Toyota Recall - Accelerator Pedal may get stuck [merged]

[niky]

The flaw appears to be the fact that the pedal comes out of spec as time goes on, and neither Toyota nor the supplier considered this. The "shim fix" Toyota is applying will only work if the spec is not too far out of alignment, but it's a temporary fix at best. As the part wears down, it goes out of alignment again. A full fix would include replacing the whole part.

That's if the flaw is purely mechanical.

[xda2jojo]

*111prez:
Pa-media nyo na yan sir.

[111prez]

*111prez:
Pa-media nyo na yan sir.

status quo muna until we get our replacement unit. what i suggest is for the avanza owners to have their own mechanics check the steering mechanism and then apprise us all of the findings

[xda2jojo]

We do check our SW, my bro got also avanza pero wala kaming nakitang flaws.

[Hanren]

Got this from CNN..

source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/08/toy...iref=allsearch

Toyota recalls may not solve problem, experts say

By Drew Griffin, David Fitzpatrick and Steve Turnham, CNN
February 8, 2010 9:32 p.m. EST

Some experts blame electronic throttle controls for Toyota's automotive problems.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• They say complicated electronics, not mechanical issue, are problem
• Toyota officials say they've found no evidence of electronic problems
• Some say automaker's tests are inadequate

College Park, Maryland (CNN) -- In his hectic, noisy laboratory at the University of Maryland, Michael Pecht is wary when it comes to assessing whether Toyota's suggested repair of sticky gas pedals will have any real impact.

"They are in a bit of a quandary," said Pecht, a professor at Maryland's Clark School of Engineering. "If they announce that electronics is a problem, they are probably going to be in a lot of trouble, because nobody's going to drive the car. So at this stage, they don't want to announce there is any electronic problem."

But according to Pecht, who is an expert in failure analysis and has written a book on sudden acceleration in automobiles, complicated electronics -- not a mechanical issue with the gas pedal -- lie at the heart of Toyota's problems. And three other independent safety analysts contacted by CNN also conclude that neither floor mats nor stuck gas pedals are an overwhelming issue.

"From what people have told me about their sudden acceleration incidents, most of them have have got nothing to do with the sticking pedal at all," said Antony Anderson, an electronics consultant in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.

Anderson said electronic throttle controls, which largely have replaced mechanical accelerators, can malfunction in ways he compared to an occasionally disobedient child.
"We've all had that type of experience, and I'm afraid that is the sort of experience that can happen with any piece of electronics, with an electronic throttle," he said.

And Sean Kane, who runs a company called Safety Research Strategies in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, said, "Toyota's explanations do not account for the share of unintended acceleration complaints that we have examined."
Toyota officials dispute any assertion that the complicated array of electronics in its cars has an impact on the acceleration issues that have dominated headlines in the past weeks.
"After many years of exhaustive testing by us and by other organizations, we have found no evidence of an electronic problem in our electronic throttle control systems that could have led to unwanted acceleration," said John Hanson, Toyota's spokesman on quality-control issues.
But experts like Anderson say the tests conducted by Toyota are not adequate.

"Those tests do not reproduce what actually happens in everyday life," Anderson said. "They are testing for certain conditions, for certain standards, but they test, for example, signals one at a time. They don't do a whole lot of signals altogether. Whereas in a car, you've got a great cacophony of electromagnetic interference going on all the time, and you really can't rely on testing of a single frequency at one time."
As for the U.S. government's testing of Toyota's problems, the man in charge of the Center For Auto Safety, Clarence Ditlow, said that a 2007 test on a Lexus -- a Toyota brand -- by the National Highway Safety and Traffic Administration to find possible electronic interference was amateurish.

"They didn't do any real testing," he said. "For all I know, they just took a garage door opener, pointed it at the engine compartment and snapped it, and that's electronic interference to see whether or not anything happened. They closed the hood, and off they went. No problem."
Efforts to contact the NHTSA in snow-bound Washington were unsuccessful. But Toyota spokesman Hanson said, "It's very easy to look from outside and say, 'There is no problem with the pedal.' But this is the problem and we are fixing it."

Hanson said the company "invited" further testing and pointed out that NHTSA officials announced a "fresh look" into the whole area of electromagnetic testing, not simply limited to Toyota.

[_Cathy_]

Toyota's ongoing troubles
It's not stopping...

More recalls deliver further blows to Toyota’s battered reputation

Feb 9th 2010 | From The Economist online

ANNOUNCING the latest recall of Toyota vehicles, Akio Toyoda, the company's chief executive, invoked the principle of genchi genbutsu, an integral part of the car company’s production system. It urges managers to experience problems for themselves rather than relying on reports and then attempting a fix one or two steps removed. On Tuesday February 9th Toyota said that it would recall over 400,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to address problems with their brakes. Later Mr Toyoda promised that he will shortly visit America, the car company’s largest market, where he will see the damage to Toyota’s reputation for himself. Finding a fix is another matter entirely.

Recalling another few hundred thousand cars may seem to be only a moderate additional problem for a company that has already shocked customers with the recall of more than 8m vehicles worldwide. On its own the recall of new Priuses, some Lexus models and other hybrids would not have caused the company much anxiety. But coming on top of the recall of cars with accelerator pedals that can jam open, another over brake pedals that sometimes refuse to operate is dreadful. Even before the latest news Toyota put the cost of the recalls at $2 billion. The adverse publicity has hit sales in America, which plummeted by 16% in January compared with the year before. Its shares have fallen by some 20% since the recalls were announced last month.

After announcing the earlier recalls Toyota made the unprecedented move of shutting production at six plants in North America and withdrawing from sale several models while it figured out what had gone wrong with its accelerator pedal. This delivered a pounding to Toyota’s image as a maker of reliable—though somewhat dull—cars. Now the Prius has been dragged into the mire. It is the world’s best selling hybrid car and Japan’s most popular new car of all. Around half of the cars affected by this recall are Priuses in Japan. This will undoubtedly do no good for a company that is attempting to maintain its lead in hybrid cars as competitors line up to launch competing green models.

Toyota’s hybrid technology is under suspicion. The system that recharges batteries using the brakes has failed in a small number of cases leaving drivers temporarily unable to stop. On top of which the Lexus brand, Toyota’s range-topping and profitable luxury cars, has also been tainted by the recall, though only a few hybrid models are affected.

The charge sheet against the company lengthens daily too. Not only are its suspect cars dealing a blow to Toyota’s public image but so is its reaction to the problems. America’s transport secretary, Ray LaHood, claimed that Toyota was pushed into making the recalls and press reports maintain that the customers have been complaining about the accelerator problem for several years before Toyota acted.

On Tuesday Japan’s transport minister, Seiji Maehara, gave a public dressing down to Mr Toyoda for failing to act swiftly enough in recalling faulty vehicles. Mr Toyoda had made his apologies for his company’s shortcoming on Friday. But keen students of Japan’s ritualised acts of obeisance noted that while he apologised and accepted responsibility for the firm’s failings he did not bow deeply in shame.

Toyota faces further scrutiny on Wednesday when its North American boss, Yoshimi Inaba, is set to testify before a congressional committee over the affair. It is unclear whether public recrimination and close-up scrutiny will help or hinder Toyota’s rehabilitation. Some may doubt whether it can recover fully at all. Toyota probably faces an avalanche of class-action lawsuits in America which will prolong the adverse publicity. What is clear for Toyota and other companies that may find themselves in a similar position is that swift and decisive action may be painful but less agonising than letting a problem boil over and then attempting to clear up afterwards.

Being a Toyota fan, I am saddened by the turn of events. I was scheduled to purchase an altis this month. I have been planning this for a year until this whole brouhaha broke out. Friends find it stupid that I am still considering pushing through with the purchase. I am that loyal to Toyota. I am beginning to take a look at the Civic 1.8v. The problem is that it has no airbag unlike the Altis 1.6g but with the Altis' problem with acceleration, it looks like it will be needed.

I've always held Toyota in the highest regard. I own a 1996 Toyota Corolla that has served me well for the past 14 years. It is this Corolla that made me a Toyota fan so much so that I told myself that I will not purchase any other brand but a Toyota.

The person whose opinion I value when it comes to cars told me that Toyota is not as good as it was in the 90s. That really broke my heart.

[_Cathy_]

Double Post

[honismitoy]

Toyota is expeced to lose $2 billions for this negligence.

[Monseratto]

Being a Toyota fan, I am saddened by the turn of events. I was scheduled to purchase an altis this month. I have been planning this for a year until this whole brouhaha broke out. Friends find it stupid that I am still considering pushing through with the purchase. I am that loyal to Toyota. I am beginning to take a look at the Civic 1.8v. The problem is that it has no airbag unlike the Altis 1.6g but with the Altis' problem with acceleration, it looks like it will be needed.

I've always held Toyota in the highest regard. I own a 1996 Toyota Corolla that has served me well for the past 14 years. It is this Corolla that made me a Toyota fan so much so that I told myself that I will not purchase any other brand but a Toyota.

The person whose opinion I value when it comes to cars told me that Toyota is not as good as it was in the 90s. That really broke my heart.

Here's another new blemish in Toyota's reputation, involving the Corolla/Altis directly...

US to look into Toyota Corolla steering complaints
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Updated: 7:04 PM, February 9, 2010
Posted: 1:38 PM, February 9, 2010

WASHINGTON — Federal safety officials say they will look into complaints from Toyota Corolla drivers about difficulty with the steering on their vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received about 80 complaints from drivers of 2009 and 2010 Corollas. Many say their cars can wander when they drive on the highway, making it hard to stay in lanes.

NHTSA says it will determine if a formal safety investigation is warranted. But agency officials also stress that it is standard procedure to review the tens of thousands of driver complaints they get every year on a wide range of vehicles.

Toyota’s safety issues are under intense scrutiny due to recalls over gas pedal problems. The company also recalled some of its Prius hybrids last night.

[jaymd]

malapit na mag ganito si mr.toyoda