- NEWS
- 'Freeway Killer'? Or killers? 32 minutes ago
- Celebs to attend OC lacrosse tour Saturday 10 minutes ago
- Palin book: 'Doesn't matter what's in it' 1 hour & 36 minutes ago
- 50 complaints filed against rental service
- SPORTS
- BUSINESS
- ENTERTAINMENT
- LIFE
- TRAVEL
- OPINION
Toyota: Beware the demon within
November 9th, 2009, 12:34 pm · 10 Comments · posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer
Our colleagues at the Los Angeles Times are reporting that more than 1,000 Toyota and Lexus owners said their vehicles suddenly accelerated - entirely on their own - sometimes slamming into trees, parked cars, brick walls, and once, even off a cliff, into the sea.
The crashes have caused at least 19 deaths and dozens of injuries over the past decade, according to federal records combed through by The Times.
Are Toyota, and federal authorities, taking these reports seriously enough?
The Times raises doubts. Read Runaway Toyota cases ignored and Toyota’s runaway-car worries may not stop at floor mats.
Our own Matt Degen writes about the lawsuits filed against Toyota here, and about the floor mat situation here.
If you have a Toyota or Lexus with a key-less ignition, beware the demon that might lurk within. If your car suddenly accellerates, and your brakes can’t stop it, please commit these strategies to memory:
- Shift the car into NEUTRAL,
- and press the on/off button for THREE SECONDS.
Those would likely be the longest three seconds a driver would ever endure.
More Watchdog:
10 Comments
Leave a Reply
-
ADVERTISEMENT
-
Follow this blog:
-
More from OC Watchdog reports-
ADVERTISEMENT
You can follow this blog: on 
I have a 2006 Lexus IS 350. I looked at the floor mats. It is unlikely, that the floor mats, could cause the uncontrolled acceleration, even if the mats were not properly anchored with the clips. Toyota is claiming that the acceleration problem is caused by improperly installed floor mats.
I agree. It’s the thick rubber floor mats that are not fitted for a specific model that is causing problems.
Toyota owners file class-action suit over unintended acceleration
http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyota-owners-file-class-action-suit-over-uninteded-acceleration.html
(excerpt):
As of Thursday, November 5th (2009) a Redlands California-based law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corp. on behalf of two Los Angeles County residents which have each experienced multiple cases of unintended acceleration. The class-action suit is intended for Toyota and Lexus owners who were involved in automotive accidents as a result of unexplained sudden acceleration.
Smart Gas Pedals May Solve Floor-Mat Problem By Christopher Jensen
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/smart-gas-pedals-may-solve-floor-mat-problem/
(excerpts): Some automakers – primarily European — are using an unusual method to reduce the chances of unintended acceleration from something like a floor mat getting tangled up with the accelerator: smart gas pedals.
If the vehicle is moving and both the gas and brake pedal are being pushed at the same time the computer tells the engine to ignore the gas pedal.
“It is an additional safety feature,” said Thomas Plucinsky, a BMW spokesman. “The brake takes precedence.”
Does the car keep accelerating once it is in neutral? That would be interesting. The brakes should be able to stop the car once it’s out of gear, but the ignition would still have to be killed, obviously.
Big feet (wide soles) often causes unintended acceleration when stomping on the brakes with the left side of the right foot with the right side of the right foot depressing the accelerator. Hmmmm. Then there are the folks who use the left foot to brake (brake light always flashing even when accelerating) with the right foot on the accelerator… who are dyslectic.
I’m amazed that not one person out there has mentioned the possibility of the cruise control activating on its own being the source of the acceleration. The floor mats are not the problem when you consider keeping the speed constant and the difficulty in slowing the car down.
Toyota should be doing a recall on the cruise control system. It’s got a bug in it!
If the floor mats aren’t the culprit behind the sudden acceleration, then Toyota is in deep trouble. They’ve sold too many cars and addressed the sudden accelaration problem too late. The impact and the lawsuits will be massive.
REPORT: Toyota may ’shorten’ gas pedals to fix unintended acceleration issue
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/19/report-toyota-may-shorten-gas-pedals-to-fix-unintended-accele/