This must be costing Toyota a frikkin fortune!

[j-j]

Mega volume recall for the accelerator pedal.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8487984.stm

 

Based on the recall model mentioned in film 'Fight Club' I'd say they've estimated the impending law suits against them as being astronomical!

 

Who reckons they'll just bend a stiffer spring onto the return!!

[warren t claim]

They should just gaffer tape a sponge underneath the throttle pedal. That worked fine on my Cortina.

[j-j]

They should just gaffer tape a sponge underneath the throttle pedal. That worked fine on my Cortina.

lols, I was thinking a bungee rope thingy doubled up around the steering shaft and hooked under the pedal.

[Rusty Pelican]

Bungee cord from pedal to steering column for me , Toyota are powerfull enough to get discount on rolls of it , easy to fit as well

[warren t claim]

Most Toyota owners are so old they were probably assuming the choke was out and were too shy to go back to the dealer to ask him to push it in for them.

[CIH]

An american dude (state trooper I think ?) and family was killed when their Toyota accelerated out of control for about 5 miles before crashing. They had phoned the dealer, who IIRC accued him of being drunk, local plod, all sorts. Their frantic phone calls had been recorded. Not a nice way to go, I think.

[Mr Lobster]

An american dude (state trooper I think ?) and family was killed when their Toyota accelerated out of control for about 5 miles before crashing.

I don't know the details of what happened obviously but if your car was accelerating and you couldn't stop it, would switching the ignition off or just knocking it out of gear not be a reasonable plan? I'd have thought so....

[CIH]

An american dude (state trooper I think ?) and family was killed when their Toyota accelerated out of control for about 5 miles before crashing.

I don't know the details of what happened obviously but if your car was accelerating and you couldn't stop it, would switching the ignition off or just knocking it out of gear not be a reasonable plan? I'd have thought so....

In a 1990 Bluey 1.6LX with manual gearbox, yes. In a modern Toyota/Lexus ? No idea. I'm guessing it's an Auto, which presumeably blocks any attempt to knock it out of drive at speed. Probably keyless entry* too which, nodoubt, also has a meddling, spiteful little ECU that barks orders at the driver through a small txt window and blocks any attempt to turn off the engine at high speed. I'd guess a failure in the electronic throttle switch but who knows ?I jump in and out of moderns all day at work. You don't drive them, they tell you how they want to be driven. I can't stand modern cars.*you still need the key to get in so isn't keyless is it ?

[Pillock]

Yeah.... I might panic at first, but given that he went for five miles we can assume he was on some form of straight fast road. And if his car tops out at 120mph, for example, then this 5 mile terrortrip took two and a half minutes, or longer if he tried applying the brakes. In two and a half minutes or more, it must occur to you to engage neutral, or turn the ignition off, or something. Even if it results in the mullering of the engine, at least you'd stop. Even if it was an all-singing, all-dancing keyless automatic, then stamping on the brakes to knock off a great deal of speed, and then going through a hedge or something perhaps. I'd even consider ramming another car to slow down (especially if it was a car I didn't like)Two and a half minutes is enough time to get the manual out of the glovebox and look up "Control, careering out of" in the index.

[STUNO]

Yeah.... Two and a half minutes is enough time to get the manual out of the glovebox and look up "Control, careering out of" in the index.

But this one phoned the dealer.....Please press 1 for new car sales.2 for used car sales...................10 for service dept , please hold, your call is important to us, you are no.15 in the queue etc :)EDIT.. my mums corolla had a good trick, turn into a parking spot on full lock and the engine revs increased markedly to compensate for the steering pump. That caused a few interesting moments.

[ashmicro]

I had a panicky phone call yesterday from a female friend who was concerned her 05 Avensis 1.8 would go apeshit. I rang Toyota GB today, and they tell me that that model/year is unaffected.I had a software issue with a Rover 25 some years ago, which jammed at full throttle. The K Series develops a healthy whack of grunt at high revs, and I must say it does take one some seconds to get over the initial "WHAT THE FUCK?!?!"

