[amit]

it takes a company with a great deal of commitment which is absent in most other companies to take such drastic steps on a massive scale to ensure such events do not occur again in the future.
for that i have even more respect for Toyota Now

I hope you realise that Toyota did not recall these cars out of committment. This was required by law and NTSB urged Toyota to stop production and sales of it's cars until it had a fix for these problems. Do note that NTSB urged them to stop production and sales because they did not have a solution to this problem. We all respect Toyota but lets not blindly respect anyone.

I think this is not as serious as being projected by media. People are hyping this to promote US cars(hence economy) I guess. I would still trust Toyota.

If Toyota recall is a consipiracy to promote US cars then any future recall of GM, Ford or VW should be a conspiracy to promote sales of Japanese cars! Somehow I don't see such statements being made when other companies issue recalls. When it's others their quality is suspect, when it's Toyota it's a conspiracy against them. It's also interesting to note that a recall of 4 million cars for stuck gas pedals is not considered a serious issue by some people.

I don't expect any major dent to Toyota's reputation due to this. Luckily for Toyota, Consumer memory is short.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by amit

I hope you realise that Toyota did not recall these cars out of committment. This was required by law and NTSB urged Toyota to stop production and sales of it's cars until it had a fix for these problems. Do note that NTSB urged them to stop production and sales because they did not have a solution to this problem. We all respect Toyota but lets not blindly respect anyone.



If Toyota recall is a consipiracy to promote US cars then any future recall of GM, Ford or VW should be a conspiracy to promote sales of Japanese cars! Somehow I don't see such statements being made when other companies issue recalls. When it's others their quality is suspect, when it's Toyota it's a conspiracy against them. It's also interesting to note that a recall of 4 million cars for stuck gas pedals is not considered a serious issue by some people.

I don't expect any major dent to Toyota's reputation due to this. Luckily for Toyota, Consumer memory is short.

My point exactly! I've spoken about this in my earlier post!

I don't understand this commitment that people are referring to! Toyota had better recall those vehicles. It's their duty for God's sake, it has nothing to do with commitment!

There are several companies that recall several models time and again. It's not out of commitment or passion. It's about the duty and the obligation that they have to observe diligently as a car maker! Even the not-so-reliable companies are sometimes forced to recall their cars when the fault surfaces. And an issue as big as a faulty gas pedal needs to be addressed to very quickly!

[sary]

Well guys, all said and done !

I am definately considering HONDA Civic now for replacing my so called "TOYOTA" Corolla !!!

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by amit

1) I don't expect any major dent to Toyota's reputation due to this. Luckily for Toyota, Consumer memory is short.

2) I hope you realise that Toyota did not recall these cars out of committment. This was required by law and NTSB urged Toyota to stop production and sales of it's cars until it had a fix for these problems. Do note that NTSB urged them to stop production and sales because they did not have a solution to this problem. We all respect Toyota but lets not blindly respect anyone.

1) Hmm. Not sure for this as they have to stop selling the cars involved in recall. The effect will be there in US upto some extent. But within an year or two, its all the same.

2) Agree with you. This recall is not from commitment, but rather compulsion. Toyota earlier had issues with this sudden acceleration and initially blamed mats for this, next came in shape of pedals.

This can be commitment, but the picture is not clear to me atleast.

Here are links to this issue :
Toyota responds to L.A. Times article — Autoblog

Article :

TOYOTA RESPONSE TO THE LA TIMES ARTICLE

Setting the Record Straight

Today the Los Angeles Times published an article that wrongly and unfairly attacks Toyota's integrity and reputation.

While outraged by the Times' attack, we were not totally surprised. The tone of the article was foreshadowed by the phrasing of a lengthy list of detailed questions that the Times emailed to us recently. The questions were couched in accusatory terms.

Despite the tone, we answered each of the many questions and sent them to the Times. Needless to say, we were disappointed by the article that appeared today, and in particular by the fact that so little of our response to the questions appeared in the article and much of what was used was distorted.

Toyota has a well-earned reputation for integrity and we will vigorously defend it.

For a more complete and accurate picture of the issues raised by the Times, [see below] to read the Times' questions and the full text of Toyota's answers.

