More on Toyota. How to save your company $100, the heck with the customer

[r0tor]

For example... ZOMG there are two complaints in the NHTSA website on 2006 Corvette Z06 stability control systems freaking out and causing the car to swerve and brake by itself

I'd imagine 2 out of the number of Z06's produced are a higher significance then 26 corollas out of the number toyota made.  Where's the public outcry?  Oh right, its not Toyota...

[FoMoJo]

For example... ZOMG there are two complaints in the NHTSA website on 2006 Corvette Z06 stability control systems freaking out and causing the car to swerve and brake by itself

I'd imagine 2 out of the number of Z06's produced are a higher significance then 26 corollas out of the number toyota made.  Where's the public outcry?  Oh right, its not Toyota...

Toyota's in the spotlight because of all the other issues; primarily because of the crash last November that killed the Saylor family.  Anything else is being closely scutinized and reported.  It may not seem fair to Toyota fans but it's reality.  If GM were under the spotlight the headlines might read Corvette tries to kill driver by manipulating traction control.

[NomisR]

So it seems .

In reality, it's rather amazing that there is such a low failure rate.  However, when failures, not saying the Corolla, are associated with crashes and deaths, then it gets blown out of proportion.  That manufacturers deny they exist or are slow to respond causes problems for them.

Like my previous post though, it still seems like they're after Toyota for whatever reason, because at that failure, it's typically within manufacturing tolerance even for aerospace industry if I remember correctly. 

[FoMoJo]

Like my previous post though, it still seems like they're after Toyota for whatever reason, because at that failure, it's typically within manufacturing tolerance even for aerospace industry if I remember correctly. 

You can say that 10 years ago they were after Ford.  Twenty years ago they were after Audi...and a whole lot of others in between.  Toyota is in the limelight because they have had people die in their cars for unexplained reasons.

[NomisR]

You can say that 10 years ago they were after Ford.  Twenty years ago they were after Audi...and a whole lot of others in between.  Toyota is in the limelight because they have had people die in their cars for unexplained reasons.

Ford issue was pretty straight forward, the Audi issue and typically with most auto related issued, I would hazard to say 99.99% of the time, the problem lies between the steering wheel and the driver's seat and not on the car itself.  And pretty much, the manufacturers and most people realize that.  Well, except for the politicians of course, since they need the votes.

[AutobahnSHO]

Ford issue was pretty straight forward, the Audi issue and typically with most auto related issued, I would hazard to say 99.99% of the time, the problem lies between the steering wheel and the driver's seat and not on the car itself.  And pretty much, the manufacturers and most people realize that.  Well, except for the politicians of course, since they need the votes.

The people at large don't. They're dumb.

Otherwise they wouldn't all be freaking out now over an issue that will kill far less people than get eaten by sharks every year.
(Which, contrary to movies would lead you to believe, is very rare.)

[r0tor]

oh shit, a local 13 year old was killed yesterday when the brakes on his bicycle failed.... watch out huffy!!  

[Jon?]

oh shit, a local 13 year old was killed yesterday when the brakes on his bicycle failed.... watch out huffy!!   

In fairness to Huffy, the 13 year old was $700,000 in debt and trying to get out of his bike's lease payments.

He also ran a swingers site.

[AutobahnSHO]

In fairness to Huffy, the 13 year old was $700,000 in debt and trying to get out of his bike's lease payments.

He also ran a swingers site.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAAAHAHAHAHAHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[GoCougs]

Feds: Prius brakes not applied at time of N.Y. crash.

Data uploaded from black box shows that brakes were not applied at the time of crash.

Though not an explicit charade like this comedic Sikes incident, it's obvious the housekeeper just doesn't want to buck up for wrecking the car.

Finally frauds and idiots are getting the press they deserve now that finally the media frenzy is starting to subside.

[Jon?]

Feds: Prius brakes not applied at time of N.Y. crash.

Data uploaded from black box shows that brakes were not applied at the time of crash.

Though not an explicit charade like this comedic Sikes incident, it's obvious the housekeeper just doesn't want to buck up for wrecking the car.

Finally frauds and idiots are getting the press they deserve now that finally the media frenzy is starting to subside.

Interesting.  I thought Toyota was dead-set against releasing that black box information.

[GoCougs]

What more than few have been saying for a time...

Spike in Prius complaints may not be all it seems.

Experts on consumer psychology say the relentless negative media attention Toyota has received since the fall makes it much more likely that drivers will mistake anything unexpected - or even a misplaced foot - for actual danger.

[r0tor]

Interesting.  I thought Toyota was dead-set against releasing that black box information.

I guess they finally got tired of the assholes winning the propoganda war... although it will still be ignored by the general media nd public

[GoCougs]

Interesting.  I thought Toyota was dead-set against releasing that black box information.

My hunch is Toyota will only let "qualified/certified" people have the ability to upload the data; meaning people who have been trained properly on how to decipher it correctly.

