Toyota has found the remedy for its sticky accelerator pedals that could cause unintended acceleration – a steel reinforcement bar! The company will begin contacting its North American customers to to bring in their vehicles for the fix, starting this week. The parts are already being shipped to dealers, which will extend hours to complete the recall campaign as quickly as possible (some even stay open 24 hours a day).
Now, the actual problem involves a friction device in the pedal designed to provide the proper “feel” by adding resistance and making the pedal steady. This device includes a “shoe” that rubs against an adjoining surface during normal pedal operation. Due to the materials used, wear and environmental conditions, these surfaces may, over time, begin to stick and release instead of operating smoothly. In some cases, friction could increase to a point that the pedal is slow to return to the idle position, leaving the throttle partially open.
Toyota claims to have a solution that is simple but effective. A precision-cut steel reinforcement bar will be installed into the pedal assembly to reduce surface tension between the friction shoe and the adjoining surface, eliminating the excess friction that has caused pedals to stick. The effectiveness of the newly reinforced pedals have been confirmed through rigorous testing on afflicted sticky pedals, Toyota says.
The actual repair involves about 30 minutes’ work and Toyota will cover all repair costs. After the fix, drivers should not notice any change in the feel of the pedal. For the list of North American models affected by this recall, see our previous post here.
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HUH?! friction shoe? any 2 materials that rub on each other for long period of time will sure wear off 1 la. OMG man, what shitty design is this. @.@ Good luck toyota owners, the resell value of these cars gona drop like a rock in a sea.
lets hope they are doing the right thing. no more sticky pedals!
aha!! problems solved! but damage is done.
That is good to know, Toyota is quick in this….hope the damage done to the brand will not be severe….
However I am confidence in Toyota….putting my booking for Vios TRD tmrw….
WeL k.. Gd fr thm! recalling all infected ToYota moDel fr de chanGe is Gonna B hesitating!!
Nid any heLp?!
i'm a automotiVe technician wit a dipLoma.
if ToYoTa is hiring!
hmmm pretty quick to find a solution….
or they have notice this problem long ago and decide to fix it senyap2 but things went wrong, people died and all secret spilled to customer forcing them to recall n halt production….
finding solution, designing it and testing it takes time… in merely one month they manage to do that? Either they r very efficient n lucky or what i said above hehee…
Just a Gimmick from Toyota..
Proton also can say.. "Solution for sticky power window, repiar to start immediately..by using KY Jelly"
hahaha…
Perodua, how to solve your Myvi Brake Disc Problem??? My GF change 2 times already… stupid P2…
How long the solution will last anyway? I don't think it is the best for the long term.
I believe T should given out a complete report and educate the drivers when this situation arrises. Then they need to assure to every driver that after changing this, there will not be any sticky padels again.
By telling the customer to change this and not giving guarantee on the changes, will definately lower down the confident level of T buyer.
And i cannot agree more that solution doesn't come out few hours after the recall. There must be accumulation number of cases which T will start investigate and trigger Testing and modification. This havent include the lead time of ordering raw material and start up of production, plus shipping of parts to all service centers.
My guess is they know this will happened and decided to not to recall until final preparation is made.
argh…small mater…they can survive this small wave of trouble
So, the lesson for today. DON'T always complaint Proton and always say others like Toyota, Honda, Merc, BMW good and pride with them.
well lesson learnt for Toyota… You can be Hero to zero within split of a sec.
Dont get too complacent !!!!!!!!!!!.
Proton must be relieved they don't sell as many cars as Honda & Toyota. :-) There was a 'recall' for some Naza models before but I think they just asked owners to come in for inspection then quietly fixed the problem.
I think Toyota will achieve its target…
Me too…go toyota
Zero One said,
February 2, 2010 @ 12:36 pm
Just a Gimmick from Toyota..
Proton also can say.. “Solution for sticky power window, repiar to start immediately..by using KY Jelly”
———
also can use for sodomy rite..hahaha
and then…
it seems that the US government had to tell T to initiate recalls…how shocking indeed!
http://news.malaysia.msn.com/top-stories/article….
BAD NEWS.
More trouble brewing at Toyota.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/global…
First pedal, now brakes.
In latest PRIUS hybrid model.
SIGH.
now prius also got problem with their brakes. hopefully toyota cars in m'sia is safe. don't want killer cars omthe road.
key point:
if High end product for High level markett such as EUROPE and US also affected… so what do we expect from DOWNRAGED Version for low class market like ASEAN???…perodua now try hiding behind toyota butt…
prrrfthhh
Toyota Motor Corp. has been ordered by Japan’s government to investigate brake-related problems with its latest Prius hybrid, adding to company woes following the recall of millions of vehicles in overseas markets.
