OK, hockeydad, see if you're comfortable taking your kids in your car after actually really reading this: Data point to Toyota's throttles, not floor mats - latimes.com
"You're all stupid, and you're going to die in your Toyotas." (paraphrase of montesalpha's entire discourse) Please let's not feed the troll.
And as it turned out - there was NO problem with the Audi. People were pressing the gas instead of the brake. If you sell X amount of cars. X*.01 people are going to do something really, really stupid in them. Of course, if one is in an accident, it's then very easy (and human nature) to blame the car. It's not the car, people. It's very sad that Toyota has to jump through these hoops in order to try and save the brand. -Brad
If Firestone and Ford pointing fingers at one another while hundreds died is not a real example of Automotive corporate nonchalance in the face of crisis then I dont know what is. Toyota has IMO quickly owned up. There is really nothing more to say...though as is necessary due to his personality disorder the Troll will try to have the last word.
From the LA Times article: The Times found that complaints of sudden acceleration in many Toyota and Lexus vehicles shot up almost immediately after the automaker adopted the so-called drive-by-wire system over the last decade. That system uses sensors, microprocessors and electric motors -- rather than a traditional link such as a steel cable -- to connect the driver's foot to the engine. For some Toyota models, reports of unintended acceleration increased more than fivefold after drive-by-wire systems were adopted, according to the review of thousands of consumer complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Toyota first installed electronic throttles in 2002 model year Lexus ES and Camry sedans. Total complaints of sudden acceleration for the Lexus and Camry in the 2002-04 model years averaged 132 a year. That's up from an average of 26 annually for the 1999-2001 models, the Times review found. The average number of sudden-acceleration complaints involving the Tacoma jumped more than 20 times, on average, in the three years after Toyota's introduction of drive-by-wire in these trucks in 2005. Increases were also found on the hybrid Prius, among other models. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the automaker could not explain the trend. But Toyota has consistently held that electronic control systems, including drive-by-wire, are not to blame.
In a related story, a recent study showed that the rate of prostitution in Paris rose 30% in direct correlation to the number of cracks in the sidewalks in the city. Administrators can't confirm a direct correlation, but the simultaneous rise is suspicious.
This is an absolute fact; at the rate of 40,000 deaths on the road annually, over the last 5 yrs 50,000 people have died in GM vehicles. I'll stick with my Prius.
From the Mayo Clinic: To the Editor: The article by West and Ficalora1 on clinician attitudes toward biostatistics raises important issues regarding training and continuing education of physicians in statistics. The authors found that more than two-thirds of their respondents at Mayo Clinic Rochester disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that “the current level of medical training in biostatistics in medicine is adequate.†Appropriate training is particularly important for physicians who do not pursue additional training through a Master of Public Health degree or a research fellowship. For these physicians, the only required training in statistics could be a short unit in medical school reinforced by some additional exposure during their residency (using, it is hoped, the integrated approach of teaching in the context of clinically relevant medical discussions proposed by West and Ficalora). Matthews and McPherson2 caution that “Innumerate doctors…are doomed to have to accept without reservation the statements made in summaries, discussions, or conclusions, and their clinical practice may thus be altered on the basis of flimsy or inconclusive evidence.â€
I have zero angst. None. Nada. Zippo. If I did, as you apparently do, I would sell the car and not whine about it. It's very clear that you would not trust ANY solution that Toyota would come up with...so what's your point. Sell the car and move on. End of story. Really. But in the final analysis this is what we know to be true - From the LA Times article" "Six times in the past six years NHTSA has undertaken an exhaustive review of allegations of unintended acceleration on Toyota and Lexus vehicles," Toyota said in a statement this month. "Six times the agency closed the investigation without finding any electronic engine control system malfunction to be the cause of unintended acceleration." NHTSA officials have consistently said they have not found any electronic defects. "In the high-speed incidents, which are the type of crashes in which death or serious injury is most likely, the only pattern NHTSA has found to explain at least some of them are pedal entrapment by floor mats," a spokeswoman said in a written statement." The current solution proposed and accepted by the NHTSA is a mechanical fix to the acceleration problem. The NHTSA does NOT have to accept Toyota's proposed solution, and the NHTSA has the legal authority to continue the shut down sales of affected vehicles. So are we now to assume that the LA Times (and you) know more than the NHTSA?? LMAO. Or maybe the NHTSA is conspiring with Toyota to kill more Americans? Which is it? By the way, I'm sure Toyota would prefer that the problem was software and/or electronic in nature, because usually, these types of fixes are far less costly to remedy that the mechanical alternative, which is, attaching something on to the gas pedals to insur it returns to a non-depressed position.
He loves your attention. Put him on IGNORE and like a whining child eventually he'll cry himself to sleep or go away.
