall involving after-market “all-weather” floor mats, including the Lexus ES 350.

The mats could slip if not properly installed and entrap the gas pedal, causing sudden acceleration.

The recall was intended to remedy the safety issue, Tyson said. Their investigation will determine whether there may be another safety defect that needs to be looked into, the spokesman said.

The sedan was traveling north on state Route 125 at 6:30 p.m in Santee when it entered the intersection at Mission Gorge Road and hit the rear of a Ford Explorer. The speeding Lexus went over a curb and through a fence and hit an embankment before becoming airborne, officials said.

The car hit the dirt in the San Diego River basin and rolled several times before bursting into flames. Officials with the Medical Examiner's office said all four died on impact of blunt force trauma.

Mark Saylor was a 20-year-veteran with the CHP assigned to the San Diego Area Field Office on Pacific Highway. As part of his job, he conducted safety inspections on tow trucks, armored trucks and ambulances.

Cleofe Saylor was a molecular biologist and senior research associate at Ambrax in La Jolla where she was involved in developing drug therapies for cancer and other diseases. Their daughter was about to start high school at Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista and was a soccer team captain.

Chris Lastrella coached basketball and worked as an enrollment adviser at Ashford University in San Diego.

Source: CHP officer Mark Saylor and family - Officer Resource

I think this is an old news article which NDTVs picked up.

[R2D2]

Guys,

Cars manufactured in Asia except China are not affected by this recall. The recall is due to a part made by CTS corp. It only affects the 10G Corolla i.e. the Asian Altis which has a DBW system NOT the older model. The Asian Altis has parts made by Denso.

See here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intern...models-us.html (Toyota announces major recall of several models in the US)

Cheers!

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by drpullockaran

More than the fact that the accelerator pedal was stuck the company should find as to how the brakes failed.

Investigators determined the brake pads had melted.

Regards,

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Investigators determined the brake pads had melted.

Regards,

Are you sure? Its hard to imagine the brake pads melting in any situation. I read elsewhere that the vacuum assist of hydraulic brakes is ineffective when the engine is under full load i.e. when the throttle is fully open, the brakes are significantly less effective. This is true of all cars, not just Toyota. Hence, the driver was on the brakes but they were ineffective since there was no assist.

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by R2D2

I think we need to stop overreacting to this.

None of us have stopped flying in an Airbus after the Air France A320 crash off the coast of Brazil that was caused by off kilter speed readings as result of defective/iced over Pitot tubes.

It is good that Toyota has finally acknowledged the problem even if (as some say) it was forced by the US govt. Very interesting insights on international Toyota forums if any TBHPians wishes to read.

Cheers!

Without meaning to sound rude, I have to say that your pointing us towards Toyota forums and saying that we are overreacting stinks!

Just in case you still do think so, read what the New York Times has to say about this.

Toyota Slow to See Scope of Problem Even After Fatal Crash - NYTimes.com

I concur with teamveevee completely, resale prices are bound to take a hit. When your reputation is built just on reliability, you cannot take any risks with quality, Toyota did so and needs to pay, and pay heavily.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Are you sure? Its hard to imagine the brake pads melting in any situation. I read elsewhere that the vacuum assist of hydraulic brakes is ineffective when the engine is under full load i.e. when the throttle is fully open, the brakes are significantly less effective. This is true of all cars, not just Toyota. Hence, the driver was on the brakes but they were ineffective since there was no assist.

Well, the pads melting is per a report that I read. Pads will melt only when they contact the rotors properly and with sufficient pressure resulting in very high friction that drives them to melting point. Ineffective braking caused by less than normal brake assist etc wouldnt damage the pads. On the contrary I'd be concerned if the pads werent damaged.

You see, I own an Altis so my interest in this is rather personal. Have called TKM in Bangalore and did some investigations of my own with my car and reading on other Toyota forums in the US that I regularly visit. Have posted the link below.

Cheers!

[AbhiJ]

Question: If someone is at a high speed, and they downshift the A/t Transmission to 2nd Gear, and then 1st, wont the speed slow down to very survivable level?