There really hasn't been much of a discussion about this topic, whether in here or The Soap Box (which could also be appropriate given the fed gov't conflict of interest as major shareholders in GM and Chrysler).The claims are that floor mats are getting stuck behind the gas pedal, the gas pedal gets stuck, or there's an electronic sensor malfunction somewhere in the system.While these things might very well be true I have a hard time believing some of the claimed "victims" who claim wild rides that they've been unable to stop. It's common knowledge that the brakes in a modern automobile can always overpower the engine. If you floor both the brake pedal and gas pedal at highway speeds you will still come to a stop and in all likihood wouldn't notice the 20 ft length difference.Just seems to me that a lot of these people are full of shit and the government has been all about bashing Toyota. Or, are people really this stupid and helpless when behind the wheel?Thoughts, comments, jokes?
2/23/2010 10:20:27 AM
Have you never been in a panic situation?Cooler heads always prevail, but not everybody is going to get it together in the 4 seconds or less that it takes for a car to get to potentially deadly speeds.
2/23/2010 10:29:47 AM
in some instances, it was noted that the floor mats were in the trunk on a few of the wrecks
2/23/2010 10:39:23 AM
2/23/2010 10:50:55 AM
2/23/2010 11:16:41 AM
Chances are some people didn't realize their gas was stuck until they needed to stop. Even the most canny driver has a good chance of crashing when their brakes don't work as expected. Now, the guy who was on a 911 call and couldn't stop on the highway - thats complete idiocy; likely not even close to the vast majority of cases. At least this instance of "unintended acceleration" seems legit. It was a total fiasco in the 80s when a sensational 60 minutes re-enactment caused Audi's sales to plummet. They didn't fully recover for 15 years - and the real cause was proven to be driver error!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60_Minutes#Unintended_acceleration
2/23/2010 11:53:53 AM
^^The DBW (I feel) results in a better factory tune. My s2000 has a pretty bad oem tune. Anything below 2500RPM is .
2/23/2010 12:02:47 PM
check this out:http://www.newser.com/article/d9e1ro700/driver-to-describe-6-miles-of-interstate-terror-at-hearing-on-sudden-toyota-acceleration.htmlShe shifted to Neutral, tried the E brake, brakes wouldn't respond....if you are a "talented driver" and this happens, what else can you do?
2/23/2010 12:04:26 PM
I'm calling BS. That or she's the most unlucky person in the world.
2/23/2010 12:09:18 PM
^agreed. She's lying.
2/23/2010 12:43:09 PM
if you had a prius that wouldn't stop accelerating, how would you know?(not my words, but hilarious)also couldn't you just turn the car off? [Edited on February 23, 2010 at 12:49 PM. Reason : ]
2/23/2010 12:45:03 PM
^^The brakes themselves are fine, but they don't work as you would expect when your throttle is stuck open - and that would cause an accident. I didn't mean to imply the brakes were broken.
2/23/2010 1:22:57 PM
The 3.5 V6 found in the ES350 and IS350 are pretty powerful, they match nissan's 3.6 liter V6 and offer more torque. The IS350 can do 0-60 in 5 secs flat on a good day. The problem is when the throttle sticks open, vacuum drops and brakes dont work that good. When you hit the brakes the throttle should close (but it doesn't), the brakes then fade and are useless, all these cars have keyless start, but pressing the start\stop button doesnt cut the engine off. You have to press it alot or hold it down for like 8 secs. now if an IS350 can do 0-60 in 5 sec. Im sure it could do 60-100+ in 8 secs. By then the car is going 100+mph with no brakes and the driver is deep in OH SHIT MODE!
2/23/2010 1:47:48 PM
Dubcaps makes a good point. Ahmet and I were conversing on this whole fiasco, and I mentioned to him that any decently intelligent person would turn the car off. He continued to tell me about a Lexus that was victim to the run of the mill acceleration issue. The Lexus was a push button ignition. You have to either hold down the push button for a certain amount of time or hit it in some sequence. I can't remember. Anyways, some of you might have known to do that with a button ignition, but I sure as hell did not.
2/23/2010 1:49:59 PM
2/23/2010 2:07:53 PM
^^^Car and Driver did the brake test with a Roush Mustang as well, with over 500hp. Guess what, same result. Car still comes to a stop.
2/23/2010 2:20:11 PM
^^with the Lexus, they did try shifting to Neutral and even Reverse to get the car to stop. No fucking luck....http://www.wral.com/business/story/7098103/"Rhonda Smith's story of six miles of interstate terror, as her Lexus suddenly zoomed to 100 miles per hour, will set the mood Tuesday for the first congressional hearing on Toyota's acceleration problems.The Sevierville, Tenn., woman shifted to neutral. She tried to throw the car into reverse. She hit the emergency brake. Nothing. Then, her Toyota-made car miraculously slowed down before she crashed."[Edited on February 23, 2010 at 2:30 PM. Reason : ..]
