U.S. probes electronics in Toyota recall

[steven johnson]

Source: CNN

By Chris Isidore, senior writerFebruary 2, 2010: 7:25 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Federal investigators are looking into whether the problem with Toyota gas pedals goes beyond the fix announced by the company Monday and involves the vehicles' electrical system.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration also is looking into possible civil penalties for Toyota (TM).

Both the investigation into the vehicles' electrical system and the possible penalties were confirmed by an agency official who asked to remain anonymous. The official says the safety agency is looking at the possibility that electromagnetic interference might somehow be causing Toyota's electronic throttle control systems to malfunction, though NHTSA has not seen evidence to support that yet.

Officials with Toyota could not immediately be reached for comment, although company officials have continually stressed they have no evidence of electrical problems causing the gas pedals to stick and that they are confident they have fixed the problem.



Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/02/news/companies/toyota_recall/index.htm?hpt=T1

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JEEP sudden acceleration incidents were strongly suspected of being related to the electronic control systems.

http://www.rdaweb.com/Newsletters/jeep.pdf
There are strong suspicions that the Audi 5000 sudden acceleration was also due to electronics.

http://www.forthepeople.com/sudden_acceleration.htm

It is just cheaper to fix mechanical linkages and blame the drivers than raplace millions of expensive electronic components which are notoriously difficult to debug. Ever notice when the motherboards on computers go bad, they just replace the whole board rather than find the specific defective chip? These defects tend to be temperature and moisture specific. And who knows what other factors.

Toyota is going for the cheap fix to buy time.

[David Zephyr]

1. As an owner of a Toyota, I am pleased to see an inquiry into the electronics

The Los Angeles Times has written a lot on this story from early on and the questions surrounding the electronic acceleration are still there and unanswered. The mechanical "fix" does not address this nagging question. This is good news.

[UpInArms]

2. I would no sooner want an electronic control running my car than

WinDoze running my life.

[Bearware]

3. I smell one or more software bugs

Watch it take them six months to a year to figure it out and admit it.:eyes: