Toyota study clears (itself of) electronics as acceleration cause

[DainBramaged]

(the link is for a PAID subscription site and also a reprint from the Wall Street Journal which is also a PAID site, so please make note)

A study funded by Toyota Motor Corp. supports the automakers assertion there is no evidence of problems in the electronics of Toyota and Lexus cars, the Wall Street Journal reported (today).

The newspaper said it had obtained a copy of the study being carried out by Exponent, a Menlo Park, California-based engineering firm.

http://www.exponent.com/

"Exponent has so far been unable to induce, through electrical disturbances to the system, either unintended acceleration or behavior that might be a precursor to such an event, despite concerted efforts toward this goal," the Journal quoted the Feb. 4 preliminary report as saying.

Toyota has been under fire for a series of safety lapses, including incidents of unwanted acceleration. The automaker contends the incidents have resulted from floor mats trapping gas pedals or pedals sticking after being depressed by drivers. Some skeptics of Toyota's explanation say electronic failures could be the cause.

Yoshi Inaba, president of Toyota North America, and U.S. sales chief Jim Lentz were on their way to Japan to brief senior executives in advance of U.S. congressional hearings scheduled for later this month, said Don Esmond, senior vice president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.

Esmond, speaking on the sidelines of the National Automobile Dealers Associations convention in Orlando, Fla., said he was "absolutely" confident that repairing accelerator pedals or replacing loose floor mats was the right fix to address the risk of unintended acceleration, and said Toyota's electronics system had been "thoroughly tested."


Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100214/OEM/100219904/1143#ixzz0fZZqGnXM

[SharonAnn]

1. As a computer programmer, I'm still skeptical. Some bugs are extremely hard to find.

[cliffordu]

2. Yep.

[DainBramaged]

4. They will take this 'study' and shake it at the Congress and proclaim

'Are any of you scientists? Well since you're not, refute our study'......



I believe them as much as I believe Dick Armey telling us he doesn't work for the Health Destruction Industry.

[sendero]

5. Me too..

....one of the many anecdotes I've heard is a guy is backing out of his driveway when suddenly the thing takes off.

There is no "sticking accelerator" situation that would explain that.

Also, the "floor mat" accidents make no sense. Ive had floor mats jam the accelerator before and the solution was as simple as reaching down and pulling the mat out of the way.

I believe that Toyota has a software bug and for goodness sakes if this pedal fix doesn't solve the problem they are going to be in a world of hurt.

FWIW I drive a Toyota every day.

[madrchsod]

3. well that settles that!

so glad they solved they are back in business producing mediocre automoblies...:rofl:

[gristy]

6. No indication of sample size

If failures are a few per million, it's no surprise at all that they can't reproduce the failure in the lab. None at all.

[TexasObserver]

7. And the International Luge Federation added "we didn't do it!"

[Bozita]

8. Must be a whole lot of driver errors out there!

Toyota's in the clear now.

After hiring former NHTSA employees to *work* with their former colleagues.

After *getting* four governors to accuse the federal govt of bias toward GM and Chrysler because they own them.

Now a testing corp is on their payroll?

Sorry, I ain't buying it.

Toyota, the floor mat people.

[Zoeisright]

9. I doubt it.

It's much cheaper and easier for Toyota to claim it wasn't an electronics problem. Like all large companies, they're pretty corrupt and don't care who they kill as long as they make money.

[TexasObserver]

10. Company Spokesperson Bart Simpson said ...

I didn't do it!

That's their story and they're stickin' to it.

[DainBramaged]

11. "Exponent has so far been unable to induce"

honesty and frankness from the company that brings you massive recalls ONLY after they are threatened by the NHTSA.

[DainBramaged]

12. MORE deaths linked to sudden acceleration (and DU turns a blind eye to the problem)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35406824/ns/business-autos/

In the past three weeks, consumers have told the government about nine crashes involving 13 alleged deaths between 2005 and 2010 due to accelerator problems, according to a NHTSA database. The latest complaints come on top of information from consumers alleging 21 deaths from 2000 to the end of last year.