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Toyota Drivers Say 'Fixed' Cars Still Accelerating

- By - Source : Tom's Guide US

Toyota drivers say that, despite their vehicles being "fixed" by the manufacturer, their cars are still accelerating.

Last month, Toyota announced a global recall that affected millions of customers. The company said sticky gas pedals or floor mats could cause certain models to accelerate without warning. Now folks who sent their cars back to Toyota for repair say the problem is still present.

The Associated Press reports that the U.S. safety officials have received complaints from at least 15 Toyota owners who say their car accelerated without warning after they got it back from Toyota.

According to the AP, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to verify the allegations. However, the agency said it was contacting people who have complained and urged others with similar complaints to get in touch.

"If Toyota owners are still experiencing sudden acceleration incidents after taking their cars to the dealership, we want to know about it," agency administrator David Strickland said in a statement.

Toyota says it is investigating too; a spokesperson told the AP a team of engineers had been sent to check things out but maintained Toyota was still confident about the recall fixes.

Read the complete story here.

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rishwin 03/04/2010 6:09 PM
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So after MILLIONS of cars were recalled, it is somehow breaking news that "at least 15" still have problems?

Take the amount of cars fixed by licensed mechanics/dealers each year. How many of those have a relapse of the offending issues?

A TINY percentage of cars still having problems after repairs is NOTHING NEW, why is this being made into a big deal?

etichi 03/04/2010 6:09 PM
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I love what you do for me! Toyata!

dman3k 03/04/2010 6:10 PM
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Toyota is this year's Microsoft?

Anonymous 03/04/2010 6:10 PM
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nforce4max 03/04/2010 6:16 PM
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This is why I prefer older cars, they have class and work properly.

officeguy 03/04/2010 6:22 PM
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I know of a friend that has one. She was worried about it but now I don't think she is too worried about it. If 5 millions of these cars were sold and 3 thousands people put in complaints that is only .6% of the people. This is not that many. However, I do feel for the people who had the issues :( Hope they find a fix for it!!

sickofsoyo 03/04/2010 6:22 PM
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"So after MILLIONS of cars were recalled, it is somehow breaking news that "at least 15" still have problems?

Take the amount of cars fixed by licensed mechanics/dealers each year. How many of those have a relapse of the offending issues?

A TINY percentage of cars still having problems after repairs is NOTHING NEW, why is this being made into a big deal?"

because the issue isn't a physical issue, its a programming issue with the onboard computer that controls the electronic throttle body. Its going wide open causing the cars to accelerate. Toyota is hiding this because it would cost a lot of money to fix. It has been reproduced by a professor at a school showing its a programming issue.

http://dailyegyptian.com/2010/02/23/1831 just one quick source

gekko668 03/04/2010 6:23 PM
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Poor Toyota. Its going to take a long times and lots of money for them to reclaim their reputation and consumers' confidence.

ravewulf 03/04/2010 6:38 PM
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Quote : sticky gas pedals or floor mats could cause certain models to accelerate without warning

That's BS. They just don't want to spend the money to fix them properly. I bet the problem is electrical.

nebun 03/04/2010 6:40 PM
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rishwin :
So after MILLIONS of cars were recalled, it is somehow breaking news that "at least 15" still have problems?Take the amount of cars fixed by licensed mechanics/dealers each year. How many of those have a relapse of the offending issues?A TINY percentage of cars still having problems after repairs is NOTHING NEW, why is this being made into a big deal?



because people could die if they get in a crash. just imagine that you were driving and a Toyota owner just t-boned your ass at an intersection. get the point?

phenix1819 03/04/2010 6:45 PM
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Why arent we discussing the other recalls happening at the moment?? seems like after toyota did the recall everyone else grew the balls to do them too, but for some reason are being overlooked

sickofsoyo 03/04/2010 6:55 PM
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because toyota decided to try and hide theirs when it covered millions upon millions of vehicles... and the other recalls arent as severe and dangerous as this. the GM powersteering recall is for an ASSISSTIVE technology, you can still turn the car without it. And it was for a cobalt and a G5, the two lowest model cars GM offers... people already knew what they were getting into when they bought them, haha

stratplaya 03/04/2010 6:57 PM
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I'd still buy a Toyota over a Government Motors (GM or Chrysler)car any day.

siman 03/04/2010 7:10 PM
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Software is what it sounds to me, drive by wire system is failing and the actuator that controls the throttle body floors it.

