Toyota Expands Gas Pedals Recall to 4 Million Vehicles
Toyota has expanded its initial floormat recall to 4 million vehicles. It will now reconfigure the accelerator pedal to prevent it from getting caught in the floormat, causing unintended acceleration, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The automaker also plans to install a brake-override system on some models; if the brake and accelerator are depressed at the same time, the brake will take precedence.
The recall initially covered the 2007-10 model year Camry, 2005-10 Avalon, 2004-09 Prius cars as well as 2005-10 Tacoma and 2007-10 Tundra trucks. It is also recalling 2007-10 Lexus ES 350, 2006-10 IS 250, and 2006-10 IS 350 models. The increase to 4 million recalled vehicles is to account for those sold since October when the recall was first announced.
Toyota will still replace the floormats, but dealers will also shave three-quarters of an inch from accelerator pedals. By April, Toyota will have replacement pedals of that length.
The automaker will install the break override system on the Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250 models, calling it “an extra measure of confidence.”
Toyota said it will begin fixing the recalled vehicles in early 2010, starting by notifying Camry, Avalon, and ES 350 owners. The Japanese press is speculating that this recall will cost Toyota around $5 billion. There’s no official word on the cost from Toyota at this point.
Toyota to Fix 4 Million Gas Pedals (Detroit News)
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So this doesn't address the reports of the problem in the cars that don't have the floor mats in them. What does NHTSA and Toyota have to say about that?
could it be that the pedal is the real problem and they are only doing this to be "extra careful" and look good?
This is just Toyota's way of appeasing the Feds. The problem is with the schmuck's who insist on driving with the floor mat shoved under the pedal.
I remember reading, years ago, that there are virtually no automobiles whose drive power can outdo the vehicle's brakes. If that's so, any vehicle should be able to be broght to a halt with both the acclerator and brake pedals mashed to the floor.
Yea no..If your engine is accelerating, theres no vacuum, the brakes work off vacuum assist, now lets see if gandma can get her 260 horse V6 Camry to stop with 0 assist from the brakes....
Erik has a point, higher the engine rpm, lower the vacuum, the car will stop but you'd have to really press the brake. I've had trouble with the floor mat in my car getting under the gas pedal, once it even got stuck. A simple trim of the mat helped a lot plus I do the extremely smart thing, I pull the mat OUT from under the gas pedal.
Plus, if anyone who is smart they would just push the shifter to neutral right away. Wonder if Toyota would change the engine too if it blows up from reving too high?
Well this may be very impressive isint it there is very bright in front of this
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Marry
I'm not happy to say this, but i drive a 2007 Camry and don't plan on buying another Toyota due to cost of maintenance,high interest rate, and over hyped quality. Toyota is going to "reconfigure the accelerator pedal" "the shape of the floor surface underneath will also be reconfigured to increase the space between the accelerator pedal and the floor" With all this modifications they are doing, could i get my money back? Will IIHS crash test a modified Toyota Camry? I do believe there is something more than just the floor mats. When ever I start my car and turn on the a/c, my rpm go up for a sec and back down. Is that normal?
2007CO
Yes, that surge when you turn the AC on is normal. The AC compressor is turned by a belt off the motor. when it turns on the motor has to compensate by working a little harder.
As for the reliability, Toyotas are known for it, but i do think its quite over inflated. lets hope the changes to these 4 million vehicles really has an effect on the problem.
I've had a 99 and now an 08 Camry both of which have been great. I'd gladly have this issue over the dozens of problems I've had with our previous Sebring and Malibu.
I have about 6 good friends annd relatives that are affected by this and I can't help but wonder, from a business stand point, if the problem is with the floor mats, why not just change the floor mats? Instead you are spending +/- $5billion to change the pedal and add a brake overide? Toyota is a very smart company- this makes me think the floor mats had nothing to do with this. That's like buying a new computer because your mouse pad doesn't work. Just my oppinion, though.