The Transport Ministry has received 14 complaints about the model’s brakes since it was introduced in May, said Masaya Ota, an official in the recall division. The ministry contacted the company about the issue in August, said Shunsuke Miyaoka, who works in the same division.
Stop Driving Toyota Recalled Cars Now
Is this accelerator pedal the type which uses drive by wire technology?not those traditional throttle cable type?
After reading the news on top , I feel Toyota trying the cheap fix by fixing "A precision-cut steel reinforcement bar will be installed into the pedal assembly to reduce surface tension between the friction shoe and the adjoining surface, eliminating the excess friction that has caused pedals to stick."
Those who buy Toyota Camry and Corolla is those who Want and Believe the Safety from Toyota.
The Toyota way "May" be a scam, What I read from that book is Toyota able to detect their components defect earlier (in assembly line) compared to other car maker.
How come now they recall after selling million of cars?
Toyota – no way
those who r so proud of their T …. better take a bus from now on… don want a T car ramming my ride later on.
Obama administration steps up pressure on Toyota
By John Crawley and Bernie Woodall
WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) – The Obama administration stepped up the pressure on Toyota Motor Corp on Wednesday to address a range of safety issues as investors and consumers reacted to the deepening crisis for the world's largest automaker.
A Toyota sign is shown at a dealership in Daly City, California February 2, 2010. The Obama administration stepped up the pressure on Toyota Motor Corp on Wednesday to address a range of safety issues as investors and consumers reacted to the deepening crisis for the world's largest automaker. (REUTERS/Robert Galbraith)
"Our … people will hold Toyota's feet to the fire to make sure they are going to do everything they said they were going to do to make the vehicles safe," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said at an appearance in Washington.
LaHood said he would take the unusual step of calling Toyota President Akio Toyoda to emphasize how seriously the Obama administration is taking investigations into reports of uncontrolled acceleration in Toyota vehicles.
Toyota shares hit a new low on LaHood's comments, including a statement he later clarified that had been interpreted as a warning for consumers to stop driving the more than 5 million Toyota vehicles covered by two sweeping recalls.
At Wednesday's low of $71.90 in New York trade, Toyota shares had dropped more than 17 percent since Jan. 26 when it suspended sales of eight models in the United States, including its two most popular cars, the Camry and Corolla. The shares
were down 5 percent at $74.24 on Wednesday afternoon.
Toyota issued a statement urging consumers to take any vehicles experiencing problems with the accelerator pedal to a dealership for an immediate fix.
But it also said that the problem did not appear to "occur suddenly," suggesting drivers would experience warning signs before a pedal became stuck.
"Our message to Toyota owners is this — if you experience any issues with your accelerator pedal, please contact your dealer without delay. If you are not experiencing any issues with your pedal, we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive," the company said in a statement.
Separately, in another potential knock on its reputation for quality, Toyota said dealers in both the United States and Japan had reported complaints about the brakes in its new model Prius hybrid.
A Toyota spokeswoman said the company was investigating several dozen complaints since December over what drivers characterized as insufficient braking when travelling over bumpy or frozen roads.
GOLDMAN SACHS DOWNGRADE
Goldman Sachs downgraded Toyota to "neutral" from "buy" and said investors had now priced in a loss of up to 4 percentage points in the automaker's U.S. market share.
A setback on that order would put Toyota at about the current size of Honda Motor Co in the U.S. market or less than half the size of General Motors Co, now majority-owned by the U.S. government.
Goldman Sachs said in a note for clients that the cost to Toyota from lost sales and warranty-covered recalls was estimated at $1.6 billion through March.
Toyota pulled eight of its most popular models including the Camry, Corolla and Rav4 from U.S. showrooms in the last week of January after it launched a recall for problems with sticky accelerator pedals made by supplier CTS Corp.
Earlier on Wednesday, LaHood had touched off a sharp sell-off in Toyota shares and a flood of calls to U.S. dealerships from panicked consumers when he appeared to tell
Americans to stop driving Toyotas under recall.
"My advice is if anybody owns one of these vehicles is to stop driving it and take it to a Toyota dealer because they believe they have the fix for it," he said.
LaHood later said that had been a "misstatement" and that his advice was unchanged from the steps already recommended by U.S. safety regulators and Toyota.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said it will investigate whether Toyota's electronic throttle control system could be part of the problem behind reported instances of uncontrolled acceleration in its vehicles.
Toyota has said it found no evidence of any safety problems beyond those covered by two recalls under way for accelerator pedals that can become stuck and the risk that a loose floormat can trap an accelerator pedal on some models, including the Prius.
The automaker has recalled 8.1 million vehicles for both sets of problems around the world, including 5.5 million in the United States.
Toyota's 1,200 U.S. dealerships have begun to receive shipments of parts needed to fix faulty accelerators and many said they would hire new crews and stay open late to fix recalled cars as quickly as possible over the coming weeks.