Just maybe, Hockeydad, we can have a reasonable conversation. First thank you for reading the article. Yes, it's inconclusive but the question re software/electronic bugs should be asked. NHTSA is actually technologically behind so I'm not sure they're qualified. As you know, there are several computers on the Prius and no, software/electronic bugs aren't easy to find and some rare instances of failure are notoriously difficult to detect. To me, as even some of your compatriots have said, the floor mat explanation is bogus. Hard to find bugs = expensive. Take a look at: [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unusual_software_bug]Unusual software bug - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
From the LA Times article: "Toyota first installed electronic throttles in 2002 model year Lexus ES and Camry sedans. Total complaints of sudden acceleration for the Lexus and Camry in the 2002-04 model years averaged 132 a year. That's up from an average of 26 annually for the 1999-2001 models, the Times review found." I have one question - How many Lexus and Camry cars were sold in this period? Half a mil (maybe more) in 3 years, and 396 had a problem. That's 0.0078% of the owners that reported this problem. OK, if it happens to you, not so good. But as i said in a prior post - EVERY life event has a probablility of occurance. Everything. I suspect i have a greater chance of drowning at the beach, than i do having a sudden acceleration problem in one of these Toyota cars. But when I go to San Diego to visit my folks, do I still swim/surf? Yes, I do. Do I still let my kids swim out over the brakers? Yes, i do. So, are we saying that we are paralyzed NOT to do anything, or to buy any product unless we know that the probablility that we won't get hurt is about the same as being hit by an asteroid? Com'on folks, use some common sense here.
Between here and other places there seems to be an organized group who recently has decended on many internet sites with the same strategy and the same message. 'I'm a disgruntled Toyota xxxxx owner. I hate everything about Toyota!!! Read the LA Times articles and be afraid of everything.' I'd be very confident in saying that this person(s) is/are being paid to generate discontent on the internet. My own feeling is that it's part of GM's new agressive marketing strategy. Honda has disavowed it; Ford seems classier; Fiat/Chrysler (?) it has more important things to take care of; the UAW is another likely participant; the LA Times (?) very likely PO'd about Toyota stepping on it in December. But by calling members herein names I don't think this poster will be around here very long.
About the Prius, or on anything in general? If on anything in general, then I wouldn't know where to begin? So much of their "news" is utter, politically charged/motivated bunk. But in an attempt to keep it to something related to this forum (ie electric/hybrid cars), we have this gem from Fox News. While not specifically lying, they do, however, fail to mention some very important information that would put an entirley different (from their political agenda) twist to the story. But this is typical Fox News - distorting the truth, and nothing but the truth through omission of all the facts. This is done to support their political agenda. Make no mistake - it's alwways about the politics with Fox news. Always. Fox News Attacks US Loans to Fisker and Tesla | Hybrid Cars Here is what Fox "News" failed to mention in their report: "While the all-electric Tesla Roadster is currently being built in England, and components of the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid are made in Finland, Fox neglected to fully explain that the loans will be used to establish US manufacturing facilities for more affordable future models. The DOE loan will support Fisker engineering work to be conducted at the company's Pontiac, Mich. office, with support from its Irvine, Calif. headquarters. Fisker estimates that it will produce 75,000 to 100,000 of a more affordable plug-in hybrid—about $45,000—every year beginning in late 2012. DOE officials said they spent months working with Fisker on its application, touring its Irvine and Pontiac facilities and test-driving prototypes. Tesla received a $465 million government loan to support production of its Model S—expected to sell for around $55,000. Production is scheduled to begin in 2011 and ramp up to 20,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2013. The new manufacturing facility is expected to create 1,000 jobs in Southern California. The rest of the loan will support a new facility to manufacture battery packs and electric drivetrains, employing about 650 people in Northern California." I just love how Fox News has to always put in the political hook. Fox News is not about unbiased reporting of the news, it's about presenting information with their brand of spin (often by omitting all the information), to further support their political agenda. Period. Finally, i'm not about to hijack this thread into discussing Fox News. So don't expect an additional reply regarding Fox. We're done.
In statistics, you can choose whatever denominator you wish to prove what you think is right. Sudden unintended acceleration may indeed be rare, but what's interesting is the rate of increase of the incidents *possibly* correlated to drive by wire and that would be 600%. Let's see if the rate of increase continues or decreases or remains flat. PS I have LOL at the Fox, GM, etc. comments.
I'd stick to suturing if I were you. Perhaps you can either suture your hands to cover either your ears or your eyes.
From the LATimes - "Toyota first installed electronic throttles in 2002 model year Lexus ES and Camry sedans. Total complaints of sudden acceleration for the Lexus and Camry in the 2002-04 model years averaged 132 a year. That's up from an average of 26 annually for the 1999-2001 models, the Times review found." So the frequency of occurance has gone up by about 5X from these two groupings (ie 1999-2001 and 2002-2004). I have three comments/questions: (1) The frequency of occurance is still infinitesimally small - 0.0078%. Finite, but still very small. Greater frequency than being hit by a meteor, but still not very likley. (2) Is the number of Lexus/Camry cars the same in these two groups? I suspect not. I suspect there are many more Camry/Lexus cars sold in the 2002-2004 time period. That will alter the frequency numbers. (3) Where's the rest of the data? If the trend is increasing (needs to be normalized by the # of cars, which is was NOT in the LA Times report), why don't we have the frequency of occurance from 2005-2007 cars? Could it be that the trend did NOT continue, and does not support the hypothesis of this LATimes reporter? I'm alsways suspicious if data has been omitted. it looks like they're cherry-picking to make their point. You know, sorta what like what Fox New does with their reporting.. :doh: