BREAKING: WSJ says crash data points to pedal misapplication in Toyota sudden acceleration cases
Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Lexus, Toyota
After receiving more than 3,000 reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the U.S. Department of Transportation has concluded that driver error was actually at fault. According to The Wall Street Journal, investigators analyzing different data recorders from Toyota vehicles found that at the time of these sudden acceleration crashes, the throttles were wide open rather and the brakes were not depressed. Thus, they have reason to believe that drivers were mistakenly stomping on the accelerator rather than slamming the brakes in an attempt to avoid these crashes.
Of the 75 fatal crashes blamed on sudden acceleration, only one incident has actually been verified as being caused by vehicle fault - the Lexus ES350 accident that killed a California highway patrolman and three other passengers last August. Even so, this case was chalked up as an incident where the floor mat trapped the gas pedal, which Toyota quickly issued a recall for.
The WSJ also reports that U.S. Transportation Department officials have stated publicly that they have yet to find any electronic glitches in Toyota vehicles that could lead to these crashes. The only defects proven to be true are those that have been outlined by Toyota itself - floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals that are slow to return to idle.
So while Toyota may not have been at fault in these sudden acceleration cases, the automaker’s image has indeed been seriously tarnished over the past few months. Over eight million Toyota vehicles have been recalled worldwide - a large blemish in automotive history, and it appears that much of the hand-wringing may have been for naught. Thanks to everyone for the tips!
[Source: The Wall Street Journal | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]
BREAKING: WSJ says crash data points to pedal misapplication in Toyota sudden acceleration cases originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: a-recall-for, accelerator, california, image, lexus, recall, street-journal, toyota recall, toyota recalls, toyotarecalls, unintended-acceleration-, unintendedacceleration, wall street journal
NHTSA claims Toyota unintended acceleration may have claimed 89 lives
May 25, 2010 Object
Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now estimating that 89 deaths may be attributable to unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles here in the United States between the year 2000 and May of 2009. Previously, it was reported that 52 deaths were possibly related to the throttle defect.
This figure has been extrapolated from NHTSA’s database of the roughly 6,200 complaints it has received over that same time period. In addition to the 89 deaths, 57 injuries have also been tallied. Toyota reminds us that these figures are estimates, saying in a statement:
Many complaints in the NHTSA database, for any manufacturer, lack sufficient detail that could help identify the cause of an accident. We will continue to work in close partnership with law enforcement agencies and federal regulators with jurisdiction over accident scenes whenever requested.
According to Toyota, some 1.67 million sticky accelerator pedals and 1.62 million floor mats have so far been fixed under recall, with roughly 120,000 being performed per week on average.
[Source: The Washington Post | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]
NHTSA claims Toyota unintended acceleration may have claimed 89 lives originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 May 2010 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: entry, nhtsa, nhtsacaferules, safety, throttle, toyota, toyota recall, toyota safety concerns, toyotasafetyconcerns, traffic, traffic-safety, unintended-acceleration-, unintendedacceleration, united-states
Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 5.25.10
First Drive: 2010 Ford SVT Raptor 6.2 is born to fly
How do you make the best factory-built desert-pummeling pickup even better? A bit of retuning and another 101 hp.
Engine power has increased 112% since 1980… and other fun facts about the Horsepower Wars
In this day and age, even the average sedan is packing some serious heat under the hood, and there was a time when even “sports cars” were listed under 150 horsepower. See how far we’ve come with our latest infographic.
Formula One coming to Austin, Texas in 2012
After a three-year hiatus, Formula One is coming back to the States, and Austin, Texas has been chosen to host the party.
Also of interest:
- Adam Carolla explains why he’s not doing Top Gear USA
- It’s Official: VW taking 90% stake in Italdesign
- Turn Out the Lights: Final Hummer H3 rolls off the line… for Avis
- Cosworth puts the spurs to Subaru’s Impreza WRX STI
- Report: Toyota Prius “Alpha” MPV coming in spring 2011
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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 5.25.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 May 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: daily, entry, host-the-party, lights, nhtsa, party, safety, states, texas, toyota, toyota recall, unintended-acceleration-
Done Deal: Toyota wires $16M fine payment to U.S. Treasury
May 18, 2010 Object
Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Toyota
Toyota has officially handed over every last cent of its $16.4 million fine for not notifying the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration of potential defects in a timely manner. That figure marks the largest fine possible under the law, though by paying it, the Japanese automaker has somehow managed to skip out on admitting any wrong doing. We’re still having a hard time wrapping our fragile journo minds around that one.
NHTSA came down hard on Toyota for bumbling the recall of accelerator pedals that wouldn’t spring back once depressed. Meanwhile, the automaker claims it did everything it was supposed to in handling the problem and notifying the government of the issue. Even so, Toyota has declined to fight the “civil penalty” or appeal the government’s decision. The cash will be put directly into the U.S. Treasury.
Toyota is also under investigation for all-weather floor mats that could have contributed to the rash or unintended acceleration claims that cropped up in recent months as well as steering linkage issues in older T100 pickups and 4Runner models. The NHTSA has yet to rule on either of those issues.
[Source: Reuters]
Done Deal: Toyota wires $16M fine payment to U.S. Treasury originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: a-friend-via, a-has-declined, bmw 7 series, bmw 750i, bmw grand turismo, ford fiesta, government, national, nhtsa fine, recalls-tsbs, schoolbuswifi, toyota fine, unintended-acceleration-
Confirmed, Again: Next BMW 3 Series to gain hybrid version
Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Europe, Japan, Technology, BMW, Luxury
When we first saw the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Concept and its conceptual 5 Series sibling, we immediately got the sneaking suspicion that the car wouldn’t be the last Bavarian with a battery pack. Now it looks like the 3 Series will be the next in the company’s stable to get the electric motor treatment. While speaking with shareholders, BMW head-honcho Norbert Reithofer let it slip that we’ll be seeing a hybrid version of the company’s bread and butter 3 Series fairly soon. When is that, exactly? It’s hard to judge from Reithofer’s statement, but given that the 5 Series hybrid is slated for sale next year, we would guess the tech-laded 3 will pop up in 2012.
BMW says that its biggest motivation for spreading hybrid tech amongst its models isn’t emissions standards. Instead, the German manufacturer said that demand in Japan spurred the move. According to Reithofer, most Japanese consumers won’t take the time to look at a brand unless there are multiple hybrid options on the showroom floor.
While the move is mostly sales based, it won’t hurt the company’s goal of cutting CO2 emissions by 25 percent between now and 2020.
[Source: Autocar]
Confirmed, Again: Next BMW 3 Series to gain hybrid version originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: a-friend-via, activehybrid3, bmw, bmw 3-series, bmw 750i, bmw grand turismo, japan, luxury, nhtsa fine, percent-between, recalls-tsbs, time, unintended-acceleration-
LaHood visits Toyota in Japan, won’t discuss likelihood of more fines
Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota
Akio Toyoda, still working the shovel to extricate Toyota from the hole it’s dug, invited U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for a factory visit. When he returned, LaHood said that the Toyota CEO didn’t realize how much damage the company’s reputation was taking until Toyoda actually came to America and saw for himself.
On the matter of further fines, LaHood would only say that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to finish sifting through 500,000 documents concerning the unintended acceleration recall. Until that’s done, in “a couple months,” he won’t know if more fines should be recommended.
Toyota paid a $16.4 million fine last month and LaHood said that meant the company accepted responsibility. Toyota quickly replied that wasn’t the case; rather, it paid the fine to put the issue to bed, which was the company’s position from the beginning. Now, while the NHTSA keeps its head down reading memos and emails, Toyota has a couple of months to get consumers’ attentions again and begin to deal with the nearly 200 lawsuits being brought against it.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub Req'd]
LaHood visits Toyota in Japan, won’t discuss likelihood of more fines originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 May 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: 2011gt2rs, 911 gt2 rs, 911gt2, a-couple-months, entry, japan, porsche, porsche 911 gt2 rs, raylahood, unintended-acceleration-, unintendedacceleration, while-the-nhtsa
Toyota Agrees to Pay $16.4 Million Fine
Toyota Motor agreed Monday to pay the federal government’s record $16.4 million fine for failing to disclose sooner that it knew there were problems with gas pedals in some of its vehicles. Compared with the billions of dollars in losses the company faces the penalty seems small.
Continue reading Toyota Agrees to Pay $16.4 Million Fine
Toyota Agrees to Pay $16.4 Million Fine originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 11:40:00.
Filed Under: Company News, Technology, Toyota, Autos
See the original post:
Toyota Agrees to Pay $16.4 Million Fine
Tags: 16-4-million-, disclose-sooner, entry, img-hspace, investing, million, mutual-funds, news, quadrangle, sec, technology, unintended-acceleration-
Reuters: Unified Toyota lawsuits set in motion by judge
Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota
According to Reuters, a federal judge has consolidated the majority of lawsuits filed against Toyota involving unintended acceleration. Over 100 such suits have been bundled together by U.S. District Judge James Selna, and temporary lead counsel has been chosen for both sides of the case. Expect a star-studded cast to show up for this one, including lawyers formerly involved with everything from Big Tobacco legislation to the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Toyota is staring down the barrel of some pretty hefty claims, including calls for complete refunds for owners of the recalled vehicles. Needless to say, that’s something the company is aiming to avoid at all costs.
The initial hearing is set for May 13, and the outcome will likely weigh heavily on the public’s opinion of Toyota, not to mention the company’s bottom line.
[Source: Reuters | Image: Andrew Yates/APF/Getty]
Reuters: Unified Toyota lawsuits set in motion by judge originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: a-lawsuits-set, andrew-yates, bmw m3, f-150, neighbor, safety, selna, sgl group, sglgroup, toyota-lawsuit, unintended-acceleration-, unintendedacceleration, with-everything
Toyota develops "SMART" process for quick on-site evaluation of uninteneded acceleration cases
Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Toyota
Ever since the whole Toyota recall debacle exploded late in 2009, one of the company’s biggest problems has been the way it has responded to the problems. Many have criticized Toyota for either ignoring the problems or pretending that there is nothing wrong, but the company is now seeking to address that appearance by setting up rapid response teams to deal with reported incidents of unintended acceleration.
For example, when a pair of alleged “unintended acceleration” incidents happened in San Diego and Connecticut, Toyota jumped in, sending out investigators to join government officials in trying to find out what happened.The new Swift Market Analysis Response Team (SMART) will now be immediately dispatched to the site of any reported unintended acceleration incident. The teams will consist of product engineers, field technical specialists and specially trained dealer technicians.
Whenever dealers or Toyota are notified of an incident, the SMART team will head out to the site to evaluate the vehicle and gather evidence. Engineers from Toyota’s Japanese product development teams will also assist in the analysis. Hopefully, a more thorough investigation of every reported case will provide Toyota with a larger pool of data from which it can gain a better understanding of what may or may not be happening. Even if there is not actually a problem, Toyota needs to prove so conclusively, because if these kinds of incidents continue happening, they will only damage the company’s reputation further. Official press release after the jump.
[Source: Toyota | Image: CNN]
Toyota develops “SMART” process for quick on-site evaluation of uninteneded acceleration cases originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: 2010 beijing auto show, a-for-either, a-from-which, a-larger-pool, analysis, camry, cnn, coventry-based, safety, unintended-acceleration-, unintendedaccleration
Toyota being sued by shareholders for lying about its business
Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota, Earnings/Financials
Last Friday, Toyota’s stock closed at $79.56. That represents a 12-percent drop in market capitalization. For those keeping track, that’s a loss of $15 billion. Naturally, there are a number of none-too-pleased shareholders hanging on to their stock in the Japanese automaker.
As such, it comes as little surprise that law firm Murray, Frank & Sailer has filed a class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in California on behalf of any and all shareholders who purchased stock between Dec. 22, 2009 and Feb. 2, 2010. The suit contends that Toyota issued “materially false and misleading statements” and “failed to disclose ongoing safety issues and quality control problems with Toyota’s automobiles,” especially issues related to alleged cases of unintended acceleration.
Would shareholders that purchased stock in Toyota have done so if the automaker had taken a more pragmatic stance on the problems it was about to face? It would seem that’s up for a judge to decide.
Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor cited by The Detroit News, points out that securities cases are notoriously difficult to prove. “You are going to have to prove knowledge among the corporate management. Unless something else emerges, it seems that Toyota didn’t think that it would be the kind of problem that it turned out to be,” said Henning.
A three-judge panel is set to meet on Thursday to consider this and all other impending class action suits against the beleaguered automaker. Until then, Toyota certainly has its hands full with potential headache-inducing litigation to consider.
[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Junko Kimura/Getty]
Toyota being sued by shareholders for lying about its business originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Tags: classactionlawsuit, classactionsuit, destruction, detroit-news, image, toyota safety, toyota safety concerns, toyota-lawsuit, toyotaclassactionsuit, toyotasafety, toyotasafetyconcerns, unintended-acceleration-, university