2/23/2010 2:29:19 PM
^again, we don't believe her. also, it doesn't even mention in the article if she tried using the regular brakes.BTW, here's the chart from C&D that I've (as well as a few others) referenced:link to article: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/how_to_deal_with_unintended_acceleration-tech_dept[Edited on February 23, 2010 at 2:36 PM. Reason : link]
2/23/2010 2:35:52 PM
2/23/2010 2:48:39 PM
^while I agree that a controlled situation is different than real life, what do you do when you push the brake pedal a little bit and nothing happens? I would push the brake pedal harder.
2/23/2010 2:58:55 PM
^dittoIf anything I would expect a normal person's reaction in a frantic situation (where the car is freely accelerating) is to jam there foot onto the brake pedal.
2/23/2010 4:06:44 PM
I'd have both feet on the brake until the car stops or I sent it through the floorboard.
2/23/2010 4:41:21 PM
It's a human factors thing (I was a human factors major). People don't respond as well to uncommon stimuli, and situations are so varied that it's impossible to say what you would do in that situation.Naturally the appropriate response to the situation is to floor the brake - but how long does it take someone to realize the amount of pressure they're putting on the brake is not doing what it normally does, and act accordingly? I'd say most people would not react in time to prevent an accident, unless they discovered the problem while they were not in immediate need of braking.
2/23/2010 4:51:31 PM
2/23/2010 6:51:15 PM
This, in my opinion, has more to do with us being a society full of no-driving, litigious assholes who don't like to accept responsibility than it does with Toyota having significant problems. Sure, they should probably fix these little issues, but I don't think this should be spooling everyone up into crisis mode the way it is.
2/23/2010 7:21:44 PM
^i agree.
2/23/2010 7:37:01 PM
While I agree that we "should" be better about this, reading about the specifics of the Lexus crash/deaths did make me feel bad, considering that it was a loaner from a dealer that was different than his personal car two significant ways:1-Gated shifter, not easily put into neutral.2-Start/stop button, needs to be held down for shut off, key fob not useable to turn car off.Keep in mind that as per outside observation, the brakes were shooting sparks and were not slowing the car (270hp -vacuum brake assist = bad). Also, as per 911 call from the backseat of said vehicle, start/stop button was unresponsive, brakes also ineffective. One vacuum assisted application of the brakes is a far cry from not having boost and trying to slow a car down from 100+. Pumping the brake pedal is not so hard to imagine on a car that's now slowing down, and if you did that, you'd kill what little assist you had in the first place, and I imagine this is about when your brakes would start to fade. I've also read a few reports on how Toyota was aware of the electronics issue (which in my opinion is THE only issue here), but mislead the public to save money on recalls. Not cool. One final note, I think it's inexcusable for there not to be a more sophisticated control circuitry to cut engine power when a fault is detected, not to mention closing the throttle when brake/gas are applied simultaneously, as practically every other manufacturer does, particularly on snoozemobiles like the crap Toyota is making nowadays.OK, final point. WTF is the point of a start button, you have the key that you have to put in the ignition, and in some cases turn into the power position, why also have a button??!
2/23/2010 11:18:22 PM
^ +1
2/23/2010 11:53:19 PM
^ a lot of the new cars don't require the key to leave your pocket. As long as the fob is in proximity it will function at the push of a button.
2/23/2010 11:54:45 PM
the s2k has a push start and requires the key. i cant @*@&ing stand it.
2/23/2010 11:57:12 PM
^^^^ Come on, you should know as well as anyone how terrible of an idea it would be to mandate that the throttle automatically close when brake/throttle are applied simultaneously. I mean, I guess it's ok on an appliance car with an automatic transmission, but it's a terrible idea for any car with a manual (to the point that it would be a dealbreaker--I wouldn't buy such a car unless I could easily disable that feature). Of course, I get annoyed by traction and stability control, too (both can be good features, but I don't like it when they're intrusive and/or not easily defeatable). ABS is about the only electronic nanny that I have a fully positive opinion of.^ yeah, it's kinda unnecessary...but you have got to be the most self-loathing S2000 owner on the planet.[Edited on February 24, 2010 at 12:01 AM. Reason : are that that many cars that auto-chop the throttle when you brake? I've NEVER encountered that.]
2/23/2010 11:59:38 PM
So wait, you have to hold down the "start/stop" button to turn off cars now? That sonambitch would have killed me too. It's a car, not a stupid cell phone.
2/24/2010 12:04:16 AM
^^It's just switching cars all the time where it becomes a PITA. It's also of no benefit to the end user . I guess it looks....cool?I hate on the car a lot but its not like I dont have legitimate complaints. The only thing i really love is the transmission and the size/weight. The k20 is a better engine....I would prefer it over the F22.Oh and my complaint about the tune is accurate regarding my car. I've written better tunes for map based honda engines in freeware and a dream. I know ray (arghx) could do a better job than whats on my car now in 2 hours.[Edited on February 24, 2010 at 12:17 AM. Reason : maybe mine is just fucked]
2/24/2010 12:16:09 AM
the s2000 push button start would be metric shit tons better if you didn't have to take the key out of your pocket.also it seems like these problems could be alleviated if everyone drove manual transmission cars!(i know this is unrealistic) it will be interested to see what this does to toyota.
