I'm starting to get sick of hearing about this.
I do believe that Toyota DID mess up, and that some cars HAVE suffered from unintended acceleration. However, I know a lot of these cases claiming of U.A. are the result of the drivers, not the car. People don't drive responsibly today, take a look next time you're driving down the highway and see how many people are not paying attention because of a cell phone, GPS, radio, or just stupidity. Now with the news about unintended acceleration people can use that as an easy excuse, and blame the car not themselves. Notice that the reports of U.A. have shot up exponentially the past few months? Then of course they have to sue for it's the American way. The great thing for them is that no fault codes appear as a result of U.A. so it's basically the driver's word against Toyotas, and if Toyota blames it on the driver there would be outrage and appear as though they won't take responsibility. So they're backed into a corner.
I completely agree with Ian Law, a reputable auto journalist on the subject:
http://www.wheels.ca/Columns/article/784681Now I watched/listened to about 80% of both of the congressional hearings with Toyoda. I do believe that Jim Lentz was remorseful, and that Toyoda was too. I do think that they came off a bit arrogant when the U.A. problems started and it WAS mishandled badly by both Toyota AND NHTSA. I think the hearings were a waste of time, everyone seemed to ask the same questions, "Mr. Toyoda what do you plan to do to fix this?", "Mr. Toyoda how does this sudden U.A. occur?". Nothing productive came out of it, and I was ashamed that they weren't allowed to bow (a Japanese custom), and were getting flack for flying over in corporate jets - I don't recall them asking for bailout money.
It's funny how on pretty much ALL cars the brakes are designed to overpower the engine - unless the brakes have not been properly serviced. Car and Driver recently did a test while braking under full throttle, and on each car were able to bring it to a complete stop. This goes against almost everyone's testimony saying that they basically "stood on the brakes, yet the car did not stop". I don't see how the engine could suddenly get an incredible boost in power, so much so that it would overpower brakes that are designed to stop an engine at full throttle. For the one congressman to tell Jim Lenz that he hasn't been affected by a recall, and to hear Jim choke up and say that he's lost a family member to a Ford recall really irritated me, and I hope that congressman felt like a pile of crap for making that claim.
Car and Driver Article:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/how_to_deal_with_unintended_acceleration-tech_dept
Now, if the car ever did experience U.A. it should be common sense to shift the car in to neutral, and apply the brakes - IF people were properly taught how to drive. It's sad seeing the number of people that don't know the basics of operating a motor vehicle, and it's because they aren't taught. They know how to put the car into "D", which pedal is the gas and brake, and put it in "P" before you turn it off, but thats about the extent.
When I hear people say that they don't feel safe in a Toyota, I get frustrated. It has happened to such an incredibly small percentage of cars. Toyota has sold millions and millions of cars in the US since 2005, of which only 1,133 complaints of U.A. were filed. It's like saying I don't feel safe in my car because I might run over a nail and the tire will pop, sending me into an uncontrollable spin. Take a look at all the other companies that had complaints of U.A.
http://www.autoobserver.com/2010/02/toyota-leads-in-nhtsa-unintended-acceleration-complaints-edmundscom-analysis-shows.html Quote:
Rounding out the Big Six are, in order of highest complaints to lowest are: Ford, including Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, with 387 complaints; Chrysler, including Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge models, with 171 complaints; General Motors, including Chevrolet, Pontiac, Cadillac, GMC, Saturn, Saab, Buick and Hummer brands, with 152 complaints; Honda, including its Acura division, with 113 complaints; and Nissan, including its Infiniti, Division with 62 complaints.
If you really don't feel confident in yourself that you can shift a car into neutral, apply the brakes, and turn off the engine then why drive?
Now I don't want you to walk away thinking that I believe Toyota should be exonerated from this whole thing. They did mess up, and while their cars are still looked at as the benchmark for quality, the past few years has seen a SLIGHT decrease in Toyota quality, especially with their interiors. They need to find a fix for this problem and LISTEN to customers. I would STILL recommend a Toyota as an automotive journalist, the company has such a rich history of quality and durability. Any mechanic will still tell you that Toyotas and Hondas are some of the easiest and best engineered cars they work on. I believe that Toyota will bounce back although it may take time since Americans have such a sour taste in their mouths. I am excited about some of their new products particularly the FT-86 and LFA.
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