[Pillock]

I had my Beetle throttle jam wide open.... scared the crap out of me, luckily I was in neutral as I was just starting it. In my case it was the carpet had rucked up over the pedal pivot :)Was quite embarrasing as it was in a school playground and 'kicking out' time. And I'd just fitted a zoom tube to my holey silencer.

[saabhappy]

An american dude (state trooper I think ?) and family was killed when their Toyota accelerated out of control for about 5 miles before crashing. They had phoned the dealer, who IIRC accued him of being drunk, local plod, all sorts. Their frantic phone calls had been recorded. Not a nice way to go, I think.

I heard that tape and it was really upsetting. It's not just one model, it's across the range with Yaris, Auris, RAV 4 and others all affected. It'll do their image a heap of collateral damage even if they sort it out, and the worrying thing is that they have to do the recalls in stages and the owners of cars like the Yaris may not be that cued-up on the motoring news. I've only had a throttle jam open on me once, and as it was a Bedford TK 3-tonner with a load of bacon in the back it was a definite brown-trouser moment.

[pogweasel]

I've only had a throttle jam open on me once, and as it was a Bedford TK 3-tonner with a load of bacon in the back it was a definite brown-trouser moment.

That's sowed the seeds of comedy daydreaming for the next week!! Thanks.

[FredTransit]

I had the throttle stuck on the SWB minibus recently. Twice. Was told no way could the throttle screw wind itself back in of it's own accord (webber twin choke). Got sick of winding it back out and in the end superglued the thread. That settled the bastard. If I see the little fookers that sit on the engine and do these things, I will kick em off, but not found the gremlins so far....

[Spiny Norman]

 

I don't know the details of what happened obviously but if your car was accelerating and you couldn't stop it, would switching the ignition off or just knocking it out of gear not be a reasonable plan? I'd have thought so....

You'd like to think so, wouldn't you?

Yet last night I was watching the ABC news round up that BBC News 24 shows late at night and I couldn't believe they were telling people what to do if this happened to them, and suggesting they go practise it!

 

"Now you put the shifter into nootral and you apply the brake pedal right there......" [/bogus American accent]

 

Are my expectations of other road users' competence levels that unrealistic?

[Cavcraft]

Iveco, being the heap of misery-inducing, lack-of-any-quality-control TWATS seemed to think it was a good idea to have some sort of wanky bolt at the bottom of the accelerator pdeal and rubber floor mats.Desperately trying to toe/boot the pedal up when going full tilt with a van load of thinners isn't especially for the faint hearted I can tell you.

[saabhappy]

I've only had a throttle jam open on me once, and as it was a Bedford TK 3-tonner with a load of bacon in the back it was a definite brown-trouser moment.

That's sowed the seeds of comedy daydreaming for the next week!! Thanks.

The outcome was a VERY sweaty young man sitting leaning against a wall in a lay-by smoking 20 Embassy one after the other.I think you need to factor in the amount of panic involved. It's OK saying "don't these guys know how to drive?" except that when it happens for some reason your mind goes a blank and hands and feet don't work as normal. Bowels seem unaffected...

[Richard]

I think you need to factor in the amount of panic involved. It's OK saying "don't these guys know how to drive?" except that when it happens for some reason your mind goes a blank and hands and feet don't work as normal. Bowels seem unaffected...

Not only that, there's the problem of how you stop a modern car engine. As stated before there probably isn't a key to switch off and it's unlikely that the ECU will allow you to stop the engine while you're going at full chat- ditto putting it into neutral. Even if you did manage to kill the engine there's a strong chance it would engage the steering lock.Is it even a physical problem as the news stories suggest? Isn't it more likely to be a dodgy electronic component?

[Ratdat]

I've never seen an auto yet in which you couldn't shift into neutral while in motion.