TOYOTA SEZ IT HAS [another] FIX FOR PEDAL ... DO YOU BELIEVE IT?
slightly horny
I kinda think the problem is more technologically related than just an
ordinary "pedal."
You?
----------------------
"Toyota tells dealers parts on way to fix pedals"
By KEN THOMAS and TOM KRISHER
The Associated Press
Monday, February 1, 2010; 8:52 AM
WASHINGTON -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday its dealers should get
parts to fix a sticky gas pedal problem by the end of this week as the
automaker apologized to customers and tried to bring an end to a
recall that has affected 4.2 million vehicles worldwide.
The company said in a statement that it has begun shipping parts and
is training dealers on the repairs. Some dealers will stay open 24
hours to fix the 2.3 million cars and trucks affected by the recall in
the U.S.
Technical bulletins on how to install the new parts should arrive at
dealers by midweek, the company told dealers in an e-mail. It was not
clear exactly when repairs would start, although dealers have said
they'll begin as soon as possible.
The automaker also said Monday it would suspend production of eight
U.S. models affected by the recall for this week. The company also
suspended sales of the models last week until repairs can be made.
Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor
Sales, said in the statement that nothing is more important than
customer safety.
In a video clip released by the automaker, Lentz said he wanted to
"sincerely apologize to Toyota owners. I know that our recalls have
caused many of you concern and for that I am truly sorry."
"Toyota has always prided itself on building high-quality, durable
cars that customers can depend on and I know that we've let you down,"
Lentz said.
Lentz, in an interview on NBC's "Today," said the automaker was
"confident that we have the fix" for the gas pedal system. He said the
company first developed a report on the problems in late October, and
he denied that Toyota had delayed addressing the problem.
"I drive Toyotas. My family members drive Toyotas ... I would not have
them in products that I knew were not safe," Lentz said.
Tammy Darvish, a dealer in the Washington, D.C., area, said she
expects to get parts Thursday night or Friday morning, and her
dealership will begin repairs immediately, staying open around the
clock.
Darvish said she has set up a 24-hour hotline for her 30,000 Toyota
customers and had already begun to schedule appointments for later
this week. She estimated it could take about two weeks for all the
vehicles to be fixed.
"No matter what Toyota does, they always do it right," Darvish said.
"They might be a little slow in coming out, but that's because they're
diligent."
Toyota recalled the vehicles on Jan. 21, determining that excess
friction in the gas pedal assembly could in rare cases cause the
pedals to stick.
Engineers traced the problem to a friction device in the assembly that
is supposed to provide the proper pedal "feel" by adding resistance,
Toyota said in a statement.
The device has a shoe that rubs against a nearby metal surface during
normal pedal use. But wear and environmental conditions can over time
cause the pedals to not operate smoothly or in rare cases stick
partially open.
The company said a steel reinforcement bar will be installed, reducing
the friction.
"With this reinforcement in place, the excess friction that can cause
the pedal to stick is eliminated," the statement said. "The company
has confirmed the effectiveness of the newly reinforced pedals through
rigorous testing on pedal assemblies that had previously shown a
tendency to stick."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Toyota last
week that it was satisfied with the repair plan. Legally Toyota did
not need NHTSA's approval, but the company would be unlikely to
proceed without the government's blessing.
Toyota told its dealers in an e-mail that they should determine what
vehicles to repair first. The company said it "strongly recommends
dealers prioritize consumer vehicles first, followed by dealer owned
inventory." The repairs are expected to take about 30 minutes of work,
and drivers should not notice any change in the feel of the pedal.
Owners are expected to receive information by mail beginning this
week. The company will cover all repair costs.
Since the recall was announced, dealers have been in the difficult
position of telling angry customers that they have no parts to fix the
cars.
The recall in the U.S. includes the 2009-10 RAV4 crossover, the
2009-10 Corolla, the 2009-10 Matrix hatchback, the 2005-10 Avalon, the
2007-10 Camry, the 2010 Highlander crossover, the 2007-10 Tundra
pickup and the 2008-10 Sequoia SUV. It also has been expanded to
another 1.9 million vehicles in Europe and China.
Toyota said that not all the models of Camry, RAV4, Corolla and
Highlander listed in the recall have the faulty gas pedals, which were
made by CTS Corp. of Elkhart, Ind. Dealers can tell which models have
the CTS pedals. Models made in Japan, and some models built in the
U.S., have pedal systems made by another parts supplier, Denso Corp.,
which function well.
All Matrix, Avalon, Tundra and Sequoia models covered by the recall
have the faulty pedals.
Toyota announced late Friday that it would begin shipping new gas
pedal systems to dealers as well.
On Sunday, Toyota took out full-page ads in 20 major newspapers to
reassure customers.
But crisis management experts said the company's reputation for
impeccable reliability has been damaged.
Meanwhile, Consumer Reports, an influential publication for car
buyers, on Friday suspended its "recommended" status for the eight
recalled Toyota models.
The pedal recall is separate from another recall involving floor mats
that can bend and push down accelerators. The two recalls combined
affect more than 7 million vehicles worldwide.
The repairs will not bring an end to public scrutiny on how Toyota
handled the problems.
The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is launching
an investigation. It has scheduled a Feb. 10 hearing titled "Toyota
Gas Pedals: Is the Public at Risk?" and asked Yoshi Inaba, chairman
and CEO of Toyota Motor North America, to testify. Separately, a House
investigative panel is planning a Feb. 25 hearing.