WHERE IS AKIO?
LaHood's pledge to take his concerns directly to Toyota's chief executive puts the spotlight back on Toyoda, the grandson of the automaker's founder who took over the top job last year with a pledge to revive the values that helped the company win
a reputation for top-notch quality.
Outside of a terse apology on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, Toyoda has kept a low profile as the crisis has mounted.
"In moments of a business crisis, people want to see a company take full responsibility, be empathic to the victims and their families and be in control by outlining the problem and how they intend to solve it. They also expect the CEO doing all this," said Ong Hock Chuan, an adviser with Jakarta-based consultancy Maverick which specializes in crisis management.
"Toyota seems to have failed in all counts. Its admission of the problem has been half-hearted and almost reluctant, it has failed to apologize unequivocally to victims and their families, and it's failed to articulate and communicate what it intends to do to regain control of the situation."
Toyota suffered a 16 percent sales drop in its biggest market, the United States, last month as it was not able to sell about 60 percent of its U.S. inventory.
Sales of models covered by the recall are not expected to resume until the third week of February, sources have said.
Honda Motor Co raised its profit forecast on Wednesday.
Honda is not among top automakers to offer cash incentives to try to win over Toyota customers, but analysts see Honda as one of the automakers best-positioned to benefit from Toyota's troubles in the U.S. market, along with Hyundai Motor Co and Ford Motor Co.
"Toyota is the front-runner representing Japanese cars," Honda Executive Vice President Koichi Kondo told reporters. "In that sense, we're somewhat worried that there may be a knock-on effect on other Japanese brands, but we'll need a little more time to gauge any impact."
Toyota will have a further opportunity to address the issue when it issues third-quarter results, due on Thursday.
Toyota shares have fallen in eight of the past nine sessions and the company lost more than $25 billion in value since its initial U.S. accelerator pedal recall on Jan. 21.
(Additional reporting by Soyoung Kim in Detroit, Chang-Ran Kim in Tokyo and Helen Massy-Beresford in Paris; Writing by Kevin Krolicki; editing by Jean Yoon, Erica Billingham and Matthew Lewis)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
toyota == killing machine???
if Proton's marketing team keep track what GM/Ford/H and Hyundai are doing, they could go with the following slogan and capitalize on T's embarassing predicament:
"We knew our power windows failed you, but at least our accelerator pedal IS working fine"
proton, where's my share of the bounty? :)
is there any perfect car manufacturer?
BMW? Honda? Tata? Perodua? asnwer is NON.
no car manufacturer is perfect…but the camry already killed people…high tech plant and cannot detect the defect?
My friends Altis is having this problem,but nevermind it's a Toyota….
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that a former Toyota attorney has accused the world's largest automaker of covering up hazardous problems with their cars in as many as 300 separate lawsuits. The lawyer, Dimitrios Biller, told the newspaper, "Toyota is a very secretive corporation."
"It doesn't believe anybody outside the corporation deserves to know what is going on inside, even if it kills somebody."
Biller's accusations are unrelated to the sudden acceleration issue known to affect eight different Toyota models. The sticking accelerator, and a faulty floormat that affects use of the gas pedal, has been the subject of a recall and production freeze affecting millions of vehicles.
Biller has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Toyota of tampering with and disposing of evidence. The suit claims that a culture of corruption exists throughout the automaker, leading up to the boardroom in Japan. He also says that Toyota frequently withheld evidence in other lawsuits.
The former employee acquired over 6,000 internal papers during his time at Toyota that support his accusations, Biller said. He says he got hold of the papers when mounting a defence in a 2005 case related to a rollover accident. Upon visiting several Toyota offices, he found a large volume of documents that had not been given to him, he said.
"I was distraught because I knew there probably was stuff in there that the company did not produce," Biller said. Biller would have been required by law to turn the documents over to plaintiff attorneys if they were requested. The documents are currently under seal, with an arbitrator deliberating on making them public.
"Mr. Biller is legally bound not to reveal documentation he acquired when he was in our employ," a Toyota spokeswoman told the LA Times. However, if the documents relate to a haphazard approach to public safety the arbitrator may ignore Toyota's stance.
"Toyota does not believe it has to follow orders or turn over documents," Biller told the newspaper. "They just don't think the rules apply to them." He went on to say that his supervisors made no effort to fix the problem once reported to them.
Biller received $3.9 million in severance when he left Toyota. Toyota's spokeswoman believes the release of documents would be a violation of his agreement with the automaker. Before Toyota, Biller handled product-liability litigation for Ford, amongst others.
What do you want to say "blind Proton bashers"? Don't always complaint without giving the correct info or statement?
Now what do you guys want to say about the news above?
I'm just a car lover, who wants people to give right statement based on correct info. Don't simply talk only.
lets buy proton, at least the brake is good, and the car is slow.