Sudden Acceleration & Safety Problems

[red2002solara]

So more and more news articles are coming out about Toyota apparently going to great lengths to hide defects in their vehicles. I find it curious that the massive recall they are doing for the acceleration problem includes Camry, but no Solaras (weird since they are essentially the same cars). Has anyone heard or experience sudden acceleration in their Solaras.

It's disappointing that this is going on with Toyota. I've owned three Toyotas (85 Corolla SR5, 02 Solara SE, 06 Solara SLE V6) and have been happy with all of them. But I do know Toyota's quality has gone downhill (the current Camry and Corolla have poor build quality to them: misaligned gaps, cheap materials). I already made the decision that the Solara would be my last Toyota, but now what's going on with these safety issues have cemented my decision, I wouldn't even consider Lexus either.

[ThatVietGuy]

Everyone else has a sudden acceleration problem, you guys have acceleration LAG as your problem. I'm guessing that's why there's nothing for you guys, stupid semantics

[Midias]

Unfortunately due to toyotas lineup I am going accord V6 6mt coupe next. I know how you feel.

[SoLarry]

I read the story about the Lexus ES350 being driven by a CHP officer....

"On August 28, Mark Saylor and his wife Cleofe, both 45, their 13-year-old daughter, Mahala, and 38-year-old brother-in-law, Chris Lastrella, were killed after reporting to a 911 operator that they could not stop their Lexus ES 350, as it careened down Route 125. "

I just have one question....why didn't they just put the car into neutral? Yeah, they may have blown the engine, but that would have been better than flying through a T intersection at over 100 mph and crashing

[JavaJoe_2]

Or turn off the ignition??
I thought the acceleration issue was caused by the floor mats.

[ThatVietGuy]

Or turn off the ignition??
I thought the acceleration issue was caused by the floor mats.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/nhtsa-says- ... ading.html

http://www.leftlanenews.com/report-elec ... cases.html

[[SMAN]]

pretty much all of the cars included in the recal don't have the same engine that we have still in the solaras. They all had the option for the 2GR-FE (which may be related to the issues). Since the solara didn't have it (but the new avalon and camry and es350 do), my guess is that's why it's not in the recall.

[SoLarry]

So has Toyota actually come out and admitted that it's not a floor mat issue, but an electronic throttle issue? I guess that I should be thankful that the Gen 2 had the carryover 4 cylinder from the Gen 1.5.

[JavaJoe_2]

NOT Good for Toyota.
They're beginning to act like the US car companies.
Buck up and admit the problem.
The lawyers and bean counters are running the numbers on whether it would be cost efficient to admit or hide the fault.
One of the reasons I went to Toyota. In the past they were very good about admitting and resolving problems.
Too bad.....

[Jakecallun20]

I couldn't agree more. Toyota's corporation since about 2002-2003 has just tanked. I love toyotas, but like said earlier I went with Honda after a lot of research on issues and problems with the newer Toyota's as I was considering a gen 5 camry. I hate to say it, but I think my Solara too will be my last Toyota. My Gen 1 was awesome!! and my 1991 Camry V6 before that was amazing! Damn thing lasted almost 350k miles! It eventually started to fall apart, and my gen 1 did as well. So far I am pretty satisfied with my Honda, it has 94k miles on it and is doing well so far. We'll see with the auto-tragic transmission.

[red2002solara]

Their dip in quality led me to decide that my 2006 Solara will be my last Toyota. Now with this whole thing about them hiding problems in their vehicle has cemented my decision not to buy another vehicle from them.

I've looked at various articles and I don't think Toyota has admitted that it's an electronic throttle problem. They actually might still be sticking to the floor mat story. Pathetic. It took them years to build the reputation they have for dependable cars. Now they are going to piss that away in a matter of months.

[JavaJoe_2]

http://www.leftlanenews.com/report-electronic-throttles-to-blame-in-toyotas-unintended-acceleration-cases.html

If you read the article it states a "new" study.

The Los Angeles Times did some extra digging an discovered that Toyota’s electronic throttles – not floor mats – are likely to blame for the company’s wave of unintended acceleration claims. Toyota and the NHTSA have blamed the unintended acceleration cases on faulty floor mats and accelerator pedals.

However, new research has discovered that Toyota’s electronic throttles are the common denominator in all unintended acceleration claims against the company. Toyota first started using electronic throttles in 2002. Following the implementation of electronic throttles, complaints against Toyota involving unintended acceleration increased almost immediately, in some cases by as much as twentyfold.