Irv Miller
Group Vice President, Environmental & Public Affairs
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

LA Times Questions and Toyota Answers

Toyota has a long history of building safe, reliable and high quality vehicles, and we are committed to the highest levels of consumer safety and satisfaction with our products. Toyota vehicles are carefully and rigorously tested, and are all engineered to meet or exceed the high standards set by Federal regulators.

We cooperate fully with all investigating and regulatory agencies who request information and data about Toyota vehicles involved in accidents. Further, we always strive to provide complete and accurate information to our product safety regulators.

Communications with consumers about safety recalls are strictly regulated and Toyota adheres to these regulations. Toyota has absolutely not minimized public awareness of any defect or issue with respect to its vehicles. Any suggestion to
the contrary is wrong and borders on irresponsibility.

We are confident that the measures we are taking address the root cause and will reduce the risk of pedal entrapment.
Nonetheless, Toyota will remain vigilant in thoroughly investigating and taking appropriate measures to address any defect trends that are identified.

With respect to the questions you have raised, here are some key facts that should set the record straight.

QUESTIONS
[Question 1]: In 2003, Toyota engineers discovered a defect in Sienna minivans that could cause them to accelerate without driver input. The problem was corrected on the assembly line, but at least 26,000 vans had already been manufactured, according to NHTSA documents. If this is correct, why did Toyota not move to correct the problem in those vehicles immediately, and why did it wait until 2008 to inform NHTSA of the defect and until this year to recall those vehicles? Also, it appears that only around 1/6th of those 25,000 vehicles have been repaired in the recall. Why so few?

[Answer 1]: Toyota does not agree that its engineers discovered a defect in Sienna minivans that could cause them to accelerate without driver input. Here are the facts: in April 2003, during dynamometer testing inside the Toyota factory, a hard plastic trim panel attached to the center console trapped the accelerator pedal. The root cause was a missing attachment clip.

A safety recall was not deemed necessary because immediately following the incident, Toyota conducted an investigation, including checking more than 200 vehicles in the plant and the shipping yard. No vehicle was found with a missing clip. In addition, there were no warranty claims or reports of a missing clip at that time. Toyota determined that the missing clip was an isolated incident.

After evaluation and redesign, in June 2003, a hard plastic trim panel of a different shape was implemented as an additional safety measure. Based upon the trim panel's design, if the attachment clip were to be missing, the trim panel's
increased resistance would make pedal entrapment very unlikely. The only way the clip will ever be missing is if the clip is not properly replaced after performing a repair operation which involves removal of the trim panel.

In 2006, a sole customer complained about a pre-June 2003 trim panel interfering with the accelerator pedal. The report to Federal regulators of the complaint indicated that the owner had repairs done that involved removing the trim panel to access HVAC components.

In August, 2008, Federal regulators opened an investigation. On January 14, 2009, Toyota advised regulators that "Toyota has not determined that the condition is a 'safety related defect'. Toyota agreed, however, to voluntarily undertake a campaign to provide owners of the older vehicles with newly designed trim panels. In response to Toyota's voluntary campaign, regulators closed the investigation.

As for the number of vehicles repaired, Toyota's activities to encourage customers to bring their vehicles in are consistent with industry practice and Federal regulations. Typically, the rate of recall completion is affected by the age of the vehicle.

Q2: Toyota has conducted numerous recalls related to sudden acceleration over the past decade in the U.S. and Canada, including two previous floor mat recalls. But the problem has continued. Does this mean that the previous recalls were not successful in eliminating the problems and if so, why not? In particular, why wasn't the 2007 recall of Lexus ES and Camry floor mats effective in preventing catastrophic accidents such as the Saylor case?

[A2:] Toyota has conducted two all-weather floor mat (AWFM) recalls after receiving reports that if the floor mat (either by itself, or if it is placed on top of an existing carpeted floor mat) is not secured by the retaining hooks, the mat can move
forward and interfere with the accelerator pedal returning to the idle position. If the mat is properly secured, it will not interfere with the accelerator pedal.

As reported in the law enforcement investigation, the floor mat in the Saylor accident was not only improperly secured, it was incompatible and incorrect for the vehicle. The recall recently announced addresses the fact that incompatible floor mats, or multiple floor mats could be installed and that the remedy must address that possibility.

