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Old 18th November 2009, 19:56   #1
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Toyota Owners Share Stories of Nearly Being Killed For Safety Reasons

You may have heard about how Toyota is recalling 3.8 million of its cars because they have the tendency to accelerate by themselves. Now the LA Times is soliciting Toyota horror stories which may make you never drive again.
Here are a few of the most terrifying responses to the terrifying question asked by the LA Times: "Have you experienced sudden acceleration in a Toyota?":
3/30/2006 My Solara completely lost control while trying to brake.I did 2 complete 360s, hit a concrete wall and landed in a mud ditch.$10,000 dollars worth of damage and 3 weeks later the only thing Toyota told me that it was driver error. This car had a mind of it's own. -Janet Cobb
I work for a law firm and we have a case where 4 young adults were in Lexus and could not stop the care after it accelerated on the freeway, they ended up hitting the concrete bridge and the car burned up with all 4 people in it. All killed. -Patricia
i own a 2009 Toyota Venza and i just ran through a restuarant no one was hurt but it could have been worst my car just took off Toyota checked my car out and said thay could not find anything i am scared to drive it now. -JM
Source Gawker — Gossip from Manhattan and the Beltway to Hollywood and the Valley
And now some blogs from Los Angeles Times

I experienced a sudden surge with my 2003 Camry that lasted a very brief time but shook me to the core.
Rachel Stein @ 7:51 AM PST, Nov 14, 2009

I own a 2007 lexus. It is sitting in my garage because I am afraid to drive it because of a sudden acceleration. Luckly it was in park.
Ruth Adams @ 5:55 AM PST, Nov 14, 2009

I rearended a car in front of me that was turning. I was slowing down the closer I got to it. All of a sudden speed cause me to smash my front in and caused $2800. in damage. I drive a 2009 Camry XLE

DJ @ 10:30 AM PST, Nov 13, 2009

Yes, in 2006 my 2001 Toyota Sienna accelerated out of control when I was hit by another car and had to slam on the brakes. I was told this was impossible by Toyota . I never felt safe in the van again and have since sold it. Now I am concerned my new Toyota could have the same problem.
Calmom @ 7:50 PM PST, Nov 12, 2009

I had this happen when I was hit at a stop sign in my 2001 Sienna a couple of years ago. Toyota Palo Alto blew me off when I insisted this had happened. It took moving into neutral to stop the car. I could have died. I was lucky my kids weren't in the car.
momcalif @ 5:21 PM PST, Nov 11, 2009

I have a Toyota Camry that put my family’s life in danger. The anti lock brakes hit something in the road and THE CAR DOES NOT STOP. This has happed on several occasions. It is so dangerous.What can I do?
Matarsha @ 7:59 AM PST, Nov 11, 2009

I own a 2004 Toyota Camry, and last year (2008). I stoped to get gas. After I refuel, the car just sped out of control me and my Wife made attempts to stop the car, but smashed in the gas station store causing damages to the car and the building. I do not have all wether floor mats. Thanks
RAMIRO HERNANDEZ @ 7:33 AM PST, Nov 11, 2009

I have new Toyota AYGO. I am experiancing intermittent acceleration problems. The trottle stays when the foot is off the pedal, this can happen at any time. Returned to Toyota on three occassions, but when thay test drive thay can find no fault. Thay say that thay are unaware of any problems
Eric Harmer @ 6:47 AM PST, Nov 11, 2009

No. I have a very first Pruis and never experienced sudden acceleration. But it seems there should be some kind of problem with automobile but not floormat, as the sudden acceleration happens too unnaturally many cases.
Tak @ 11:42 PM PST, Nov 9, 2009

My parents experienced sudden acceleration in their Toyota Camry a few years ago. The had pulled into a parking spot and the car lunged into a wall and was totaled.
Sherry Williams @ 6:22 PM PST, Nov 9, 2009
Very shocking indeed to read these blogs in the Los Angeles Times. These are some of the many here.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...ice=2&limit=10

Toyotas are functionally very reliable (auto journalists call it bullet proof reliability) but for the safety aspects. Also its a mystery as to why these few year old defects in Toyotas are surfacing at this moment after GM and Chrysler had sunk, but are now trying to again resurface from within the deep waters!
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Old 19th November 2009, 07:35   #2
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If I'm not wrong, this acceleration issue is limited to cars of a certain model year; the source of the complaints and rants is itself an indication of the reliability of the complaints: Gossip from Manhattan and the Beltway to Hollywood and the Valley

There are no doubt some genuine complaints (I read ~10 in the article a few days back), on the basis of which Toyota has realized that it's better off issuing a huge recall than incurring a huge liability from class action. However, I would doubt the validity of some of the complaints mentioned in this LA Times article. At the end of the day, they are the media, and it is their job to sensationalize things.

Another interesting perspective that you have added at the end is that GM and Chrysler have now fallen from their former glory, and it is only now that Toyota is getting a lot of flak; are GM and/ or Chrysler looking to damage Toyota's reputation in a covert way through some of this? What do you guys think?

Disclaimer: I do not own a Toyota
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Old 19th November 2009, 08:02   #3
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maybe some bad publicity for Toyota from its rivals?? cant really tell.
i think there was an issue with the floor mats getting stuck to the accelerator pedal and hence loss of control.
or is it the American general public that is ignorant who cannot differentiate between the floor mat getting stuck and the car having a mind of its own.
Only time and research can tell.
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Old 19th November 2009, 08:12   #4
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never heard of such issues in India. Accelerator pedal can get stuck with floor mat in any vehicle so why Toyota is being singled out.
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Old 19th November 2009, 08:33   #5
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some say that the issue is not , in fact due to the floormats as claimed by toyota, but points to a glitch somewhere in the vehicle's control systems
U.S. criticizes Toyota for 'misleading' public in recall | detnews.com | The Detroit News
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Old 19th November 2009, 13:07   #6
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Another Audi 5000 guys?
There were many cases of the famous Audi 5000 accelerating when the brakes were applied, and many innocent bystanders were killed.
The reason: There was no technical fault at all in the car. None at all. However, the placement of the accelerator and brake was different (a bit more to the side). Therefore, when people stepped on the brakes, they actually hit the accelerator and *bang*. Someone said that the muscles on our feet are used to certain positions and pressure levels when we drive (thats why when we try to brake with our left foot, we always end up screeching to a halt unless we have been doing it from the start), and since the Audi's controls were placed differently, one would press the accelerator by mistake.
This was rectified in the later models.
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Old 19th November 2009, 14:28   #7
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With Automatic transmission its very very dangerous. Is it some electronic fault in all these cars?
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