Both consumer and federal.
The government regulators aren’t buying Toyota’s ‘just take the floor mats out’ story.
Federal regulators have launched an inquiry into whether engine electronics caused vehicles to accelerate unexpectedly as legislators and experts on Tuesday cast doubt on Toyota’s explanation of its “runaway cars.”
The new probe reopened a controversy that seemed to be waning earlier this week, after a Toyota Motor executive went on national television to say a fix was on the way. Several congressmen questioned the company’s assurances Tuesday, and new data showed the Japanese auto giant’s sales in January falling to their lowest level in 11 years.
“It really appears that there is a problem in the electronics,” said former NHTSA administrator Joan Claybrook. “There have been incidents of acceleration when the floor mats were already taken out.”
After Toyota’s stock dropped, LaHood recanted his statement and said that he ‘misspoke’.
They’d better take a look at all those complaints about brake problems while they’re at it…
I’ve never owned a Toyota, but if I did… I wouldn’t be driving it until the problems are worked out – for good. Just sayin’.
Hat tip: a gleeful Quality Weenie.
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:01 pm
You read my post about my experience with my old Corolla right? And that was … oh gosh, at least 10 years ago (an older model 87-88 Corolla). It’s not like this is a super new issue. I don’t understand why they can’t figure out the real issue and FIX it. I don’t buy the new explanation that someone said today on the radio that it’s electromagnetic interference. Sheesh.
I still love my Rav4 though. It’s “my” car and I have no desire for a new one anytime soon.
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Yep; that was scary. And like you said – this is NOT a new issue. Their inability to repair the problem and their reticence in doing so will no doubt cost them customers.
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:14 pm
How did you find an article that I haven’t seen yet?
I still don’t buy that it’s the “gas pedel” (and it’s not just the gas pedel, it’s the whole gas pedel system as pictured in an article I saw today)
But what I am curious about is what is exactly on this gas pedel system, does it contain any modules or wires. I still beleive it has to do with the drive-by-wire system.
And Toyota is trying to move the shine onto someone else because they said to the transportation people “well CTS also supplies gas pedels to Honda and Ford”.
CTS says yes they supply pedels to Honda and Ford China but not the same systems as Toyota and what Toyota is going through has nothing to do with any others.
I would love to know what is really going to be replaced, just the gas pedel system or are they replacing something else (wires, modules, computer) with the pedel.
It’s good to see the real Toyota is finally getting public viewing, I have known they were like this for quite awhile.
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:33 pm
I agree; something like this needs to be shouted from the rooftops. A form telling people there is a recall is not enough under these circumstances.
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:21 pm
See…I’ve never thought Toyota was a bad company. Isn’t this just a one off weird thing (that I think has been going on for awhile)? Why would their cars continually be ranked in the top by so called unbiased places like Consumer Reports (who my mom treats as biblical)?
I’ve only ever driven Toyotas while hubby has always had “American” cars/trucks (we have a Ford now and he at one point had a Jeep…before they were sold to Germany…weren’t they? whatever.). I love our Ford Truck but I have no desire to own any other American cars.
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:35 pm
I’ve never thought Toyota a bad company or that they made bad cars – I’ve just never owned one. Not my cuppa.
We have Jeeps… but I don’t know if that division was sold to anyone in Germany or not. QW would know that.
QW: Hubby asks if cruise control could be involved? Cruise has access to the accelerator…
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Cruise control is a different module then the drive-by-wire system, so it wouldn’t be involved.
Hubby did tell me today that while almost all automakers now use a drive-by-wire system everyone else but Toyota has attached to the system a brake override, which means once the brake is pressed it overrides the drive-by-wire system and disengages the gas pedel system.
Toyota choose not to use the brake override system in their drive-by-wire system.
Megscole, Toyota is just like any other automaker but they hide their bad stuff very well because they are not a public company. I worked for a Toyota supplier for a few years and the stuff we found out about Toyota and the way they do things would put a domestic company out of business if they did things that way (meaning the goberment and the public would raise such a fuss they wouldn’t make any more money).
But now they can’t hide this stuff any more because the government has gotten involved. So everything is coming out now. And I also hate that Toyota always blames the customer for faults, like they are doing with the gas pedel problem.
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Gas pedal, electronics, Hmm, Gas pedal to carburetor is mechanical as far as I know – Now what can control the gas pedal, let’s see, cruise control is my #1 suspect, lets see, doesn’t it have an acceleration button for passing? Disconnect and remove cruise and danger is gone – now I know why my Wrangler did not come with it, always wondered, thought it was strange -
February 3rd, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Nope Mike, gas pedel system is no longer mechanical. It’s all computer driven now.
Which is why I don’t beleive it’s the gas pedel, I think it has to do with the module controlling the drive-by-wire and/or the computer.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:15 pm
He said: “Oooohhhhh….”
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Thanks QW…guess I just don’t get the dynamics.
As a fan of Toyota I can say this absolutely affects my view of them and makes me hesitant to buy another Toyota. But then again…all cars/company’s have their issues right? I just may include other companies in my search for a new car someday (in the far far future).
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Personally, Meg… I have three recalls sitting here for my Grand Cherokee. None are important, though.
Every manufacturer has problems… it’s how they handle them that makes the difference. Badly done, Toyota!
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:55 pm
“Every manufacturer has problems… it’s how they handle them that makes the difference. Badly done, Toyota!”
Bing, bing, bing, we have a winner!
How something is handled is the difference between a lost customer and a repeat customer.
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:22 pm
So true!
February 4th, 2010 at 5:12 am
Darn it! I finally convinced the Hubby that we needed to get a good used car and get rid of our Jeep. Toyota Camry would be my first choice. I guess I will have to rethink that, although if I don’t mind dying I am sure there will be ton of these on the used market in the next few months.
February 4th, 2010 at 9:12 am
That’s true; just make sure both the accelerator and brakes are fixed before you take possession.
Don’t like your Jeep?
February 4th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
I drove a piece of shit Dodge which I bought brand new in 2006. Now I drive a Toyota, as does my wife. If I pass quickly by a Dodge truck (built in the land of moose milk & honey/Canada) it’s not because my accelerator is stuck…it’s just that the piece ‘O shit Dodge has over 30,000 miles on it and is falling apart. “F” Dodge (Obama owned). “F” GM (Obama owned). Ford’s are OK but I’ll continue to drive my Toyota, thank you.
February 4th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
…and that’s cool. Free country and all that. I just like my Grand Cherokee hoopty.
February 4th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
my next car is going to be a FORD!
February 4th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Really? I don’t know what my next vehicle will be… my old hoopty is banged up a bit, but she’s paid for, so I feel no hurry to switch.
My dream car was a BMW convertible. Had it, liked Grand Cherokees better. The thing is, once I obtained my ‘dream’, I didn’t care what I drove just as long as it got me from A to B.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Here’s an interesting point I heard in conversation – don’t know how much water it would carry, but…
Now that GM is “Government Motors” and GM has publicly offered incentives to get Toyota owners to switch, doesn’t this put our Government Safety Regulators in direct antitrust conflict in overseeing this matter? Whether or not Toyota has a problem, can’t they (Toyota) now justifiably make the claim that their competitor – the US Government – has unfair business advantage in regulating the safety standards of their product?
Such a claim could go to courts and cost us taxpayers MILLIONS…
And what of any of the other non-government auto manufacturers? Should they now fear that their products may be targeted for overblown or even bogus US Safety Recall Mandates to cause or contribute to unfair competition practices by Government Motors?
EVEN MORE SCARY – will GM’s future safety issues be “overlooked” to prevent consumer panic and abandonment of the brand? Will their safety performance be judged by biased government review? Will consumers who are injured by “buried” safety problems then be able to sue the government for recompense (if they can even prove it or bring the case to the light of day), or will Government Motors be “protected” from such liability?
As a taxpayer, I’m told the best way to get our money back is to support GM to help it thrive and recover in the marketplace… But I for one wouldn’t touch a post-nationalized GM product for love nor money.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Oh, damn. I’d not thought of that angle… and I’m with you – I will not buy a government owned product. I’d have dreams of Hitler and the VW Bug…
February 4th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
the hub has a beemer – i hate it
i have a chrysler town & country with 150,000 miles and long since paid for as well. not in a hurry to replace but it is beginning to become a member of the part a month club and that gets annoying after a while.
i.will.not. buy from any company run by the government! i.will.not. drive a car from a company that asked to be bailed freakin out. I have always driven american cars. so, what ever it is it will be a Ford. maybe it is time for me to finally drive a truck! …. just kidding
February 4th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
F-150 – the best selling vehicle in North America for like… forever. My ’97 flareside lasted over 227,000 miles before I gave it to my BIL, and after some brake work, he’s still running it on the original powertrain.
