Gas Pedal Glitch Prompts Toyota Recall
Toyota said Thursday it is recalling 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix accelerator pedals that can become stuck, the latest in a string of quality problems that have bedeviled the Japanese automaker.
The recall affects the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.
The latest move comes just months after Toyota Motor Corp. recalled 4.2 million vehicles over concerns that accelerator pedals could become lodged under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. That problem was blamed for several crashes, including an accident involving a Lexus that accelerated to more than 120 mph before crashing in San Diego, killing four people.
But Toyota said this recall is due to problems with the actual gas pedal mechanism, causing the accelerator to become stuck regardless of whether the vehicle contains a floor mat. Toyota said in certain rare cases, the gas pedal mechanism wears down, causing the accelerator to become harder to press, slower to return or, in some cases, stuck.
In a letter to federal safety officials dated Thursday, Toyota said the problem appeared to be related to the potential build-up of condensation on sliding surfaces in the accelerator system that helps drivers push down or release the gas pedal.
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the automaker does not yet have a solution to the latest problem but is working to develop one.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement that the problem is "a serious safety issue and we are pleased Toyota is taking immediate action to address it."
The safety stumbles have dinged Toyota's reputation in the U.S. as a builder of dependable, high-quality cars. Last year's recall was the sixth-largest ever in the United States.
AP The recall affects the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.
The latest move comes just months after Toyota Motor Corp. recalled 4.2 million vehicles over concerns that accelerator pedals could become lodged under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. That problem was blamed for several crashes, including an accident involving a Lexus that accelerated to more than 120 mph before crashing in San Diego, killing four people.
But Toyota said this recall is due to problems with the actual gas pedal mechanism, causing the accelerator to become stuck regardless of whether the vehicle contains a floor mat. Toyota said in certain rare cases, the gas pedal mechanism wears down, causing the accelerator to become harder to press, slower to return or, in some cases, stuck.
In a letter to federal safety officials dated Thursday, Toyota said the problem appeared to be related to the potential build-up of condensation on sliding surfaces in the accelerator system that helps drivers push down or release the gas pedal.
Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the automaker does not yet have a solution to the latest problem but is working to develop one.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement that the problem is "a serious safety issue and we are pleased Toyota is taking immediate action to address it."
The safety stumbles have dinged Toyota's reputation in the U.S. as a builder of dependable, high-quality cars. Last year's recall was the sixth-largest ever in the United States.
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NY TIMES :-----4.1 million cars recalled
Do we ever learn ?
Repairing Some Dents in an Image
NY TIMES August 5, 2006 By MICHELINE MAYNARD and MARTIN FACKLER
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/05/business/worldbusiness/05recall.html?fta=y
The NHTSA or national highway safety administration reported about
a hundred incidents of faulty accelerator pedals in Toyota trucks and cars.
These incidents involved seventeen crashes and five fatalities.
You have got to read this article!a real eye opener!
http://ketiva.com/Cars_and_Transportation/toyota_recall.html
ahref="http://ketiva.com/Cars_and_Transportation/toyota_recall.html">http://ketiva.com/Cars_and_Transportation/toyota_recall.html</a>
Eddie G. Smith Sevierville, TN
Repeated fuel injector problems.
Oil Consumption 1000 miles per quart mostly in one cylinder, prboably due to piston ring gaps lines up instead of spaced apart from each other.
Automatic transmission / differental retaining pin broke causing differental stub shaft to walk out wearing a hole in the case causing a severe leak of transmission fluid.
I wonder how Toyota rates on real life accidents (not the controlled ones); it is my guess they don't do well and not better than others that get lower rates on this controlled ones.
For sure American manufacturers do manufacture equal or better quality cars but probably they do not spend that much on PR as Toyota does. I guess Toyota didn't copy these systems right; it is what a lot of Japanese firms have done in the past; copy and sometimes improve but just for a while.
Buy American!!
Again we have a driver who knew NOTHING about the vehicle.
Solution for a "runaway": First: brake hard, this will slow the acceleration buying you a few more seconds in which you, Second: Turn off the ignition! Remember, turn the ignition switch off only to the first "click" this will disable the engine without locking the steering allowing you to steer the vehicle while stopping.
Be familiar with the vehicle you drive.
What powers the power steering???
50 MPH .... Ever tried to steer a car WITHOUT power steering???
Put it in neutral .... Bring car to a safe stop ....
THEN TURN IT OFF.
===================================
If you were wiser, you would be driving a Caddy like me.