Q3: In October 2004, Toyota wrote NHTSA that that it would not conduct a recall of steering relay rods in 4Runners because, unlike in Japan, it had not received field information to indicate a problem in the U.S. market. But documents entered into court evidence indicate that Toyota had received dozens, if not more, complaints of relevant problems prior to that date, and other court documents show that Toyota had performed numerous warranty repairs on those components prior to that date. If these documents are correct, why did Toyota tell NHTSA that it had not received such information in the U.S.? And why didn't Toyota conduct a U.S. recall at that time?

[A3:] Toyota has always been fully cooperative with Federal regulator's investigations and inquiries and has always submitted all information requested consistent with the rules and regulations applicable to regulators.

Regarding unspecified "documents entered into court evidence", any party in a court litigation can submit documents to the court and assert that those documents support one proposition or another. In most cases, the ultimate decider of what those documents truly prove is the jury, which makes its decision after being instructed by the judge as to what evidence to properly consider and after hearing arguments about the evidence from both sides.

Toyota will not comment upon documents "entered into court evidence" or otherwise submitted in litigation outside of that fact-finding process.

Q4: Toyota has moved on numerous occasions to settle lawsuits alleging sudden acceleration or unintended acceleration. According to attorneys and other knowledgeable sources, dozens of these cases have been settled and plaintiffs have been held to strict confidentiality agreements. Is this true and can you tell us specifically how many settlements you have reached? If Toyota's position is that the problem is caused by floor mat and pedal interaction when the floor mat is improperly installed by the driver or another third party, why would the company have settled those cases?

[A4:] Like many parties in civil litigation, Toyota at times has resolved and will continue to resolve matters with litigants through confidential settlement when it is in both parties' interests to do so. Such settlements must be agreed to by both parties and cannot be imposed by Toyota alone. Apart from this general principle, Toyota does not comment on confidentially resolved matters.

Q5: A number of consumers have told us that Toyota bought back their vehicles under Lemon laws following complaints of unintended or sudden acceleration. Is this true and could you say how many vehicles you have bought back because customers complained about unintended acceleration? If Toyota's position is that the acceleration problem is caused by floor mat and pedal interaction when the floor mat is improperly installed by the driver or another third party, why
would it buy those vehicles back as lemons. As a corollary question: what has Toyota done with any vehicles it bought back as Lemons that allegedly suffered from unintended acceleration? Were they destroyed? Were they resold?

[A5:] Toyota has no policy to buy back vehicles under the Lemon Law or any other buyback program for customers complaining of unintended or sudden acceleration. Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. is not aware of it buying back any
vehicles under The Lemon Law for such complaints. The customers to whom you refer may have interacted with Toyota dealers who on their own have always been able to deal with dissatisfied customers to preserve goodwill.

Q6: Toyota maintains that it cannot share information on its Event Data Recorders with vehicle owners because there is only one diagnostic tool capable of reading the information. Is that still accurate, that there is only one such tool in the entire country?

[A6:] Toyota does not yet have a commercially available Event Data Recorders (EDR) readout tool and its tool is currently a prototype. There is only one prototype readout tool in the U.S. Toyota performs EDR readouts for law enforcement under certain circumstances. We are also occasionally ordered by various courts to perform EDR readouts. A readout for law enforcement is a community service that Toyota performs. Toyota does not have the capacity to perform readouts using its one prototype tool in all cases.

Federal regulators have required that by September 1, 2012, Toyota and all other manufacturers which have EDRs in their vehicles will be required to make a data retrieval tool commercially available. Toyota will, of course, comply with this
requirement.

The vehicle in the Padilla case that you referenced did not have an EDR. It had a G-Force Data Recorder (GDR), which is a primitive deceleration-force measuring device that only assists with airbag deployment. The GDR was never designed nor intended to be used for accident reconstruction purposes.

Q7: Under California state law and laws in a number of other states, EDR data belongs to the vehicle owner, yet Toyota has repeatedly told customers that the data is proprietary. Who does the data belong to? Did the 2005 federal court ruling in Padilla vs. Toyota change the way that Toyota shares EDR data?

[A7:] As to EDR data ownership, such ownership varies state by state. As explained previously, the prototype software used by Toyota to perform EDR readouts is proprietary, as is the case with all auto manufacturers. Toyota does not contend
that the EDR readout data is proprietary. When a data retrieval tool is commercially available, any data retrieved will then as now be subject to applicable state law.