But, never give a link or name of the study.
The media can claim things and never have to back them up....Lets just wait and see.
ALL car companies weigh the odds of recalls.
Remember when the Jeeps and Explorers had their high roll over rate and were considered unsafe. Well what the hell do you think it had a higher center of gravity then their previous Malibu did.
What about the Corvair that was considered unsafe at high speed, do you think the "Smart" car will suffer the same fate? (if it's actually capable of that) When I'm driving the UPS truck and look down at one it just scares me.

[Black Bob]

This whole thing about the "stuck floor mats" had me scratching my head ever since I first heard about it. After a horrific crash you can find a floor mat ejected out of car, let alone sitting atop the accelerator pedal. Plus, I'm more inclined to believe the throttle system would be more the culprit than floor mats. (Say what you will about cops but I just can't see a CHP riding with his family fail to realize within the first 1/4-mile that the floor mat was stuck on top of the pedals.)

I think where Toyota screwed up is where they were trying to be overcompensating--they admitted the floor mat was the problem even though no one (NHTSA nor Toyota) had truly proven it. Toyota probably didn't want to seem like Firestone who went for almost a year without saying anything during the whole "sidewall blowout" fiasco. Now you have newspaper reporters printing results from some mysterious data gatherer throwing crap into the mix.

I only own a 2005 Solara so I can't comment on the downward trend in Toyota quality but in regards to safety not even the domestic car manufacturers would start taking shortcuts with safety--that's corporate suicide. The government and insurance companies live to jump all over car companies that kill people. So any talk about car companies hiding unfavorable data on throttle bodies just to push cars out the door is not likely. Fudging door gap measurements are one thing but fudging throttle body records is a whole different thing entirely.

[SoLarry]

from www.leftlanenews.com

how does Toyota explain these occurances?


Toyota Avalon displays unintended acceleration without floor mat
01/15/2010, 3:26 PM
By Mark Kleis

In a rather bizarre instance, a driver reportedly began to experience unintended acceleration from his Toyota Avalon and was able to drive the car to a nearby dealer with the vehicle still displaying wide open throttle, despite having the floormat removed. Dealer techs witnessed the problem and have reportedly offered to repair the vehicle free of charge.

According to a report from The Safety Record, on December 29, 2009, the driver of a 2007 Toyota Avalon experienced a bizarre case of sudden and unintended acceleration while driving on the highway, just miles from a local Toyota dealer. The driver managed to switch the vehicle between Neutral and Drive multiple times, while en route to the dealer in order to show the dealer the problem as it was still occurring.

The driver was able to reach the dealer, place the vehicle into neutral, and allow it to continue operating at wide open throttle. The dealer sent out a tech who verified that the floor mat was removed, and pushing the gas pedal had no effect on the acceleration. The dealer was unable to stop the wide open throttle and was forced to shut the vehicle off.

This incident was apparently not the first for the driver, either, who had been to the dealer before about the problem. The first time the unintended acceleration occurred, the driver was able to slow the vehicle with the brakes and switch the vehicle into neutral – where the engine continued to hit maximum rpms. At the time of the first incident, dealer diagnostics revealed no problems in the computer.

The dealer eventually offered to replace the throttle body, accelerator pedal and associated sensors free of charge for the driver after the second incident.

This incident may prove to be a crucial step in finding the true cause of the many reported cases of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles. Toyota began its largest-ever recall in 2009 to replace the floor mats and accelerator pedals in over 3.8 million vehicles that could experience unintended acceleration. Critics and survivors of unintended acceleration cases argued that the problem was not a result of the floor mats or accelerator pedals, but instead insist that the computer controlling the acceleration of the vehicle is at fault.

The Safety Record also reported on a one-car crash that occurred in Dallas, Texas the day after Christmas involving a Toyota Avalon. According to the accident report, the vehicle inexplicably left the road and ended up crashing through a fence, and landing upside down in a pond – killing all four occupants. The floor mats were found in the trunk of the car – ruling out the possibility of the floor mat causing the accident.

The official cause of the Dallas crash has not yet been determined.

[DriDed]

I can't say that my next car won't be a Toyota but the chances of it being a Toyota will be smaller.

I was looking into Lexus as well, but after checking out and test driving some of the domestic-brand cars, there is a huge possibility that my next ride will be a domestic. I am looking into rwd with a lot of muscle for my next ride anyway.

Son I am disappoint.