Toyota official: Prius in NY crash yielding data

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By JIM FITZGERALD and DAN STRUMPF

HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) -- Investigators from Toyota and the U.S. government inspected a crashed 2005 Prius in a suburb of New York City on Wednesday to see if a black box-like device or its wreckage could point to problems with the brakes or accelerator.

The black box, known as an event data recorder, yielded information on engine speed and pedal position, Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman Wade Hoyt said. Investigators worked until just before 6 p.m. and weren't expected to return on Thursday, he said.

Hoyt said that among the last tests they performed Wednesday was measuring the distance between the break pedal and accelerator and the floor of the crashed car "to see if they're still normal."

A housekeeper who was driving the car told police that it sped up on its own as she eased forward down her employer's driveway on March 9 and hit a wall across the street. She was not hurt. Harrison Police Department Capt. Anthony Marraccini said driver error had not been ruled out or indicated.


Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_RUNAWAY_PRIUS_NY?SITE=TXBEA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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Light at the end of the tunnel?

[divideandconquer]

1. Which tunnel? toyota has so many issues now

David Letterman had a bit last night about how many problems toyota has.

[greyl]

3. He had a bit about the hoax in California, too. nt

[dipsydoodle]

4. Which incident

turned out to be a hoax ?

[Fumesucker]

5. The one in Southern California where the guy called 911 and drove for 30 minutes or so..

It certainly hasn't yet been proven to be a hoax but the incident doesn't ring true to a lot of people who know cars and aren't biased against foreign cars.

Personally I think it's going to turn out to have been a hoax but I could be wrong.

[dipsydoodle]

6. We get some of this on our UK tv news

Was he the one where the police officer was driving in front of him giving instructions on how to stop ?

I'm still mystified by this. The incidence rates vary between US and Europe and the only real difference between us, aside from country of manufacture, is climatic conditions. :shrug:

[Fumesucker]

7. I have family in the UK and have visited several times..

You folks can drive rings around Americans on the average and far more of you can drive a stick. Most Americans don't even know what neutral is *for*.

Yes, that was the one where the Highway Patrol officer was giving instructions and got in front of the car.

[dipsydoodle]

8. He was the guy

who waxed lyrical about Toyota on the dealer forecourt - just said he wouldn't have another Prius though. I hadn't realised it was a scam of some sort. My immediate neighbour has got a 2010 m/y Prius with no current issues. :shrug:

[LiberalFighter]

2. When there is only one laptap in the USA with the software to read the data from the EDRs?

Some event data recorders are capable of recording data several seconds before and after an accident. However, the current Prius is an earlier model and its data recorder only records information at the moment of impact, Hoyt said.


I wouldn't trust anything that Toyota has to say.