Q8: In the course of NHTSA's drafting the rule on EDRs, Toyota raised numerous objections to both the proposed rule and the original version of the final rule, including limiting the number and time range of data points captured. Why would Toyota oppose such requirements?

[A8:] The assertion that Toyota opposed the EDR rule is flatly wrong. As a careful and fair review of the rule-making record will reflect, Toyota in fact supported the establishment of the EDR rule and urged that the EDR rule be simplified to prevent other electronic components unrelated to the EDR to be unintentionally affected by the rule.

While Toyota and other members of the auto industry raised concerns with some details of the proposed EDR rule, many of those concerns were resolved in the final rule with which Toyota is fully preparing to comply. Indeed, Toyota proposed and Federal regulators generally accepted the notion that EDR retrieval tools should be made available through mandatory license to licensees outside of the manufacturer's control. Toyota's purpose in its proposal was to make EDR retrieval more widely available while protecting proprietary information.

Q9: According to your web site, Toyota's EDRs are capable of recording data including brake pedal application and degree of application of accelerator pedal, among other things. That data would appear to be useful in determining possible causes in the Saylor case, as well as in other similar cases. But according to the Sheriff's report, that data has not been accessed in that case. Does Toyota intend to access that data to help it make a determination, and does it plan to release that data?

[A9:] The EDR is capable of recording only the previous several seconds of activity before and/or a fraction of a second after a crash or near-crash situation. At the Sheriff's request and with the agreement of all interested parties, Toyota agreed
to perform a readout of the EDR in the Saylor vehicle. In the presence of representatives of all interested parties and the Sheriff's department, Toyota attempted to perform the readout as agreed. However, due to the extensive damage to the EDR unit from the crash, it was impossible to perform a readout. We suggest you confirm this fact with the San Diego Sheriff's Department which retains custody of the EDR to this day.

Q10: Has Toyota used EDR data to aid investigation of any other alleged unintended or sudden acceleration cases? If so, what did the data show? Has Toyota shared EDR data with NHTSA for its investigations? If so, in what cases? Has Toyota extracted any data from EDRs that shed any light on SA or UA cases?

[A10:] Given the fact that the readout tool is a prototype and has not been validated, it is Toyota's policy not to use EDR data in its investigations. However, Toyota has used the readout tool under certain circumstances. One such circumstance is
the Saylor matter described in the answer above. In another circumstance, a court ordered Toyota to use the readout tool in a litigation. The readout data was consistent in that case with Toyota's position that the unintended acceleration was caused by the driver's foot on the accelerator pedal.

Finally, Federal regulators at times requested EDR readouts and Toyota has in each instance complied with these requests in order to assist the agency. Toyota will continue to comply with requests from regulators to perform readouts.

Q11: Has Toyota, through its handling of recalls, defect investigations, settlements, lemon buybacks and litigation minimized public awareness of the potential risk for sudden acceleration events in its vehicles? If not, how do you explain the impact of those actions?

A11: [answered in the preamble to the Q&A]

Consumer Reports: Over 40 percent of 'sudden acceleration' claims involve Toyota — Autoblog

Report: Toyota to take pedal recall global — Autoblog

Report: Toyota was legally required to stop selling recalled models — Autoblog

LA Times details Toyota history of concealing safety issues — Autoblog

[mkc15]

The fact that NTSB forced Toyota to stop both production and sale, appears a little too much to impose on Toyota, who have always made high quality (read as safety and reliability) vehicles. My questions

1. Is it really that big a problem that Toyota needs time to fix ? Is it that big a design fault ? Very unlikely in my opinion, since I do not expect Toyota gas pedals to be so different from other manufacturers ? There is surely something else, either a major problem with Toyota vehicles, which is less likely(which is why people trust Toyota); or some political reasons.

2. How many crashes (possibly due to this issue) have been registered so far ? On a side note, when the car starts auto-accelerating, isn't easier for the driver to notice this and apply brakes ? Ofcourse I do understand that it causes panic, but it doesn't look (to me) so serious as to force the manufacturer to shutdown production/sales.

3. Do we similarly penalize manufacturers who make less reliable cars(compared to Toyota) that breakdown in the middle of the road causing accidents?

If this really turns out to be a fault causing a lot of incidents, I think Toyota will be in lot of trouble, if not for long.