Imagine if in during the height of the frenzy EVERYONE had access to the data, yet only a few interpreted it incorrectly. The media storm would have been infinitely worse.

[Jon?]

I guess they finally got tired of the assholes winning the propoganda war... although it will still be ignored by the general media nd public

Well, we've been over this already, but I always thought that not making that data available has been a PR mistake - especially if its review shows driver error.  Has the info from Sike's car been released?  It sounded like they were only looking at physical evidence.

My hunch is Toyota will only let "qualified/certified" people have the ability to upload the data; meaning people who have been trained properly on how to decipher it correctly.

Imagine if in during the height of the frenzy EVERYONE had access to the data, yet only a few interpreted it incorrectly. The media storm would have been infinitely worse.

With only one system in the US that is able to pull down the results, I don't think they have too much to worry about. 

[r0tor]

Has the info from Sike's car been released?  It sounded like they were only looking at physical evidence.

As mentioned countless times, data recorders only record when an airbag is deployed and it only captures between 1-15sec of data and anything from 2-3 seonsors to everything depending on the car.  Douschebag Sikes never crashed (unforunately) so there is no data like every other "unintended acceleration" incident that did not lead up to a crash.

[GoCougs]

Another wonky situation is this most publicized PR of the CHP crash that killed four in an ES350. A little Googling shows that the LE department in charge will not let Toyota have access to the car (data recorder) locking it in impound. To me this situation is still all FUBAR and doesn't make sense on many levels.

[AutobahnSHO]

Well, we've been over this already, but I always thought that not making that data available has been a PR mistake - especially if its review shows driver error.  Has the info from Sike's car been released?  It sounded like they were only looking at physical evidence.

With only one system in the US that is able to pull down the results, I don't think they have too much to worry about.  

They have four now.  Link on previous page says that they analyzed and Sikes "modulated the brake" more than 250 times before he stopped.
I ASSUME that's since he turned the car on. But that means it records much more than just a few seconds before crash.

[GoCougs]

Yet another fraud outed. The moderately publicized incident of the housekeeper in NY; turns out she lied about hitting the brakes.

According to Police Captain Anthony Marraccini, driver error caused the crash of a Prius on March 9th 2010 in Harrison N.Y. and not faulty brakes.

"The diagnostic data shows that the accelerator pedal was depressed at the time of impact and was in the idle position after impact. The pedal was returned to its normal position after impact."

[the Teuton]

One thing I would like to point out with the pedal recall: unlike every other mainstream manufacturer, Toyota made a recessed space for the pedal to sit in instead of making the floor flat.

I dunno what their engineers were thinking, but that recall with the floor mats could have been stopped before it even started if Toyota would have used some thought about how to design its foot wells. If they didn't fire the engineers who thought of that, they should have.

[r0tor]

this seems to have been all swept under the rug now... no more media outlets will follow from fear of more egg on their face

[Byteme]

Here's an interesting theory.  Worth considering, as it's a scientifically proven fact cosmic radiation can cause these kinds of problems.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100316/BUSINESS0104/3160361/1318/Are-cosmic-rays-really-causing-Toyotas-woes

Don't jump the gun.  Read the article and attachments first.

[the Teuton]

this seems to have been all swept under the rug now... no more media outlets will follow from fear of more egg on their face

Good thing it was just a rug and not an all-weather floor mat.

[Galaxy]

Here's an interesting theory.  Worth considering, as it's a scientifically proven fact cosmic radiation can cause these kinds of problems.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100316/BUSINESS0104/3160361/1318/Are-cosmic-rays-really-causing-Toyotas-woes

Don't jump the gun.  Read the article and attachments first.

In that case I would expect the errors to be more random.

[Byteme]

In that case I would expect the errors to be more random.

Can you elaborate on what you mean?

[Morris Minor]

Here's an interesting theory.  Worth considering, as it's a scientifically proven fact cosmic radiation can cause these kinds of problems.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100316/BUSINESS0104/3160361/1318/Are-cosmic-rays-really-causing-Toyotas-woes

Don't jump the gun.  Read the article and attachments first.

Do you have to wrap the whole car, or just the bits where the electronic thingies are?

[S204STi]

Since most electrical systems in cars that I've worked on aren't shielded from EMI I would assume that any such theories are bunk.  Just IMO. 

[S204STi]

Ah, but now that I read that link this isn't EMI they're talking about.  Aluminum shielding would be useless.

That said, if this were really a big deal, Toyota wouldn't be the only ones susceptible to it.  You'd think we'd have seen way more bizarre failures.

[Galaxy]

Can you elaborate on what you mean?

Why is it always throttle control? Especially since the cars  affected will use different controllers.  Why don't we hear of brake assistants going beserk?

[Byteme]

Why is it always throttle control? Especially since the cars  affected will use different controllers.  Why don't we hear of brake assistants going beserk?

I only know what I read in the article.  Perhaps sudden acceleration is the most noticable fault.  I mean how often do people use stability control or antilock brakes, for example, compared to their gas pedal.