Toyota Plans Press Conference For Today To Release Findings

On the contrary, if there's a public perception that it's a hoax, it significantly weakens the case of every other Toyota driver that has experienced real SUA.

Even if Toyota didn't hold its press conference today, we already have this public perception, crystalized by articles like LA Times' "Tests cast doubt on Prius driver's account."

 

Stabbing at the brakes repeatedly at high speed.

 

I believe they provided the answer:
The system features a sophisticated self- protection function which cuts engine power if moderate brake pedal pressure is applied and the accelerator pedal is depressed more than approximately 50 percent, in effect providing a form of “brake override.â€

Before the 50%, friction pad has to be used.

 

It's clear that while the media et al were criticizing Toyota for "not investigating reports", Toyota was busy doing very careful, time-consuming tests. That was my impression listening to the press conference.

 

Why does this have to be a PR move?! Toyota just can't win with some people! Toyota quickly released their findings. They were quick because:
1. they have the in-house expertise and knowledge of the Prius
2. more importantly they acted quickly one of the reasons being to reassure current owners who may have been shaken by recent publicity of events.
If they take too long they get critiqued ...they act quickly they get critiqued and there are some people who just can't be pleased!

 

Patrick, even light braking pressure at high speeds will generate such high regeneration currents that the regen current/energy limitation (around 100 amps?) will come into play, and any additional braking effort will be via friction braking.

I have a scangauge on my 2008 Prius, and am amazed at the level of regen current being sent back to the HV battery with even moderate braking from 40 - 50 mph. It is often in the 80-90 amps region.

 

No. In reference to Hobbit's testing, brake pressure with accelerator pedal pressure bypasses regenerative braking and goes directly to friction braking. In other words, if you hold down the gas and press lightly on the brake, the ICE continues to provide power while the friction brakes drag. Press harder on the brakes and brake override kills the power from the ICE.

Tom

 

Heck, your Gen3 has an override system that will ensure your car stops, even if the hybrid computer fails.

The gasoline engine, if it is allowed to over-rev (due to a hybrid computer failure) while your Prius is being heavily braked hydraulically, will also over-rev the MG1 motor in the transaxle, causing it to burn out and die. A destroyed transaxle will ensure that you will come to a stop. PERMANENTLY. i.e. Your Prius won't ever move again unless you get the transaxle replaced.

 

Agreed. It would have been much better for Toyota to send their findings to NHTSA and let them present the results, including the results of their own findings. (Whether they are credible or not!)

The irony is that Toyota is approaching this from the angle that there is no problem, so a two-day investigation with a brief practice test would confirm their beliefs. Or, the fix is in.

Reports of Prius SUA have been documented anecdotally for years, and one press conference is going to be hard to put the genie back in the bottle. It does, however, make Toyota look like a company that rushes to judgment, blames everyone else for its problems and does not accept complaints easily.

Those are not traits I was looking for in a company that makes a 2,000+ pound vehicle that hurtles me down the road everyday, notwithstanding whether Bozo's claims are true or not.

What are they doing now about the many other claims?

 

One thing that stands out here, is that he claims he has no intention of suing Toyota. If that's true, then I don't see any reason for him to make up such an extravagant story.

 

SPECULATION:

1. Floor the accelerator and hold it there.
2. Lightly apply brakes until engine cut occurs.
3. Oscillate between the two with brake pedal.
4. Do this for 20 minutes and make cell phone call.

Depending upon the brake light position setting, one might see the brake lights going ON and OFF as it goes down the highway. I don't remember if the CHP reported seeing the brake lights flash on and off or if they were steady. The requested regen signal value should come from the brake position encoder.

The 911 call background may include the engine noise which should be pulsing.

Hummmmmm ....

Bob Wilson

 

...and he hired a lawyer because???

 

Maybe, just maybe, they should think before pissing him off! The guy probably has a good chance of changing his mind.

 

I think it is probably a hoax too, but you seem to be very aggressively applauding a company that has worked for at least a couple years to hide and minimize some very serious problems. What if it was you? Maybe it is impossible, but I have found over the years that usually where there is this much smoke(years of reports of Toyotas sua) there is some fire. The dealers i know have had customers report it to them over the last 2-3 years.

 

Maybe he was waiting to see how well the story held up before suing, and now that it is coming unraveled he uses his statement of not suing as moral cover.

Or maybe he was hoping for some relatively minor compensation from Toyota such as a free car or to get out of the existing lease.

Or maybe he is one of those people with an obsessive and irrational hatred of Toyota (*cough* malorn * cough) and did it purely for the bad publicity it would cause.

I could speculate endlessly about possible motives, but it is more useful to stay focused on the facts, which are not in Sike's favor.

 

Thats what he orginally said, doesn't mean that wasn't what he had in mind to begin with. Why not see how it plays out before you commit to a law suit. If he wasn't intent on suing why does he have a lawyer as a mouth piece? He wasn't charged with anything by CHP.

 

The brake override kicking in at 50% pedal pressure is interesting. I had been wondering how he was able to keep brake lights on for the pursuing officer because I had assumed the throttle would've been cut immediately when brakes were applied. In the other thread, I was exploring the possibility of him exploiting the "hill holding" feature of the throttle override system, but that just seemed to be giving Sikes a little too much credit.

This little bit of info explains nicely how he managed to keep the brake lights on, burn up the front pads, and keep the car at 90mph instead of top speed.

 

The hiring a lawyer part isn't that unexpected. A lawyer probably solicited Sikes when he saw him on the news.