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Old 5th October 2009, 19:31   #1
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Toyota announces major recall in the US (Sudden Unintended Acceleration)

Toyota recall and apology come too late for Redwood City man and San Jose family - San Jose Mercury News

I dont understand why the car could not be stopped by shutting off the engine and applying brakes
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Old 5th October 2009, 20:20   #2
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I am not able to get this. There are many after market mats available as accessories in USA IIRC. A floor mat jamming the pedal is not very scientific explanation.
Here is an article that tries very hard to prove the point, but I am not able to get it.

Source : Toyota floormat recall gets explained — Autoblog

Quote:
Wondering what the deal is with all those potentially dangerous Toyota floormats? After all, just about every car sold in America is equipped with or at least offers optional floormats, sometimes with multiple choices. So, why are Toyota's mats being singled out? The short answer is because the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has received a slew of complaints that indicate the floormat design used in a number of Toyota cars and trucks may cause the accelerator pedal to stick wide open. But why?

Our friends at KickingTires took a look at the 2010 Prius that happens to be in their fleet at the moment, and they found that the mechanism that locates and holds the car's floormats in place is a possible cause for concern. It seems that Toyota engineered a floormat hook that can be detached from the carpet so that cars not equipped with optional mats don't have latches protruding from the floor. Unfortunately, this design also means that there are two places where the mats could become unhooked.

According to Toyota spokesman John Hanson, some other Toyota vehicles not included in the recall are also equipped with this same floormat hook design. Only the models that have received specific complaints were included in the initial recall, though more Toyota vehicles could be added once the details are finalized, including some 2010 models.
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Toyota announces major recall in the US (Sudden Unintended Acceleration)-toyotafloormat.jpg  


Last edited by aaggoswami : 5th October 2009 at 20:21.
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Old 5th October 2009, 20:24   #3
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This is a big deal here in the US. Every single regulation that is enforced has been done after taking many factors into account. And this issue of mats slipping in under the pedals has happened numerous times. Heard this on the radio last week, and most Toyota owners ( of the makes mentioned) have already started going to their respective dealerships to get the mats replaced. In many cars, there's no way to hold the mat down. Many accidents have been attributed to this cause, and changes are being made to make sure no more of these happen.

And the mat slipping underneath the pedals, means that the time a person has to realize the brake/accelerator's not working, is very less. And turning off the engine is just not a feesible option.Doesn't make sense in the high speed traffic we have here.
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Old 7th October 2009, 12:51   #4
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Lots of American people were miffed about the fact that the BIG 3 recalls got much more press than Jap recalls, but considering how much press this one has got, they should perhaps be mollified now
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Old 27th January 2010, 09:19   #5
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Toyota announces major recall of several models in the US

I just happened to see a news item on TV that Toyota US has announced last week a major recall of 7 of its models owing to a problem with the accelerator pedal getting stuck.

I am not familiar with all those models, but I do know that Camry, Corolla, Rav4 and Highlander, all 2008 to 2010 models, figure in that list.

I wanted to share this information, and will update this thread when I get more information.
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Old 27th January 2010, 12:43   #6
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You can read the news report at

Toyota halts US sales of Camry, 7 other models - Yahoo! News
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Old 27th January 2010, 15:18   #7
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Toyota halts US sales of 8 recalled models

The whole news is here
Quote:
Toyota suspended US sales of some of it's most popular vehicles — including the best-selling car in America, the Camry — to fix sticking gas pedals that could make the cars accelerate without warning.
In another blow to the world's No. 1 automaker, Toyota Motor Co. said Tuesday it would halt some production at five assembly plants beginning the week of Feb. 1 "to assess and coordinate activities."
The company said it would stop selling eight models of cars and trucks, a significant portion its fleet. The suspension comes after Toyota recalled the same models last week, involving 2.3 million vehicles.
Toyota has said it was unaware of any accidents or injuries due to the pedal problems associated with the recall, but could not rule them out for sure.
"This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized," said Bob Carter, Toyota's group vice president and general manager.
The Japanese automaker said the sales suspension includes the following models: the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.
Aaron Bragman, an auto analyst for the consulting firm IHS Global Insight in Troy, Mich., said Toyota typically sells about 65,000 Camrys and Corollas a month, and the frozen sales could strike the company's bottom line and reputation for quality.
"That's huge if they can't sell these and they don't have a fix identified. They need to go and get a solution to this fast," Bragman said.
Toyota sold more than 34,000 Camrys in December, making the midsize sedan America's best-selling car. It commands 3.4 percent of the US market and sales rose 38 percent from a year earlier. Sales of the Corolla and Matrix, a small sedan and a hatchback, totaled 34,220 last month, with 3.3 percent of the market and sales up nearly 55 percent from December of 2008.
It was unclear how long Toyota would suspend production of the vehicles. In an e-mail to employees, company officials said, "we don't know yet how long this pause will last but we will make every effort to resume production soon."
Toyota officials did not immediately return phone messages.
Toyota shares were down 2.3 percent in early Tokyo trading at 3,780 yen.
The automaker said the move would affect plants in Princeton, Ind., Lafayette, Ind., Georgetown, Ky., San Antonio, Texas, and a facility in Ontario, Canada. About 300 workers who build V8 engines at a Toyota plant in Huntsville, Ala., will also be affected, said Stephanie Deemer, a spokeswoman for the plant.
Deemer said workers there would have the option of receiving additional training, take vacation or unpaid leave.
Toyota said no other North American Toyota facility would be affected by the decision.
Toyota dealers said they were concerned the move would hamper sales and were hopeful parts to fix the problem could be distributed quickly.
"They're going the extra mile to reassure people that they really care about the customers," said Earl Stewart, owner of a Toyota dealership
in North Palm Beach, Fla. "It is something that's going to be at least a short-term hardship on the dealers, and especially on Toyota."
The auto company said the sales suspension wouldn't affect Lexus or Scion vehicles. Toyota said the Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids, would remain for sale.
The announcement follows a larger recall months earlier of 4.2 million vehicles because of problems with gas pedals becoming trapped under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. That problem was the cause of several crashes, including some fatalities.
source :NDTV

