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9.5.15 TOYOTA SUDDEN ACCELERATION INCIDENTS
- Feb 12
2010
Toyota strongly denies any "problems with the electronics of its
vehicles"in a letter to Congress. ABC News By JOSEPH RHEE,
MARK SCHONE and MEGAN CHUCHMACH Feb. 12. On Feb 2 2010 Darrell Issa,
Representative Member of the US House of Representatives' Committee on
Oversight and Government, wrote a letter
to
Toyota seeking clarification on various issues including the
possibile role of electromagnetic interference in causing sudden
accelerations. Toyota replied in a letter
to
Congress dated Feb 9th 2010, strongly denied any "problems with
the
electronics of its vehicles" and said an outside engineering firm
(Exponent) had cleared its electronic throttle control system of any
problems and that the system "performed as designed." http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/toyota-congress-problems-electronics-cars/story?id=9823148
- Jan 27th 2010
Texas Star Telegram : Dozens of
sudden-acceleration incidents documented in Texas At least 103 cases of sudden,
uncommanded acceleration in Toyota
and Lexus vehicles have been documented in Texas since 2000, mostly
involving the popular Toyota Camry and Lexus ES models. The
figures are compiled by Safety Research & Strategies Inc., a
private safety advising and consulting service, from the National
Highway Transportation Safety Administration and complaints the firm
received directly.
- Jan 19th 2010
theage.com.au: Woman freed from 'hanging' car.
Woman leaving a level 1 carpark in an office block in George Street,
Parramatta, Sydney, Australia lost control of her Toyota Corolla, hit
the building's brick wall and smashed through it. The vehicle was left
hanging in mid air with the driver trapped. Also
Couriermail.com.au Video
- November
26th
2009:
LA
Times:Toyota to fix 'very dangerous' gas pedal
defects. The
recall, which covers 4.26 million cars and trucks, is aimed at reducing
the vehicles' risk of sudden accelerations, which have led to 19 deaths
since the 2002 model year.
- October
17th
2009 : LA Times: Toyota's
runaway-car worries may not stop at floor mats:A fatal
accident
in San Diego raises the
question:
Might a
vehicle's complex electronic features make it hard for drivers to react
quickly when accelerating out of control? http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-recall18-2009oct18,0,739395.story
- October 16th
2009
: NEW YORK, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Shortly after the
announcement by Toyota Motors that certain of its vehicles were
experiencing sudden, dangerous and uncontrollable acceleration, a
Queens NY couple has commenced a suit
for serious injuries because this happened to them earlier this year
only two months after they bought their 2009 Toyota RAV-4 SUV. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS125462+16-Oct-2009+PRN20091016
- April 21st 2009
Houston News :Wild Rides - Between serious safety and
environmental concerns, the Toyota Prius isn't the angel that everyone
thinks it is. Article mainly on uncommanded sudden acceleration
incidents by Paul Knight. http://www.houstonpress.com/2009-04-23/news/wild-rides/1
- April 7, 2008
Toyota
Tacoma : Toyota pickup probe pushed :Sudden acceleration claims hard to
pin down
BY JUSTIN HYDE • DETROIT FREE PRESS WASHINGTON
STAFF • It's a wonder Frank Visconi walked away
from the crash that turned his new Toyota
Tacoma pickup into an unrecognizable mush of metal, plastic and dirt.
But
Visconi has a different wonder -- why Toyota doesn't believe his
complaints of
sudden acceleration. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080407/BUSINESS01/804070374
- Nov
1st 2007 TOYOTA
TACOMA "A growing
number of people are complaining about their 2007 Toyota Tacomas".
Problems
with
the
vehicle
include
a
sudden
acceleration,
even
when
drivers
said
they
pressed
on
the
brakes.
http://www.kcra.com/station/14478369/detail.html
- January 9
2006
ConsumerAffairs.com: A wild ride in a Prius: A
2005 Toyota Prius driven by Herbert of Battle Creek rampaged out of
control on a Michigan highway in October 2005,
endangering the driver as well as those nearby. It's the second known
incident of sudden, uncontrolled acceleration in the
computer-controlled hybrids.
The incident occurred with
cruise
control engaged at 55 mph when driver accelerated to overtake a
slower vehicle The driver let off the accelerator and
pressed the brakes several times,
but the vehicle continued to accelerate under full power. The driver
unsuccessfully tried to slow the vehicle by pushing the power button,
manipulating the cruise control lever, and putting the vehicle in
neutral. By applying full braking power the driver was eventually able
to bring the vehicle to a halt. On pushing the power button the vehicle
then shut down. The dealer was able to reproduce the fault but could
not identify the cause. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/01/prius_rampage.html
- January 9
2006
Automotive News: Toyota wins at NHTSA ...but loses a customer On
July
5,
Jordan
Ziprin's
2002
Toyota
Camry
shot
backward
out
of
a
driveway
and
crashed.
Since
then,
the
74-year-old
Phoenix
lawyer
has
insisted
that
the electronic throttles of some 2002-05 Toyota and Lexus
vehicles are defective. Ziprin
inundated the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with
documents that he says prove his point. But last week, NHTSA - which
has a long history of ruling against claims of unintended vehicle
acceleration - rejected Ziprin's petition. Agency officials, who say
driver error causes most sudden-acceleration incidents, found no
evidence of a defect. In 2004 NHTSA reached the same conclusion
after it investigated similar complaints about 2002-03 Toyota and Lexus
vehicles. But Ziprin told Automotive News last week: "I'm not going to
let this go. I would be more than happy to cross-examine" NHTSA's
experts.
- November 15
2005 ConsumerAffairs.com: Prius Runs Amok After Stalling, Hits Tow
Truck: A Toyota Prius suddenly stalled, then unaccountably took
off and
smashed into the tow truck that had come to remove it. Toyota has
warned Prius owners of a software glitch that can cause the hybrid cars
to suddenly stall or shut down and federal safety regulators are
looking into the problem. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/prius_stalls5.html
- August
11,
2005 The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has
launched an investigation of several Toyota models because of
uncontrollable and unintended acceleration while the vehicle is in
reverse. The agency has
received 13 reports of accidents because of the uncontrollable
acceleration. NHTSA has received
complaints involving the Camry, Solara, Lexus,
ES, ES 300, ES 330 losing throttle control while the vehicle is
reversing out of a driveway. The vehicles were all manufactured between
2000 and 1005. [NHTSA Action
Number: DP05002] http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/2005/nhtsa_toyota.html
- Feb 22 2005
France: Toyota Corolla speed regulator fails to disengage at a
toll station on the Chambery - Grenoble Autoroute. 5 people
hospitalised. Le
Monde
- July 27 2004 Reuters
: US Closes Safety Probe of Camry, Lexus Models
- April 13 2004 : Statement from
Toyota
Motor Sales
USA Media Relations re. NHTSA Camry and Lexus Investigation
http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_library/display_release.html?id=20040413
- April 1, 2004 Federal safety officials are investigating reports
that the Toyota Camry and other models may have a
defect that causes sudden acceleration surges. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it has received
reports of 30 crashes that injured at least five people, when
some Toyota Camry, Camry Solara and Lexus ES300 vehicles
suddenly and unexpectedly surged forward. [ Link not valid Aug 05
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/automotive/2966685/detail.htm]
- February 4 2004 : Toyota Camry 2002 Model:
Report
of
Sudden
Acceleration
Problem
when
approaching
traffic
lights
to
turn
left.
Vehicle
went
straight
on.
Brakes
and
handbrake
of
no
effect.
Travelled
1/4 mile and brought to halt in a snow bank.
http://www.complaints.com/directory/2004/february/10/29.htm
- March 2001: 53,061 Toyota
Camrys built between 1998-2001were recalled. "On certain passenger
vehicles built at Toyota’s Kentucky plant, the accelerator cable
housing could be deformed at the cruise control actuator-to-throttle
body connection. The accelerator inner-cable could wear away and
eventually break, allowing the throttle
to return to idle or remain in its most recent position regardless of
accelerator pedal operation. This could increase the risk of a
crash." [NHTSA
Recall
No.
01V012M]
- 1986 :
4561
1982 Model Year Toyota Cressidas, Celicas and Celica Supras were
recalled because soldered terminals of the cruise control module
may develop cracks due to improper application of
the coating to the printed circuit board. "During the manufacturing
process of the cruise control computer, the printed circuit board may
have had improper application of its coating, which could cause the
soldered terminals of the IC to develop cracks. Continuing use may lead
to a complete separation of the soldered terminals, resulting in
non-conductivity of the circuit. In the worst failed circuit case,
should the engine be started with the cruise control main switch in the
"On" position, the engine speed may instantly race, and if the driver
of an automatic transmission-equipped vehicle shifts into "D" or "R"
without firmly applying the brake pedal, the vehicle could suddenly
accelerate." [NHTSA
CAMPAIGN
ID
Number:
86V132000]
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