Anonymous 03/04/2010 7:25 PM
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ewood 03/04/2010 7:38 PM
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redplanet_returns 03/04/2010 7:40 PM
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rishwin :
So after MILLIONS of cars were recalled, it is somehow breaking news that "at least 15" still have problems?Take the amount of cars fixed by licensed mechanics/dealers each year. How many of those have a relapse of the offending issues?A TINY percentage of cars still having problems after repairs is NOTHING NEW, why is this being made into a big deal?



because there has been speculations that toyota still doesn't know where the root cause lies, and this just seems to confirm it. and how long has it been since the recalls? factor that in with how the accelerating issue doesn't happen every day, and u've got a problem.

slaphappy 03/04/2010 7:43 PM
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babybeluga 03/04/2010 7:50 PM
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slaphappy :
I own a Nissan. Millions of nissans are sold every year. I've never heard of ONE of them having an acceleration issue. So you have car company A who sells cars where .6% will accelerate automatically sending you flying off a cliff or crashing into horrible fireball. Or you have company B who will never do this. Which would you choose?



Whichever is cheaper.

FunYun 03/04/2010 7:51 PM
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sickofsoyo :
"So after MILLIONS of cars were recalled, it is somehow breaking news that "at least 15" still have problems?Take the amount of cars fixed by licensed mechanics/dealers each year. How many of those have a relapse of the offending issues?A TINY percentage of cars still having problems after repairs is NOTHING NEW, why is this being made into a big deal?"because the issue isn't a physical issue, its a programming issue with the onboard computer that controls the electronic throttle body. Its going wide open causing the cars to accelerate. Toyota is hiding this because it would cost a lot of money to fix. It has been reproduced by a professor at a school showing its a programming issue.http://dailyegyptian.com/2010/02/23/1831 just one quick source



That video didn't really make sense. The driver is saying his brakes don't work, yet there he is stopping the vehicle. Also, the guy has to apply the short to cause the WOT. How do you cause a short like that without the engine running WOT all the time? From what I see, it would go WOT as soon as you turned the car on, not randomly while driving.

Is he just trying to show that you can cause a fault without an error code?

Nightsilver 03/04/2010 8:03 PM
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That's what happens when you press down on the gas, people.

knotknut 03/04/2010 8:17 PM
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What became of the 100+ years of mechanical throtle linkage that worked fine? Electronic Throtle Control PU, what a joke! Just another way to make cars cost more and become less reliable.

silentbobdc 03/04/2010 8:18 PM
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Did you watch the clip you posted? I watched it, some nice things like "There COULD BE a fault that COULD occur in these electronic systems" and "IF this fault exists" - no proof that the fault exists in the wild. Then he shorts a circuit with an external device and calls that proof? I imagine if you take any car that uses a drive-by-wire (or any fighter jet for that matter) and short points on the acceleration circuit it would probably have some strange behaviors. It's moronic to take that as proof. Shorting a board with an external device is one thing, having it short itself without leaving any burn marks or other evidence is another completely (I've seen my share of shorted boards but all had some evidence or functional impairment after the fact).

datawrecker 03/04/2010 8:56 PM
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silentbobdc :
Did you watch the clip you posted? I watched it, some nice things like "There COULD BE a fault that COULD occur in these electronic systems" and "IF this fault exists" - no proof that the fault exists in the wild. Then he shorts a circuit with an external device and calls that proof? I imagine if you take any car that uses a drive-by-wire (or any fighter jet for that matter) and short points on the acceleration circuit it would probably have some strange behaviors. It's moronic to take that as proof. Shorting a board with an external device is one thing, having it short itself without leaving any burn marks or other evidence is another completely (I've seen my share of shorted boards but all had some evidence or functional impairment after the fact).