BTW I dont own a Toyota; I own a Honda :-)

[GTO]

A serious life-threatening flaw. But what really SUCKS is Toyota's response time. The sticking accelerator issue has been reported since a couple of months now. IMPOSSIBLE that Toyota did not know about the occurrence / frequency of problem...in fact, they are the ones who would know about this issue first, thanks to customer reported complaints from their service centers.

Sorry Toyota, you messed this one up real bad. Next time, wake up and smell the coffee an hour or two earlier. The lives of your customers is more important than worrying about a PR disaster.

[animdas]

Originally Posted by GTO

A serious life-threatening flaw. But what really SUCKS is Toyota's response time. The sticking accelerator issue has been reported since a couple of months now. IMPOSSIBLE that Toyota did not know about the occurrence / frequency of problem...in fact, they are the ones who would know about this issue first, thanks to customer reported complaints from their service centers.

Sorry Toyota, you messed this one up real bad. Next time, wake up and smell the coffee an hour or two earlier. The lives of your customers is more important than worrying about a PR disaster.

Agree with it. Moreover, here's an article which claims that the so called "brake override system" is there in all other cars EXCEPT Toyota.

Toyota did not install brake override systems despite complaints

[mkc15]

Oops, just read through this article and realized that I had completely mistaken the issue. 'No brakes, speeding car' seems to be the issue. Well, then I take back my words. Sorry folks.

[Fraz33r]

Originally Posted by GTO

The sticking accelerator issue has been reported since a couple of months now.

As AFAIK, there are two different problems : on is the floor mat problem which arised in November and the other is the new one reported for the accelerator sticking.Majority of the people removed their floor mats so that it wouldn't interfere with the accelerator action, However the sticking accelerator problem(new issues) was addressed as they said,

"The situation is rare, Toyota said last week, but can occur when accelerator pedal mechanisms become worn. The problem will usually develop gradually, Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said. The pedal may become harder to press and may become slower to return when released. In the worst cases, it may become stuck in a partially depressed position."

Accelerator pedals worn? In 2009-2010 Toyota models is in itself a statement.Also it happens that toyota asked certain part suppliers to have a cost-cutting and has resulted in poor quality of parts. Maybe recession has caught up toyota,but this act will plummet their sales as well as financial charts.

Toyota's Tylenol moment - Jan. 28, 2010

Originally Posted by GTO

Sorry Toyota, you messed this one up real bad. Next time, wake up and smell the coffee an hour or two earlier. The lives of your customers is more important than worrying about a PR disaster.

Indeed this time toyota is in a deep puddle of trouble and it might take long to address this issue ,since they have to chance the pedals and the mechanism for more than 5.3 million vehicles.

P.S.: All Indian people owning a toyota 2009-10 corrola ,altis,camry should definitely get their accelerator mechanisms checked.

[teamveevee]

Originally Posted by Fraz33r

Also it happens that toyota asked certain part suppliers to have a cost-cutting and has resulted in poor quality of parts. Maybe recession has caught up toyota,but this act will plummet their sales as well as financial charts.

Toyota wanted to be the number 1, Recently over took GM in sales numbers and VW is trying to catch up with Toyota and planning to overtake Toyota by 2015. With the Yen depeciating, Toyota should have increased the price of Toyota vehicles, but they have not done that in their major market which is US, fearing they will loose market share. This, along with the current market conditions, forced them to cut costs.
Also earlier Toyota used to make cruicial parts themselvs (You could see Toyoparts in old honda vehicles also ), but as the numbers gone up, Toyota started to rely on outside vendors for crucial parts also.
In my opinion, dependance on outside vendors and reduction in quality control to reduce costs resulted in this.
I still think Toyota is one the most reliable cars on Indian roads, but at the same time, feel sympathy for the Toyota owners who paid 1-2 lakh for just for the quality.
Another issue is the psychological impact of this on the Toyota owner, one of my friends who owns a Toyota told me after reading all these news when he drives he gets the feeling that it is "auto accelerating" even though it is not and everything perfectly alright with his car. I am sure when the next big news comes out Media will ignore this and every thing will be alright after that. After all, we all got short memory...