Broq
Some of the accidents relating to the gas pedal were in the Prius models. I am confused why these cars are not going to have the break override system installed in them. I was ready to buy one but then was told about this problem. Now I don't know what to do. I was hoping they were going to do something to improve the Prius, but according to the information above, it doesn't seem like they are going to do anything to correct the future Prius' sold, with the exception of shaving of the gas pedal. I wonder if Honda's breaking system is similar. Anyone out there know anything about Honda's new hybrid that looks similar to the Prius? It gets worse gas mileage, but I wonder if it is safer.
THe Prius and honda are not powerful enough to overcome their brakes. No car is, so this is not caused by throttle or computer problems but by the gas pedal getting stuck and the drivers panicing. Toyota has stepped up and is doing the right thing to resolve this. Sorry conspiracy folks but that's all there is to it.
When you look at the pic, though, it isn't a good design to begin with. You'd think they'd've caught that themselves.
Zack you are a moron. When already moving any car with some power can outdo the brakes, The prius is no weakling, it makes ALOT of torque at 0 rpm up from the electric motor wich will work 100% along side the gas engine at 100% and will overpower the brakes. Its happend even! That pedal really doesnt look well planned out thats for sure, but is it really floor mats or software issues??? I just dont like the idea of full electric Throttle, steering, brakes ect...just hard to make 100% fail safe..
The Prius has traction control standard to control the amount of torque delivered at takeoff, so there goes that theory, moron. no car on the road can overpower its brakes. And by the way, Oswald acted alone.
Zack-
Try it.
Please.
"The Prius has traction control standard to control the amount of torque delivered at takeoff, so there goes that theory"
- So do all the cars that ARE getting the brake override. Whats does traction control have to do with this? Just curious.
Broq
Dan and Brok and the rest of you conspiracy people, drop it. Toyota is fixing the problem. Grow up.
most of these situations were rolling alreay, like 30+ mph suddenly the gas goes, your at a high rpm, no vaccum assist from the brakes, your already traveling at high speed, and the engine is wide open pulling you. Please zack, go try it, so we dont have to listen to your stupidity any longer....
Zach,
you can call me a "conspiracy theorist" all you want, but the fact of the matter is that the situation is strange. This is not a Toyota vs any other car maker thing, this it about people's lives.
I have driven at triple digit speeds several times before (the ES350 driven by a State Trooper, a STATE TROOPER!!crashed at 120+ mph) and it takes some real pressure on the pedal. I have also used thick all season rubber mats- they don't slide around, mine barely moved. I don't buy that a mat would be both flimsy enough to slide around (my regular stock mats do slide around) AND sturdy enough to lodge the gas pedal down enough to achieve that type of speed without the driver being able to slide it out of the way. Plus, we blame the mats and the drivers, but shave the pedal and add a brake override!!
Broq
OK please excuse my conspiracy comments - you're right, no company is above a thorough investigation. However, a car traveling at speed has tremendous kinetic energy, much more than your engine can muster from a stop, yet a car's brakes are designed to pull a car down from 60 to 0 in just 120 feet or so. I will not believe that any major car manufacturer would sell a vehicle where the brakes are not powerful to stop the car when you want to - regardless of whether the gas pedal is floored. I believe while Toyota is not a perfect company it is trustworthy enough that we can believe what they say in this case. Otherwise you would have to believe they're involved in a cover-up and that wouldn't leave them in a very good place the next time someone loses their life in a runaway Toyota, would it? I think they've nailed the cause and we can close the book on this one.
yea its designed to stop you with ASSIST there is NO assist when this is happening. Go out to your car, pinch off the vacuum booster line, and go drive around, and tell me how it acts. The brakes will hardly stop the car itself let alone with the engine wide open.
This is the unfortunate side effect of Toyota taking away 5 Million GM customers each year since 2000. Unfortunately these former GM owners are not the brightest of the bunch so this is what you get.