You cant compare fighter jets fly-by-wire to a cars drive-by-wire. Fly by wire systems in jets have redundant systems with tolerance levels built in. I dont thing any automaker cares enough about its drivers to provide redundant solutions for critical systems. Hell, the B-1 Lancer has a main flight control system and 4 redundant systems. Think Honda, Toyota, GM, Ford, or Chrysler would do that? There are several reasons. But my guess is that

1. Their only real safety concerns are those imposed by law.

2. The absolute refusal to advance their technology has left autos in the hulking piles of metal and plastic that would be ridiculously heavy if redundant systems were put in place.

3. The costs passed on to consumers would make these "safe autos" a luxury and out of reach of the standard comsumer.

Ok so weight is not really an issue unless you would prefer mileage of safety. But, these are businesses and their first and formost goal is your money, not making you safer, and not making your drive more comforatable.

sickofsoyo 03/04/2010 9:07 PM
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FunYun, the car was no longer accelerating when the car was slowed. Silent: are you saying that these cars are not subject to weather, and natural elements as well as corrosion and other degredation including the rotting of the coating of the wires? there are tons of factors that can lead to a short. The article is simply showing the issue drivers are having couldbe an electrical issue with no traces which is why toyota is having such a hard time fixing it. They screwed up, its not fixed, they dont know what the problem is, so get over it.

techguy378 03/04/2010 9:08 PM
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Toyota: Once you start driving you'll never stop.
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Just buy Hyundai. They make the most reliable cars on the planet. Hyundai hasn't had any serious safety problems in years. Hyundai is also helping to create jobs in the USA instead of India or China.

chainsaw667 03/04/2010 9:32 PM
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Why is everyone complaining about Toyota. They are a corporation and as such they have but one goal, to make as much money as they can. By trying to avoid the recall they were doing what they are meant to, increase profits. This is why they are in business, this is the only thing they care about. They will do whatever it takes to make more money. So a few people died, driving is the most dangerous activity that people can engage in, and we do it while eating, texting, phoning, and putting on makeup, but Toyota is solely to blame, huh.

Corporations stall every day and people die as a result, we are not throttling them with blame and suspicion, why all the hatred towards Toyota? One would think they are an insurance company, talk about a corporate murder scheme, take money forever, and when time to pay out comes, we'll deny every claim that comes through the office. lack of insurance kills 45000 a year, insurance denials probably kill more, it's good to know where our priorities and outrage lie.

FunYun 03/04/2010 9:33 PM
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sickofsoyo :
FunYun, the car was no longer accelerating when the car was slowed. Silent: are you saying that these cars are not subject to weather, and natural elements as well as corrosion and other degredation including the rotting of the coating of the wires? there are tons of factors that can lead to a short. The article is simply showing the issue drivers are having couldbe an electrical issue with no traces which is why toyota is having such a hard time fixing it. They screwed up, its not fixed, they dont know what the problem is, so get over it.



Shorts don't go away on there own, and they often damage the component that gets shorted. So how is it that people only experience SUA, when these things should be stuck at WOT?

Corrosion? These are new vehicles.

cammmy 03/04/2010 9:33 PM
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How many of these people do you think just said that the car went WOT to get off something? Liability for and accident, speeding ticket, free stuff from Toyota etc.

Easier solution. Don't buy auto's, slower, less fuel efficient, more expensive. If your manual goes WOT, clutch in, key off. End of problem.

tommysch 03/04/2010 9:35 PM
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rishwin :
So after MILLIONS of cars were recalled, it is somehow breaking news that "at least 15" still have problems?Take the amount of cars fixed by licensed mechanics/dealers each year. How many of those have a relapse of the offending issues?A TINY percentage of cars still having problems after repairs is NOTHING NEW, why is this being made into a big deal?



Because the USA own its main competitor. This just an over hyped small problem. They just want GM to sell more cars.

pweeb 03/04/2010 9:36 PM
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If your prius begins to accelerate on its own, take 15 or 20 minutes and get all your stuff before jumping out and hit the ground running at a brisk walk.