Last edited by Sudan_NFS : 27th January 2010 at 15:19.
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Old 27th January 2010, 20:55   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by emkay456 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sudan_NFS View Post
The whole news is here

source :NDTV
Thanks guys, that just about sums up the entire news that I got to read today in a newspaper.
My colleague, who owns a 2007 Camry says he got a call from the dealer to fix his car.
While this is a good move by Toyota, it does hurt its image of bullet-proof reliability. It was only the other day I saw an ad on TV that stated that 80% of the Toyotas sold in the past 20 years still ply on the roads today!!
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Old 28th January 2010, 07:09   #9
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Dealers Swamped By Worried Toyota Drivers - CBS News
Excerpts from the news
Quote:
A private firm said it had identified 275 crashes and 18 deaths because of sudden, uncontrollable acceleration in Toyotas since 1999.
........................
Toyota has said the problem appears to be related to the buildup of condensation on sliding surfaces in the accelerator system that help drivers push down or release the gas pedal. The gas pedal mechanism can wear down, causing the accelerator to become harder to press, slower to spring back or stuck.

Outside safety experts say it could also have to do with the complicated electronic sensors that relay the message from the gas pedal to the engine, the design and location of the sensor system and a lack of an override mechanism.
........................
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told WGN Radio in Chicago the government had urged Toyota to stop making the cars while it investigated the problem.
........................
The recall and sales are another blow to battered automakers, and a bruise for the image of Toyota, which spent decades building its image as a maker of safe, reliable cars and cultivated a fiercely loyal customer base.
........................
In addition, the problem could spread to Europe, where a similar accelerator part is being used, said Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi. She declined to give the number of cars affected. The company was studying possible responses there, including a recall.
Any recalls for the Toyota vehicles in India?
Rapid Growth Has Dented Toyota’s Reputation - NYTimes.com
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Old 28th January 2010, 17:53   #10
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Sales shutdown rocks Toyota

DETROIT: Toyota Motor Corp shut down sales of its best-selling vehicles on Wednesday under pressure from the Obama administration to address aproduct safety crisis that threatens its image in its largest market.

Shares of Toyota fell another 2 percent in Tokyo trading as concern deepened about the knock-on effects from a recall to fix millions of vehicles.

Toyota said late on Wednesday that it had determined that it would have to fix another 1.1 million vehicles to address the risk that floor mats could trap accelerator pedals and cause bursts of sudden acceleration.

Separately, Toyota said it believed it had found a mechanical fix for a problem that has forced it to recall 2.3 million vehicles for sticky accelerators.

Taken together, Toyota now has recalled nearly 6 million vehicles for problems with the accelerators used across its lineup, a sweeping safety action that has tarnished its reputation for quality and emboldened its rivals.



Sales shutdown rocks Toyota, recall broadens- Automobiles-Auto-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times
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Old 28th January 2010, 18:48   #11
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I am not too surprised to see this, with Toyota's rapid rise in marketshare, all that spiel about quality turned out to be just that, life-threatening spiel.

I hope Toyota gets fined heavily and charged with criminal conduct (if charges can be pressed for such events)
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Old 28th January 2010, 18:50   #12
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This is already being discussed here:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intern...models-us.html

Mods: Please merge threads.
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Old 28th January 2010, 19:29   #13
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Does this mean that Toyota cars in India are faulty too?

If that is the case then it could be a grave situation. Though, I think Indian drivers can adjust to any kind of situation.
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Old 28th January 2010, 19:38   #14
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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
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Old 28th January 2010, 19:42   #15
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Toyota seems to be hitting some sort of a crisis in the US due to this. This sudden recall of millions of vehicles has had a bad impact on it's stock.
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