[Sudan_NFS]

Soon Toyota going to resume

DETROIT (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp may resume sales of eight vehicle models that it recalled because of faulty accelerator pedals as soon as the third week of February, though that date might be "optimistic," sources briefed on the matter said on Friday.
The timing assumes that the rollout of a fix for the pedals goes smoothly, the sources said. The third week of February was "very optimistic," they said.
Toyota declined to comment on the timing of the sales resumption, saying only that the vehicles would get adjusted or new accelerator pedals before being sold. Toyota this week suspended sales of eight models involved in a safety recall of 2.3 million vehicles announced last week.
The recall involves accelerator pedals that may become stuck and cause vehicles to speed up accidentally. It includes Toyota's two top-selling cars in its biggest market, the Camry and Corolla.
Analysts have estimated that the sales halt could cost Toyota at least $550 million in operating profit a month.
Another 100,000 to 120,000 of the eight models are on dealer lots or in transit to dealers, sources said.
A Toyota spokesman did not confirm the specific fix it is considering, but said the company's engineers are talking with officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the remedy.
The remedy involves a shim, also called a spacer, that will be placed on the accelerator to stop vehicles from speeding up unintentionally, sources said.
The sources did not know, and Toyota said it has not yet determined when production lines would resume at six North American plants that make the models.
Those production lines would shut from Feb. 1 to Feb 5.

source:yahoo

[Amartya]

Toyota has a very powerful PR machinery and over time they'll try to brush this under the carpet.
I would like to draw the attention of fellow teambhpians to look at the post aaagoswami pasted from the LA times. It shows that Toyota might have some really dirty secrets:

a. The Sienna Minivan accelerator issue
Newspaper - Asks about an issue with a 2003 Sienna minivan with an "accelerator" issue. What about the 20,000 odd Sienna's sold?

Toyota - It happened on the dyno while testing, it was a plastic trim that was responsible. We checked around 200 Sienna in the warehouse and later re-designed the plastic bits.

Point to note - Toyota admits that this actually happened. They they checked 200 vehicles (that's less than 1% as a sample size) and decided that a recall wasn't necessary.
It makes my blood boil to see such a reaction, they should have immediately asked all Sienna owners to come in for a check and get it fixed. Who are they to decide that 200 is a good sample size! I believe Toyota should be sued for billions of dollars for something like this.

b. It's a design issue, not a manufacturing one.

Point to note - Toyota is trying to blame one of it's vendors for this. The vendor is vehemently denying this (I live in Kingston, Canada right now) and it is in the papers. You be the judge, but looking at the number of issues reported over the years, Toyota's has the highest percentage of such issues. It seems too much of a coincidence that this same vendor is responsible for issues across the range over a number of years.

The floormat issue stinks even more, because that is certainly a design problem.

Toyota's hand was forced, they had to recall the vehicles due to the weight of the law in the US. They will try to squirm their way out but rest assured a recall is not going to happen in India. We just don't have the laws in place.

I would like to ask my fellow teambhpians who own a Toyota to take some time out and inspect their cars. Don't take Toyota's word for there not being a problem.

PS - Even if the car accelerates suddenly, why can't people stomp on the brakes (i am referring to the 911 call, whose transcript is pasted on this thread)?

Edit: I can clearly see the reason behind moving this thread to the International section, however, I think there should be some sort of a link to this thread on the Indian car scene thread too. This is a very serious issue that all Toyota owners in India should read and this section of TeamBhp cannot be as popular as the other one, just my two cents.

[Superleggera]

PS - Even if the car accelerates suddenly, why can't people stomp on the brakes (i am referring to the 911 call, whose transcript is pasted on this thread)?

Further in CBS news, It was written in that they were not able to stop the car by stomping the brakes for another defective Toyota.There was another pointer that companies like VW is adapting a technology called "Smart Throttle" where brakes can override acclerator which is not happening currently in Toyotas.

The defective Toyota in the above mentioned case was stopped by putting the Auto Transmission in Neutral.I won't be surprised if a American says he doesn't know what the use of "N" mark in the Auto transmisson is !!.

[tacho]

911 call which started this all. Not for the faint hearted

YouTube - Family Killed in Santee Car Crash 911 Call

[subbarp]

Originally Posted by mkc15

I think this is not as serious as being projected by media. People are hyping this to promote US cars(hence economy) I guess. I would still trust Toyota.

Too much of this kind of stuff happening in US right now.

However no brakes ! What happens if you slam the breaks and hold ? Wouldn't the car just stall after slowing ?