This is not going to help Toyota...

bigarn

Active Member
I'd like to know if any problems are being reported outside the U.S.??
Something is vewy, vewy, stwange here.
 

socal57che

Active Member
Originally Posted by stdreb27
http:///forum/post/3242436
Come on lets be serious 90+ mph in an electric car?
Was is falling from a plane?

I was wondering how it reached such speeds. Must have been downhill with a 100mph tailwind. It has been windy out here lately. If these cars sre actually capable of such speeds then why don't prius drivers ever go over 60? The only thing worse than being stuck behind a prius on the freeway is to be stuck behind a prius with a handicap placard and a 90 year old blue haired hippie woman driving it.
 

aquaknight

Active Member
Originally Posted by stdreb27
http:///forum/post/3242436
Come on lets be serious 90+ mph in an electric car?
Was is falling from a plane?
The gas motor in that generation Prius makes 78 horsepower IIRC. I know I've gotten an 88hp 1992 Ford Escort on the north side of 85mph before
. If there was juice left in the battery, the motor/engine make 110hp together. That would be more then enough to get the 0.26Cd-drag coefficient Prius up to 90. Then once the battery expired, the engine would be enough to maintain.
Originally Posted by bigarn

http:///forum/post/3242440
I'd like to know if any problems are being reported outside the U.S.??
Something is vewy, vewy, stwange here.

Some of the models, Tundra and Camry specifically, the two most popular models, aren't really sold outside of the US. The Avalon (a stretched Camry) is popular in Australia, and the Pruis is popular everywhere. I will see what I can find.
 

aquaknight

Active Member

The incident took place the same day that Toyota held a demonstration to challenge claims that car electronics could cause the gas pedal to stick.
Here's what I don't get. I watched, as I said in my other thread, that the President of Toyota NA say on CSPAN to Congress, that the problem IS
the electronics. Now it's not? Did they just find this out in the week and a half? Or did they find out the any real fix is going to be new computers for all the cars, which would put Toyota in the red for years to come?
 

bionicarm

Active Member
The 'sticking gas pedal' was the main cause of this latest Toyota recall, but they were concentrating on the Camry's and a couple other models. The Prius supposedly wasn't on the list. Apparently these new Toyota accelerator pedals are controlled by a computer. They don't use the basic rod system that's attached to a fuel injection or carburetor setup. That's why it didn't do any good for the guy to reach down and pry the pedal back up. Toyota won't disclose any information on their little 'black box' that controls acceleration, but me thinks they know there's a problem. As soon as this Prius issue came on TV, they threw one of their engineers on a plane to get to San Diego so he could actually see a car that had this problem. Toyota has stated they've been unable to reproduce the stuck accelerator in their test labs, and they didn't ever realize the Prius had a problem.
 

bionicarm

Active Member

Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/3242455
Here's what I don't get. I watched, as I said in my other thread, that the President of Toyota NA say on CSPAN to Congress, that the problem IS
the electronics. Now it's not? Did they just find this out in the week and a half? Or did they find out the any real fix is going to be new computers for all the cars, which would put Toyota in the red for years to come?
I doubt the entire computer would have to be replaced. If they can figure out what's wrong with the code, it's nothing more than flashing an EEPROM with updated software.
 

nigerbang

Active Member
A good friend of mine is a Toyota mechanic.. He told me one of the main things they are doing for recall is cutting away part of the carpet and padding under the gas peddle.. That one of the issues is the peddle is physically hanging up on the floor board from extra thick padding..
Not sure if thats fact or not.. Just what I was told.
 

stdreb27

Active Member
Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/3242451
The gas motor in that generation Prius makes 78 horsepower IIRC. I know I've gotten an 88hp 1992 Ford Escort on the north side of 85mph before
. If there was juice left in the battery, the motor/engine make 110hp together. That would be more then enough to get the 0.26Cd-drag coefficient Prius up to 90. Then once the battery expired, the engine would be enough to maintain.
Reminds me of when Al Gore's kid was caught with drugs or something like that speeding along the road going 85 plus in his prius. The joke must be made...
 

bionicarm

Active Member
Originally Posted by NigerBang
http:///forum/post/3242460
A good friend of mine is a Toyota mechanic.. He told me one of the main things they are doing for recall is cutting away part of the carpet and padding under the gas peddle.. That one of the issues is the peddle is physically hanging up on the floor board from extra thick padding..
Not sure if thats fact or not.. Just what I was told.
When they interviewed the guy in this runaway Prius, he emphasized that there was nothing wrong with his mat, and the mat wasn't causing the obstruction. He actually bent down and tried pulling the pedal up with his hand while he was going this 90+ down the road. Amazed he didn't wreck then. To try and slow the car down, he said he physically stood up to put as much pressure as he could on the brake. Toyota better give this guy a new car after this experience. I wouldn't want to get back in it. Not to mention, I imagine the braking system is toast, as well as the transmission.
 