2/24/2010 12:36:58 AM
The real problem is the fact that Toyota tried to cover it up.Its big news because its Toyota. Didnt the feds just bail out GM. And who is GM's biggest competitor? GM was the first ones to start offering the "trade in your toyota and get an extra $1000 off program". They hit toyota where it hurts the most, their reputation for being reliable.
2/24/2010 7:24:37 AM
I think pushbutton start/stop is retarded. We've had keys for the last 70 years (if not more) and they work just fine. Direct mechanical connections for throttle, brake, ignition and steering is something that should remain. I don't f*cking trust computers or their programmers.Asshole automakers trying to reinvent the wheel.
2/24/2010 8:41:37 AM
I like drive by wire systems and keyless start systems, when they are designed correctly. My G35 is very good. DBW has eleminate seperate systems for, fast idle, cold idle, cruise control, traction control, egr, etc..... its now all control by the computer and DBW system. Toyota just designed a bad system.
2/24/2010 9:30:42 AM
Duke,The AUDI/VWs, BMWs, Benzs and practically everything else I have driven close the throttle when both are applied simultaneously, after a certain period (generally 3 seconds or so). Furthermore, most (every one I've driven) manual transmission cars will allow gas to be on with the brake, if the clutch is also pushed in, thus you can heel/toe properly.
2/24/2010 10:23:43 AM
Toyota is having the same problems the big 3 had back in the 70s.. volume way up, quality down simple as that. they grew to fast, worried about the bottom line too much. I think they will recover and will get their priorities straight after this, that is if it doesn't go on too much longer. just look how long it's taken ford to get it's reputation back in the car segment.... from the 80s till now. Most of my generation grew up thinking ford products were junk and that's whats given toyota and honda the upper hand as we've made car purchases... it's shifted now and I think their is parity at best with ford likely having the upper hand. not what the yota fans want to hear but the truth.
2/24/2010 10:57:17 AM
no, ford still makes some junk
2/24/2010 11:23:05 AM
fmsj
2/24/2010 11:38:24 AM
I know my G35 only gives like 30% throttle when the brake is applied.
2/24/2010 11:47:50 AM
Toyota's problem is that they're made in the fucking USA.
2/24/2010 12:46:11 PM
was the problem with the toyotas a design problem or did some dude not bolt it on right? country of origin doesn't apply.
2/24/2010 12:57:17 PM
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/22/report-toyota-bragged-about-saving-100m-with-limited-recall Report: Toyota bragged about saving $100M by avoiding, limiting recalls
2/24/2010 6:02:07 PM
Warning: The phone call is a 911 emergency recording of a Lexus going 120+mph prior to crashing at the end of a highway... http://consumerist.com/2009/10/toyota-911-call-of-familys-fatal-lexus-crash-due-to-gas-pedal-stuck-on-floormats.htmlMismatched floor mat implicated in catastrophic Lexus crashhttp://www.leftlanenews.com/mismatched-floor-mat-implicated-in-catastrophic-lexus-crash.htmlMemo Reveals Tragic Details Of Stuck Pedal Lexus Crash (Pics)http://consumerist.com/2009/10/memo-reveals-tragic-details-of-stuck-pedal-lexus-crash-pics.htmlThis was a 2009 ES350.[Edited on February 24, 2010 at 8:18 PM. Reason : .]
2/24/2010 8:18:21 PM
I can vouch for the stuck floormat issue, it's not all bullshit but I can see what Toyota is trying to pull. I was riding in the back of my sister's Tundra with my brother-in-law at the wheel a year ago, he gunned it on the interstate near DC to go around someone and then never let up with slower traffic up ahead. My sister started yelling that it's not funny and to quit playing around as we're hitting 90 and he's starting to get closer to slower moving vehicles. That motherfucker lifts both his legs and sticks the damn feet in her face and yells back he's not fucking around. While he's doing this acrobatic maneuver with his feet up in the passenger area he said he saw the ridges on the floormat holding the accelerator pedal and yanks it out. Needless to say I'm not sure how the fuck he managed to spin around and hit the brakes so damn quick but we were definitely about to run out of room. Scared the shit out me being a passenger in the back seat with no control over the situation but I'm glad he was pretty swift and lucky, too.Toyota seems to be catching a lot more hell than other recalls, but I'm thinking it's partially their fault. Looks like they heard and/or experienced a few complaints about sticky accelerator pedals and shifted floormats and decided that saying these were the culprits would be a better response than admitting their electronics sensors/systems were an issue. I'd imagine the cost of recalling and replacing entire sensors, adding redundant sensors, or upgrading firmware for a soft safety trip would cost them tons more than replacing a pedal with a shim.Either way, this makes it easier for me to buy another Toyota now.
2/24/2010 10:42:21 PM
2/24/2010 10:52:33 PM
Fear created by the general public, whether educated or not concerning this issue, will depreciate the value of the vehicles as sellers will have a hard time convincing people to buy them.This is the Audi 5000 TQ all over again.
2/24/2010 11:11:17 PM
lol, sure but given this whole scandal/recall regarding stuck gas pedals why would someone feel better about buying a Toyota!?lmao
2/25/2010 11:26:15 AM