". I will not believe that any major car manufacturer would sell a vehicle where the brakes are not powerful to stop the car when you want to - regardless of whether the gas pedal is floored."
It's happened before- they blamed floor mats too:
http://www.autosafety.org/audi-sudden-acceleration
http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1987/05/wathen.html
Broq
Guys, just ignore Zack, he's just another Toyota fanboy that's not able to see beyond his biases like Carol in a previous article about this.
I have a 2005 Corolla that I have asked the service department to check the tension on the gas peddle. When I step on the gas, the car lurches forward instead of the car gently picking up speed as in every other car I have driven. Does anyone else experience the jolt of power when simply easing on the gas?
Follow your own advice, moron.
Actually, Car & Driver magazine recently tested the theory that a V6 Camry would be able to stop with a throttle that was stuck wide open. And guess what? At 70 MPH with a wide open throttle, it took only 18 more feet in distance to stop the car than it did to stop the same car without the throttle stuck open. So to all the conspiracy theorists out there, well, it looks like this is just another bogus claim by people who panicked in a terrible situation. Like I said before, no car can overpower its brakes. Vacuum assist is nothing but just that--assist. Full braking power is still available regardless of vacuum assist.
The link below will take you to the Car & Driver article where they proved that a car cannot overpower its brakes:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/dealing_with_unintended_acceleration-tech_dept
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2010/01/toyota-recalls-23-million-vehicles-over-sticking-accelerator-pedal.html
I purchased a new 2007 toyota camry and has complained about many things from wind noises,to tapping engine noises,dash and ac rattling noises,tires,transmission and a terrible odor that comes from the ac that may be a health hazard.All i have received is costly service bills.Customer service closed my case.I wonder if they are going to repair all the cars that are being recalled.Many complaints are not recorded at dealerships.
I have an old VW van. Weighs about 3000 lbs. No power assit on the brakes. Old drum brakes too. It stops fast going down hill at high speed. Sorry Zack's right, A scared drivers could push hard enough to stop any car, with or without power assist. This is about bad and inexprienced drivers who panic. Oh and its about giving Government Motors a big boost.
am i the only one that thinks it's weird that now that the U.S. government has a personal stake in the automobile industry Toyota is being attacked... especially since in 2005 3.8 million ford cars were to be recalled because the cruise control switch started fires causing 180 deaths with little to no media coverage. Toyota cars have caused 52 deaths in the US so far. Now toyota has announced it was a software malfunction. how easy would it be to slip a timed virus into the software during production. this also explains why people say they can't stop, and how some people followed the steps listed again and again on the news and had no effect.
ANOTHER DUMB BLIND FOLD OVER "NOT CLEVER" PEOPLE BY DUMB MEDIA. SOME PEOPLE JUST NEVER LEARN. REMEMBER, "WMD" SCARE TACTIC. MASS MEDIA IS USING YOU. WAKE UP AMERICA. FOOL ME ONCE SHAME ON YOU FOOL ME TWICE SHAME ON ME. I AND MY PEOPLE ARE BACKBONE OF TOYOTA NATION, HONDA NATION AND WE WILL BE THEIR CUSTOMER 4 EVER EVER. I OWN 4 GREAT RELIABLE CARS MADE BY A GREAT CAR COMPANY (NUMBERS DON'T LIE) THAT PUT PRIDE AND DIGNITY BEHIND THEIR WORK. I HATE GM AND FORD BECAUSE I DRIVE THEM WHEN I FLY (RENTAL), I SEE THEY HAVE 15K MILES AND THEY DRAG BADLY. GM AND FORD ARE LIKE HOOKERS YOU CAN SCREW THEM BUT NEVER EVER MARRY THEM.
Hey Conspiracy Starter... I read something the other day where they said Ford actually has more unintended acceleration complaints over the last 12 months than Toyota. Why isn't the media all over Ford like they are Toyota? Makes you wonder....