Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

U.S. Blames Drivers, Not Toyota
Wall Street Journal ^ | Feb. 9, 2011 | JOSH MITCHELL, MIKE RAMSEY and CHESTER DAWSON

Posted on 02/10/2011 10:20:57 AM PST by SgtHooper

Federal highway safety officials on Tuesday absolved the electronics in Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles for unintended acceleration, and said driver error was to blame for most of the incidents.

The findings of a 10-month-long study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration identified three main causes for sudden acceleration in Toyota and Lexus models. Two of them—sticky accelerator pedals and floor mats that trapped the throttle in an open position—were the subject of a series of Toyota recalls.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: lawsuit; toyota
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-42 next last
To: Seruzawa; ClearCase_guy

Read ClearCase_guy’s post #11, to see why this matters — even to non-snobs.


21 posted on 02/10/2011 10:48:34 AM PST by USFRIENDINVICTORIA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: DoughtyOne

That is exactly how a bunch of bullythugs who have never even managed a business handle their competition.


22 posted on 02/10/2011 10:49:07 AM PST by ScoochDude
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: RC2

you’re just doin a good old fashion powerbrakin burnout.


23 posted on 02/10/2011 10:49:46 AM PST by WOBBLY BOB ( "I don't want the majority if we don't stand for something"- Jim Demint)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: WOBBLY BOB

Yeah maybe so. I haven’t heard that terminology in a long time.


24 posted on 02/10/2011 10:52:44 AM PST by RC2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: ScoochDude

Ah yes, the gift of Chicago blossoms in the eternal spring of totalitarian fascism. It’s always there. It’s always trying to break out into the open. And like poison-ivy, there are generally always people out there who will pull it out by the roots, and spray poison on the hole.

To that end...


25 posted on 02/10/2011 10:57:28 AM PST by DoughtyOne (All hail the Kenyan Prince Obama, Lord of the Skid-mark, constantly soiling himself and our nation.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: oh8eleven

bttt


26 posted on 02/10/2011 11:00:15 AM PST by petercooper (Purge the RINO's.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: SgtHooper

IIRC, even if the throttle sticks, the engine can be overpowered by the brakes in all modern cars.


27 posted on 02/10/2011 11:11:25 AM PST by Conan the Conservative (Crush the liberals, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the hippies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SgtHooper

This reminds me of the lawsuits against Dow Corning over silicone breast implants. The hysterical mob and blood sucking lawyers drove that company into bankruptcy before it was found the products were safe.


28 posted on 02/10/2011 11:13:53 AM PST by Conan the Conservative (Crush the liberals, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the hippies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SgtHooper

just because they can’t duplicate it does not mean it is not a sensor/firmware failure.
Case in point.
our 2006 Nissan armada has a slight break issue. this has happened twice.
Symptom is while driving the break light comes on. When you apply the brakes it grinds and brakes terrible.
We had it in the shop (Nissan dealer) who applied the latest firmware.
Then this occurred again when I was driving it after the firmware upgrade. So you pull over carefully due to the nasty braking action, turn the car off and restart and it goes way.
Now you can’t tell me this is NOT a sensor/firmware issue.
Of course it is. Nissans’ answer is we can’t duplicaet it.


29 posted on 02/10/2011 11:20:41 AM PST by placerville
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Conan the Conservative

“IIRC, even if the throttle sticks, the engine can be overpowered by the brakes in all modern cars.”

Nope. Brake overrides are not standard in most 2011 model cars and have been standard in every BMW since 2001.

Toyota and Nissan are expected to make brake override standard on all models for 2012.

Now, if such an expensive technology wasn’t needed then why deploy it?

Because when the throttle is electronic in most cars anymore it’s a good idea to have a backup to a simple brake. While some cars have brakes that can overpower the engine there’s plenty of cars that have sufficient HP to make the brakes irrelevant.


30 posted on 02/10/2011 11:21:19 AM PST by MeganC (Soli Deo Gloria)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: DoughtyOne

Well said.


31 posted on 02/10/2011 11:26:14 AM PST by ScoochDude
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Benchim

Smuckers tried to sue when Chucky Schumer used a jar of Jiff peanut butter, not affected by the e. coli recall, as a chart pointer. In fact, none of Sucker’s products have ever been recalled for e. coli. Big Gov always wins.


32 posted on 02/10/2011 11:29:02 AM PST by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: SgtHooper

Well it’s about time........


33 posted on 02/10/2011 11:30:36 AM PST by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MeganC
Nope. Brake overrides are not standard in most 2011 model cars and have been standard in every BMW since 2001.

Not talking about overrides. Most cars will stop, or at least slow significantly, with the application of the brakes, even if the engine is running wild. It's happened to me (well over 400hp engine, light car, and 1960s-era drum brakes). Back in the 80s, my '66 Nova's throttle stuck wide open. Those 20-year-old drums were more than sufficient to stop me.

More recently, I tested the theory in all my cars when Toyotas were in the headlines - 2007 Hyundai Entourage (biggest minivan made) - mashed the throttle with the right foot, got it to 60 mph, then mashed the brake with the left foot, while leaving the right foot floored - damned near went through the windshield. Same thing with my 1994 Chevrolet K3500 dually with a 454, same with my 2007 Hyundai Elantra. The brakes overcame the engine each time with the same test. None were designed with a brake override to shut power to the engine when it sensed brakes and throttle were active (all were computer-controlled).

34 posted on 02/10/2011 11:40:54 AM PST by IYAS9YAS (Rose, there's a Messerschmit in the kitchen. Clean it up, will ya?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: MeganC

“Nope. Brake overrides are not standard in most 2011 model cars and have been standard in every BMW since 2001.”

I think Conan’s point was that, with the exception of some very powerful vehicles, generally the brakes are way stronger than the engine and can bring a car, at speed, at full throttle, to a stop.

This is generally true, but if you ride the brakes just to slow the car, rather than immediately stopping it and turning it off, you can heat the brakes up and have them fade to near unusability. It’s also true that on cars with vacuum assisted brakes at full throttle there is not much vacuum available to boost the brakes, greatly increasing the required pedal pressure.

Having a car go full throttle is not a good thing to have happen. Even worse if you can’t easily turn off the ignition (without locking the steering) or even shift the vehicle into neutral because those controls are no longer mechanical (the car’s computer might refuse to shift to neutral at full throttle at speed, although that would be a poor design decision).


35 posted on 02/10/2011 11:56:59 AM PST by -YYZ- (Strong like bull, smart like ox.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: -YYZ-

“Having a car go full throttle is not a good thing to have happen.”

Especially in a Bugatti Vayron. On the upsiode you’d have a good excuse for doing 275mph in commute traffic.


36 posted on 02/10/2011 12:01:20 PM PST by MeganC (Soli Deo Gloria)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: MeganC

Has all of the appearances of an impeachable event.


37 posted on 02/10/2011 12:38:42 PM PST by yorkie01
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: ScoochDude

Thanks you ScoochDude.


38 posted on 02/10/2011 12:40:07 PM PST by DoughtyOne (All hail the Kenyan Prince Obama, Lord of the Skid-mark, constantly soiling himself and our nation.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Condor51
It was Audi. It absolutely ruined them in the USA. And the problem just like this, was Driver Error -- hitting the accelerator instead of the brake

Not exactly ... I owned a 1980 Audi 5000 diesel and had several unstoppable acceleration issues. It was mechanical. There was a push rod linked to the accelerator pedal attached to the vacuum drum that controlled the throttle. On occasion the end would become disconnected and drop downward and jam on the intake manifold ... holding it wide open. And no, a diesel won't stop by merely turning off the ignition ... I was damn near cooked a couiple of times.

39 posted on 02/10/2011 12:56:33 PM PST by TheRightGuy (I want MY BAILOUT ... a billion or two should do!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: TheRightGuy
Wow, didn't know that.
I thought all the Audi issues were gas engines with electric controls.

Glad you made it oksy.

40 posted on 02/10/2011 1:22:17 PM PST by Condor51 (Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a Congressman. But I repeat myself. [Mark Twain])
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-42 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson