Reports Of More Toyota Sudden Acceleration Issues Punches Holes In Floor Mat Theory

Reports Of More Toyota Sudden Acceleration Issues Punches Holes In Floor Mat Theory
Toyota ended the old year trying to decisively shut the door on sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) problems in its Toyota and Lexus vehicles, but it’s unlikely that the automaker’s troubles are gone with 2009.

A one-car crash in Dallas, Texas that left four dead the day after Christmas may be yet another incident to punch a hole in Toyota’s floor mat interference theory. The four occupants of a 2008 Toyota Avalon died after the sedan inexplicably went off the road, crashed through a fence and landed upside down in a pond. Investigators have already ruled out the floor mats – which were found in the trunk – as the cause.

Safety Research & Strategies, which has been tracking Toyota SUA, continues to review incidents that can’t be explained by floor mat interference, including one which a Toyota dealer witnessed.

One New Jersey owner of a 2007 Avalon described multiple instances of the vehicle accelerating of its own accord. In the first incident, the driver was able to slow the Avalon with brakes, and stop it by shifting into neutral as the engine raced to maximum RPMs. An initial check by the dealer didn’t reveal any problems. The most recent incident ended with the dealer witnessing the out-of-control vehicle engine and overheated brakes – with no floor mat interference.


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Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/18/2010 1:31:18 PM
+8 Boost
dun dun dun...


AmericaAmerica - 1/19/2010 3:27:11 PM
+5 Boost
This is Great News! Toyota is finally adding some excitement to their cars!


camrydrivercamrydriver - 1/19/2010 11:01:55 PM
+1 Boost
That ABC News story on the YouTube link is SCARY!

Toyota recalls 4 million vehicles amid unintended acceleration problems

"gross negligence",
"cover up",
"body count",
"lexus crashed into a truck after it shot out of control"
"problem cannot be explained by floormats"
"Toyota lying about having a clean bill of health while Federal officials state investigation still underway"

and on and on it goes.....I need to sell my Camry ASAP! Taking offers - respond below.




tundrahqtundrahq - 1/20/2010 2:27:45 PM
+1 Boost
Did no one else notice who this article was written by? Sean Kane is a consultant for ambulance chasers who specialize in product liability lawsuits. I'm not saying that everything he's said is wrong, but it's important to consider the source.

Also, I think there's a critical lack of understanding on one key point: there is no proof of a problem. The L.A. Times and Consumer Reports have done some studies, but by their own admission they have found nothing conclusive. All we know for sure right now is that we don't know anything.

In other words, anyone who assumes Toyota is innocent here is wrong... but anyone who assumes they're guilty is wrong as well. Until someone has proof this problem actually occurs, this is just a bunch of nonsense.


enthusiastx11enthusiastx11 - 1/22/2010 11:20:12 AM
+2 Boost
um...it's the new york times and abc, NOT the consultant you named.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYWqqgr7Wcg


MSP6MSP6 - 1/18/2010 1:38:44 PM
+9 Boost
What's the death toll so far ?


tattedtwicetattedtwice - 1/18/2010 2:29:45 PM
+6 Boost
According to LA Times:
"After that incident, The Times reported that sudden-acceleration events involving Toyota vehicles have resulted in at least 19 deaths since the introduction of the 2002 model year. By comparison, NHTSA says all other automakers combined had 11 fatalities related to sudden acceleration in the same period."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-throttle29-2009nov29,0,5254584.story


LACMANLACMAN - 1/19/2010 12:22:46 AM
+4 Boost
Umm, I think you should know when to shut the f*ck up you badged POS. I have family members and a friend who served our country and have lost their lives over there. PLEASE for the sake of acting like you have some sense dont bring up anything irrelevant in regards to that topic. Say what you want and defend Toyota all you need but leave that out of it. You are trying to be funny and that you are not...


aarononymousaarononymous - 1/18/2010 1:40:27 PM
+4 Boost
I thought they where going to say the floor mat recall was already performed on that car, the tech would have been s***ing his pants after that happened.


truckmantruckman - 1/18/2010 1:51:51 PM
+2 Boost
Jeep had this problem in the early 90s, Toyota quality is poor.


WillisWillis - 1/18/2010 2:03:47 PM
+5 Boost
I just phoned up my sister and told her not to drive her Toyota Corolla. Then I emailed her the link of this article.

Safety first!


Agent63Agent63 - 1/18/2010 2:39:05 PM
-3 Boost
Perhaps you should teach all of America how to drive. Teach them to hop on the band wagon and how not to suck up bs. Perhaps we'll have a better America.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/18/2010 3:24:09 PM
+8 Boost
"The fact that you're still resisting just means you rather just follow the heard."

lol, the irony is that the vast majority of people who know nothing about cars follow the heard in buying Toyota. Badgewhore, you aren't being a rebel. You are simply on par with people who buy what their neighbor bought.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/18/2010 4:09:27 PM
0 Boost
I thought you were talking about people following the anti-toyota train of thought.


kpaxxkpaxx - 1/18/2010 2:19:23 PM
+3 Boost
Problem is.....I still think this is not isolated to the models mentioned in the floor mat recall. The scope of this issue is much larger than toyota or NHTSA wants to admit!


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/18/2010 3:26:23 PM
+3 Boost
Badgewhore, who exactly are you talking about? The lemmings buying the cars in the first place?


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/19/2010 1:33:15 AM
+1 Boost
? I read your post, it again could apply to many different groups of people. I tried to look at your opinion in the brightest way possible by assuming you meant the alternative that best aligned with my views haha.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/19/2010 2:10:29 AM
+1 Boost
ok, you do to.


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/19/2010 9:45:53 AM
+1 Boost
lol


thstonethstone - 1/18/2010 4:37:12 PM
+3 Boost
Saying that selling a lot of cars equals having a lot of idiots drive your cars which equals a lot of cars crashed by idiots who blame the car and not themselves is COMPLETELY WRONG.

IF this were true, then all car makers who sell a lot of cars (GM, Ford, Honda, Nissan) would have unintended acceleration crashes and deaths in proportional. But they do not.

Thus, the fact that a problem of this magnifude lies only with Toyota clearly indicates this is not a problem related to general (idiot) driver error, but instead is related to something unique to Toyota.


Jay001Jay001 - 1/18/2010 5:29:06 PM
+1 Boost
I own 2010 Prius series 4--am I at risk........also might buy 2010 4 runner ltd edition--am I at risk there as well, if so I will not buy.....jay


Joe_LimonJoe_Limon - 1/18/2010 5:32:50 PM
+3 Boost
Each of these reports aren't singling out any certain vehicle. So it is hard to pin point which vehicles it doesn't effect. At the end of the day it comes down to whether you still trust Toyota as a whole and believe you won't see any issues down the road. If you do still trust Toyota, go ahead and buy it.


800over800over - 1/20/2010 12:12:26 PM
+2 Boost
1UAW = UAW employee = unbiased


AMiodynskiAMiodynski - 1/18/2010 8:07:08 PM
+3 Boost
All the Toyota/Lexus/Scion vehicles will have the ECU flashed to cut engine power as soon as it sees the driver is pushing the brakes and the gas pedal at the same time as a Pre-Caution. This will also be done on the older vehicle's to make sure there are no more issues.



nguyenvuminhnguyenvuminh - 1/18/2010 10:45:25 PM
+5 Boost
From tattedtwice -

According to LA Times:
"After that incident, The Times reported that sudden-acceleration events involving Toyota vehicles have resulted in at least 19 deaths since the introduction of the 2002 model year. By comparison, NHTSA says all other automakers combined had 11 fatalities related to sudden acceleration in the same period."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-throttle29-2009nov29,0,5254584.story

I don't think Toyota sold more than all other makes combined. I don't think people are using this one accident as the basis behind these so-called "bashing" either.


tattedtwicetattedtwice - 1/19/2010 3:03:20 PM
+3 Boost
Please reread, carefully; LA Times commented that the number of people who've DIED in these accidents is higher in toyota, than all other brands combined.

This badgewhore entity is the one who brought up sales, being the hilariously idiotic person they are.


acronisacronis - 1/18/2010 11:11:46 PM
+5 Boost


It isn’t shocking that there are still some Ostriches who have their heads and arse stuck below the horizontal position by continuing to defend the indefensible when it comes to the Unintended Acceleration issue with Toyota.

All the so-called explanations, excuses, rationalizations and justifications including up to blaming the victims of these horrific tragic events are a vulgar extension of corporate malfeasance distilled down into the general population and their acolytes who hold fast to blind denial that their so-called “bullet proof” brand, Toyota, could not be responsible for producing these defective vehicles.

Toyota is RESPONSIBLE and should be held ACCOUNTABLE for trying to cover up this issue, rather than dealing with and doing the right thing. There is NO valid reason why Toyota has not found a solution since this has been an issue for several years except that it hits their bottom line. Well too bad, now they should be made to pay!



LACMANLACMAN - 1/19/2010 12:40:03 AM
+4 Boost
Hey Badgewhore: I guess Toyota took the whole "Moving Foward" thing literally...


LACMANLACMAN - 1/19/2010 12:40:24 AM
+4 Boost
*Forward


acronisacronis - 1/19/2010 6:34:42 AM
+2 Boost
NHTSA is putting a report together on this issue but there are some issues here, first Toyota's black boxes can only be read by Toyota's proprietary device and Toyota has so far refused requests to provide this device to independent accident investigators.

When reports of roll over issues began with the Ford Explorer, Ford at first refused to acknowledge that there could be any defects that could be responsible for the tragic loss of life accidents and instead deflected any attempts at fault to the owners/drivers of their Explorers.

Badgewhore, you are too late. The clarion has already sounded and your doomed crusade to defend this car maker is both reprehensible and obnoxious. Shame, shame, shame on you!


acronisacronis - 1/19/2010 9:08:22 AM
0 Boost
This is not the same as the "Audi" issue. And how convenient for You that you haven't yet answered why Toyota has not made their proprietary EDR device available to independent accident investigators?!

Thanks for proving once again that corporate pin heads can create false arguments by posting comments to deflect heat away from major issues that deal with issues of safety.


hk4sitehk4site - 1/19/2010 1:04:40 PM
+1 Boost
Dumb ass people driving modern cars!


pennfootballpennfootball - 1/19/2010 2:25:36 PM
+3 Boost
Why can't they put the car in Neutral and take it out of Gear?


tattedtwicetattedtwice - 1/19/2010 2:58:16 PM
+2 Boost
I agree with Acronis, lots of ostriches in denial that their precious toyota could actually make a mistake. I dont think their heads are in the ground, so much as they're shoved firmly up their @sses, though.

Even with clear and blatant proof that there is something not right with certain models, and that they ARE surging and accelerating on their own, not because of floormats, the drivers are being blamed? Loyalty to a company should NEVER run that deep; it's a slap in the face to the memory of every unfortunate person who's lost their life in these cars.

Bottom line, they're to blame and the truth WILL eventually come out. I just hope there wont be many more lives lost before they finally admit their error and just fix these lame @ss cars that never should have left the lot in the first place.


Type707Type707 - 1/21/2010 8:03:48 PM
+1 Boost
Did they announce the recall on the floor mats?
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