---
[Tom Krisher reported from Detroit.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020100275.html?hpid=topnews
hls
"slightly horny" <lilh...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:dd41af9d-1273-4337...@b10g2000vbh.googlegroups.com...
> Time to buy another BROOM?
>
> I kinda think the problem is more technologically related than just an
> ordinary "pedal."
>
> You?
>
> ----------------------
>
anything....
The Henchman
"hls" <h...@nospam.nix> wrote in message
news:e96dneGWwqoF1frW...@giganews.com...
if by "feds" you mean the HTSA they have been investigating Toyota's
acceleration problems since 2004. Those models involved dated back to
model year 2000. Throttle control was lost in reverse. In that
investigation 1 million automobiles, Toyota and lexus models, were thought
susceptible.
A VFW
"The Henchman" <y...@yup.org> wrote:
ya, know the engineers have to keep re-designing things to justify their
jobs. Lots of time the reason given for need to re-design is the new
idea "costs" less to manufacture. And in this case it was false economy.
Oh, well. That's why I like driving a classic. a daily driver that you
can and sometimes have to/ fix yourself. I drive a 50 y.o. VW. sometimes.
If the sun is out.
ransley
Could it be computer related.
C. E. White
problem...
http://www.designnews.com/article/print/448825-Poor_Plastic_Selection_Caused_Gas_Pedal_Failures.php
Toyota says a high-performance plastic used as friction levers in
accelerator pedal assemblies causes the gas pedal to malfunction in
certain weather conditions. Toyota outlined the problem in a recent
letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
including details of problems dating to March, 2007, when internal
testing on the plastic accelerated.
Chris Santucci, manager of technical & regulatory affairs for Toyota
Motor North America, says:
"Due to the manner in which the friction lever interacts with the
sliding surface of the accelerator pedal inside the pedal sensor
assembly, the sliding surface of the lever may become smooth during
vehicle operation. In this condition, if condensation occurs on the
surface, as may occur from heater operation (without A/C) when the
pedal assembly is cold, the friction when the accelerator pedal is
operated may increase, which may result in the accelerator pedal
becoming harder to depress, slower to return or in the worst case,
mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position."
The problem was first reported in March, 2007 when Toyota received
field technical information of accelerator pedals demonstrating
symptoms such as rough operation or being slow to return to the idle
position.
The accelerator pedal assemblies in the vehicles (Tundras) contained a
friction lever made of the polyamide (nylon) 4/6 material. Toyota's
investigation found that the material was susceptible to humidity,
which could cause the friction lever to absorb moisture and swell. It
is well known that nylon is a hygroscopic (water-absorbing) polymer.
In February 2008, the material of the friction arm was changed to PPS
while investigations continued. "In June 2008, Toyota concluded that
while accelerator pedal feeling could change under certain conditions,
Toyota considered it to be a drivability issue unrelated to safety,"
said Toyota's Santucci in a Jan. 21 letter to Daniel C. Smith,
associate administrator for enforcement at the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration.
Starting in December of 2008, Toyota received field technical
information from Europe that the accelerator pedals using the PPS were
also sticking. The reports predominantly involved right hand drive
versions of the Toyota Aygo and Yaris vehicles. Toyota began a
detailed investigation of returned pedals in March of last year.
"Internal inspection of the sliding surface of the friction lever and
the pedal arm was found to be partially smooth," wrote Santucci.
"Toyota conducted some duplication tests, and it was found that the
internal friction could increase if moisture was attached to the
sliding surface of the friction lever as the surface became smooth.
This made the accelerator pedal stick in a partially depressed
position under the condition where condensation occurs on the
accelerator pedal."
C. E. White
to be a drivability issue unrelated to safety." Who would claim a
sticking gas pedal is not a safety issue? And, since they knew in 2007
that these pedals were sticking, or could stick uder some conditions,
why in the heck didn't Toyota change the material sooner? It seem
irresponsible to keep using the same material for 3 years after you
recognize their is a problem. I guess this is a question of the left
hand not knowing what the right hand was doing. If they had spent less
time convincing NHTSA that they didn't need to investigate the
problem, and more time fixing this "drivability issue" [HA HA], then
there wouldn't be any big frenzy now.
A neighbor of mine ran his Tacoma into a building last week. See
http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/driver-stuck-gas-pedal-caused-wreck-15332
I think it is interesting how quickly Toyota snatched up the vehicle.
I suppose if I was a Toyota executive I wouldn't want to let it fall
into the hands of some scum sucking lawyer either. No telling what
they might find. Do 2009 Tacomas include a flight recorder function?
If I had a problem like this, I would not let the manufacturer impound
the vehicle until I had an independent party to look it over and
document the condition of the vehicle.
Ed
cl...@snyder.on.ca
And under the current conditions, if you were Toyota you definitely
would NOT allow the vehicle to be "inspected" by anyone else without
your people being there and involved. WAY too easy for someone with an
agenda to fake the inspection.
What needs to be done id to have both an independent party and Toyota
investigate co-operatively to determine what the cause REALLY was.
With all the information out there today, there is NO EXCUSE for
someone having a stuck throttle episode. - defective pedal or not. If
the pedal gets stiff/sticky - DON"T DRIVE IT. Not like you have no
idea there might be a problem - and not like they stick without
warning. They get stiff first.
jim beam
c'mon dude - our detroit shill wants to lynch him some non-union
employerz. "reason",
"logic" or "facts" aren't going to get in the way of his burning torch,
rope and hood.
--
nomina rutrum rutrum