It was my first pickup ever – even though I didn’t think I needed one at the time. It was sexy, safe, fun to drive, and a really good deal. Soon, I wondered how I ever lived without one! And now, I’m WISHING I had that truck back!!
Note to Ford: PLEASE, PLEASE build another F-150 with a standard transmission. Pretty please?
February 4th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
A pickup with a manual transmission?? I drove a tiny mazda pickup with a manual tranny once and it wasn’t bad… just… a regular size truck seems so odd…
February 4th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Not odd at all. I guess that for me it hearkened back to an old 68 Chevy pickup with a standard transmission that I used to ride in when I was a kid. I always just thought it was cool…
What I like most about driving a stick is that it engages you more in the driving experience – you feel more of the road and the vehicle. Plus, you have so much more control over acceleration AND deceleration, and your speed in general. I drove that ’97 F-150 so efficiently that it didn’t even NEED brakes until I hit 122,000 miles. The mechanic was flabbergasted!
February 4th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
(Plus my F-150 was that well built!!)
February 4th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Don’t get me wrong; I’ve driven plenty of sports cars with manual transmissions, including my BMW. IF ya can call it ‘sporty’.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Ford asked for money at the same time, but didn’t want to pay it back, so they declined the bailout.
I have an ingrained distaste for Ford. My dad was a Chrysler mechanic and loathed them, so for me to ever buy a Ford… I don’t think so.
February 4th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Well, I don’t discredit them for that – in fact, I admire them for doing the right thing and sticking it out. They saw the trough and took a gander, but they didn’t drink the Kool-Aid… How many folks JUMPED on a Cash for Clunkers deal only to be incensed to learn that they were to be taxed later on the “value” of that government incentive? Would they have jumped so eagerly if they had only taken time to learn that the “free” government money wasn’t free after all? If someone asks “who wants some?” I’ll put my hand up in time to secure my place in line perhaps before I find out the details. I can (almost) always back out or give my lot to the next guy in line. Hey, I live with teenagers locusts – I know how fierce the competition for sustenance can be!
My dad was a GM man all the way, so I was the same way about Fords until I owned one. He despised Ford, and scoffed when I bought my truck: “you know what FORD stands for, don’t you? Fucked Over Rebuilt Dodge! Damned thing will be dead before you can pay it off! Before you know it, you’ll be paying more for parts every month than you pay the bank to keep it! SELL that piece of shit and buy a REAL TRUCK!” Yeah, I took a lot of guff from the old man.
LOL – that F-150 probably cost me less in parts over its lifetime than any of my dad’s old Caddys cost in a year to maintain! Not that they weren’t beautiful – or loved. But before he died, I almost… almost had him convinced to try a Lincoln in place of his next Cadillac. (Yeah, right!)
February 4th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
For us it was Found On Road Dead.
February 4th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
understandable – but there is the bailout thing i’ve driven chrysler minivans for ions – but….
February 4th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Lots of people love the Chrysler minivans.
I dunno; hubby’s Wrangler will be paid off in 9 months and we’ll finally be payment free. Think I might just drive Miz Liz til the wheels fall off.
February 4th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
When our government smacks around a car company it doesn’t own… like it does the OIL companies, DOCTORS,BANKERS,the COAL industry, INSURANCE companies,SMALL & BIG BUSINESS owners, all the while cutting defense programs (missile defense for one) while throwing more money at lazy asses who won’t work for it… or into a rat hole called public education… and then dismisses angry voters at TOWN HALL MEETINGS as foolish tea-baggers…yeah…I wonder WTF is up!!!
:pirate: 
Oh yeah…Chrysler merged with FIAT…FIAT and FIAT stands for…… Fix It Again Tony!!!
February 5th, 2010 at 8:03 am
Preach it, Brother Gene! Amen!!