aquaknight

Active Member
Originally Posted by bionicarm
http:///forum/post/3242566
When they interviewed the guy in this runaway Prius, he emphasized that there was nothing wrong with his mat, and the mat wasn't causing the obstruction. He actually bent down and tried pulling the pedal up with his hand while he was going this 90+ down the road. Amazed he didn't wreck then. To try and slow the car down, he said he physically stood up to put as much pressure as he could on the brake. Toyota better give this guy a new car after this experience. I wouldn't want to get back in it. Not to mention, I imagine the braking system is toast, as well as the transmission.
There are believed to be two separate issues. The gas pedal physically sticking on something, and the second, unintended acceleration, just out of no where, the car takes off.
The Camry pedal issue was the floormat/carpet hanging the pedal, then the pedal assembly sticking to itself. The Tundra has a problem with a bushing wearing out in the assembly which causes the pedal to stick.
The unintended acceleration is the big serious issue, which applies to a bunch of cars, Camry, Avalon, ES350, IS250-350 IIRC. The reports/car forums that I've read have pointed to the issue relating to the keyless and go system the cars have (you don't insert a key into an ignition, just push start). At some point during a drive, the system faults. I have no idea why that starting system relates to the throttle going wide open. Maybe at startup, there's a default throttle check, and it just reads wrong and opens the throttle. Or it's tied into cruise control, and cruise opens the throttle. That's what I was eluding to by the cost bit. Toyota would have to reconfigure the way all the systems interact. I don't think just a program reflash would do it.
 

nigerbang

Active Member
Originally Posted by bionicarm
http:///forum/post/3242566
When they interviewed the guy in this runaway Prius, he emphasized that there was nothing wrong with his mat, and the mat wasn't causing the obstruction. He actually bent down and tried pulling the pedal up with his hand while he was going this 90+ down the road. Amazed he didn't wreck then. To try and slow the car down, he said he physically stood up to put as much pressure as he could on the brake. Toyota better give this guy a new car after this experience. I wouldn't want to get back in it. Not to mention, I imagine the braking system is toast, as well as the transmission.
YOu know the #1 tell tale sign of a lie, right? A well detailed story...
 

stdreb27

Active Member
Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/3242579
There are believed to be two separate issues. The gas pedal physically sticking on something, and the second, unintended acceleration, just out of no where, the car takes off.
The Camry issue was the floormat/carpet hanging the pedal, then the pedal assembly sticking to itself. The Tundra has a problem with a bushing wearing out in the assembly which causes the pedal to stick.
The unintended acceleration is the big serious issue, which applies to a bunch of cars, Camry, Avalon, ES350, IS250-350 IIRC. The reports/car forums that I've read have pointed to the issue relating to the keyless and go system the cars have (you don't insert a key into an ignition, just push start). At some point during a drive, the system faults. I have no idea why that starting system relates to the throttle going wide open. Maybe at startup, there's a default throttle check, and it just reads wrong and opens the throttle. Or it's tied into cruise control, and cruise opens the throttle. That's what I was eluding to by the cost bit. Toyota would have to reconfigure the way all the systems interact. I don't think just a program reflash would do it.
That being said, the net is full of crazy (as in I can't believe this isn't a bigger issue) stories with prius's doing weird things with traction control braking and acceleration or lack of acceleration...
 

bigarn

Active Member
I THINK I just heard they're blameing the floor mats in the Prius incident! If anyone hears more, please contribute.
 

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Three things come from this instance.
1) the brake does not override the throttle. obviously a sofware problem.
2) no easy "kill" switch.
3) and the absolutely most amazing thing
a prius goes 90mph.
 

reefraff

Active Member
The federal government should halt all Toyota sales in the US until they provide them with the needed codes to read the black box data. I suspect Toyota will make a dozen of the magic laptops appear overnight if that was to happen.

I think this could make Toyota go the way of GM and Chrysler. I would never think of buying one until they have a demonstrated record of having solved this problem.
Hopefully the other makers will learn from this and change their circuitry so the ignition switch controls the engine function, at least have it hard wired to the fuel pump.
 

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by reefraff
http:///forum/post/3242606
The federal government should halt all Toyota sales in the US until they provide them with the needed codes to read the black box data. I suspect Toyota will make a dozen of the magic laptops appear overnight if that was to happen.

I think this could make Toyota go the way of GM and Chrysler. I would never think of buying one until they have a demonstrated record of having solved this problem.
Hopefully the other makers will learn from this and change their circuitry so the ignition switch controls the engine function, at least have it hard wired to the fuel pump.
Doesn anyone find it "suspicious" that toyota is getting all the attention now that the US government owns 60% of GM?
 

reefraff

Active Member
Originally Posted by beaslbob
http:///forum/post/3242609
Doesn anyone find it "suspicious" that toyota is getting all the attention now that the US government owns 60% of GM?
Yep. Ford had a recall too. I think it has more to do with Toyota being non union than the government owning GM.
 
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