Sticky gas pedals are not the only problem plaguing the latest Toyotas. Electronic components may also come under scrutiny.
Posted on 03/04/2010 12:35:51 AM PST by myknowledge
DETROIT -- At least 15 Toyota drivers have complained to U.S. safety officials that their cars sped up by themselves even after being fixed under recalls for sticky gas pedals or floor mat problems, according to an Associated Press analysis.
The development raises questions about whether Toyota's repairs will bring an end to the cases of wild, uncontrolled acceleration or if there may be electronic causes behind the complaints that have dogged the automaker.
Although the allegations were unverified by the agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday it was contacting people who have complained about acceleration problems even after repairs were done under two large recalls. The agency wants to hear from others who have had similar troubles, it said.
"If Toyota owners are still experiencing sudden acceleration incidents after taking their cars to the dealership, we want to know about it," agency administrator David Strickland said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Sticky gas pedals are not the only problem plaguing the latest Toyotas. Electronic components may also come under scrutiny.
I had this happen on an old oldmobile I had one time...
I am betting it is cruise control related... Either the driver is hitting resume on the cruise control or it is somehow shorting out and resuming on it’s own...
If it is Toyota... I want my diag fee!
I have relatives who buy and sell cars for a living and have been doing so for several decades, wholesalers, and mainly Hondas and Toyotas. None of them have ever seen, heard of, or spoken to anybody else who has ever seen or heard of one of these incidents.
Edmunds is offering a $1 Million reward for anyone who can pinpoint and reproduce the problem.
I had it happen with a ‘99 Mazda with a standard transmission. Oddest thing. It would hit 3,000 rpms even when shifted into neutral. Had to take it in a couple times, they charged me the first visit to clean the injectors (got that money back. At 5,000 miles cleaning them was idiotic). They found a fix but I never was told what it was.
Wouldn’t surprise me if this turns out to be much ado about nothing like the alar in apples scare in the 1980s
the complainers want a new car
prisoner6
Is it too late to spill some coffee in my lap? I even own a Toyota.
Thats because the WAPO, and the rest of the MSM are doing Maobama’s bidding of vilifying Toyota while protecting GM..aka Gubmint’ Motors.
Whenever I see wash Post, I always ask the question: what liberal, pro-obama crap are these tools going to write about today?
‘Drivers’ or paid union thugs ?
15 people scheduled for upcoming traffic court dates for speeding assure the safety board that the car did it all on it’s own!!
Very good point, I know no one who has heard of this either.
I think this is now MASS HYSTERIA FICTION!
Pretty good theory . I really thought everyone was trained by family or drivers ed , that a sticking accelerator was always a possibility and the secret is to remain calm , attempt to pull up on the pedal , and shift into neutral if need be . It was reported one driver experiencing the sudden acceleration problem , drove directly to the dealer by shifting in and out of gear . A lot better than calling someone on the cell phone while approaching traffic at over 100 mph .
Maybe, or it is a programmed effort to take sales from Toyota in te hopes they will go to Government Motors, which is failing badly even afetr the many billions of tax dollars it has received.
Nothing this Administration does these days surprises me.
Toyota needs to buy these 15 cars from the owners for a full , new car price, then ask for volunteer drivers to use them in their normal daily routine, see if it happens. I’ll take one.
Unfortunately, I believe the on board computer only stores the last five or so minutes of data. That could tell what was really happening if the data were retrieved in time. I suspect inadvertent activation of, or the driver forgetting they turned on, the cruise control in most of these cases. This problem is software related, either caused by a bug or operator error.
I bet that worked just great. They had to replace the transmission and tires also.
Try holding the gas down and shifting like that.
It would ruin the transmission and burn the tires off from spinning
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.