Drivers complain that Toyota's fixes didn't work

The Washington Post ^ | March 4, 2010 | Tom Krisher and Ken Thomas

[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.

[Erik Latranyi]

Toyota’s problems:

1) They have been unable to duplicate the problem....so there has been no ‘root cause’ found.

2) The software does not appear to allow the brake to over-ride the accelerator.

3) The “black box” that is on all new vehicles does not appear to be showing anything wrong or is not designed to capture the correct information.

4) Toyota dismissed this problem numerous times, then provided very poor ‘fixes’ like the floor mats and accelerator pedals when they have clearly not found the ‘root cause’.

Finding ‘root cause’ is a core element of the Toyota Production System (Lean manufacturing). It is hard to believe that they have strayed so far away from their principles/culture that they have not worked this out yet.