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Reporters' BLOG |
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November 2009
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The problem has made national news and led to a 3.8-million vehicle recall by Toyota. A still unexplained surprise acceleration Toyota suspects is the result of improperly installed or poor-fitting floor mats. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is investigating for a mechanical defect but hasn't found one. This brings us to Todd Dior of Chesterfield who in September 2007 bought a brand new 2008 Toyota Camry. He'd been driving it around six weeks when on Highway 40 one day the car started accelerating and he couldn't make it stop. For about five minutes he was hitting the brake while weaving through traffic around 85 or 90 miles per hour. He ultimately put the car in neutral and used the emergency brake to bring it to a stop. He noticed how the floor mat he put over the floor mat that came with the car (to protect it) had gotten under the gas pedal and jammed it. That's why he couldn't stop. He took it to the dealership where he purchased the car, Seger Toyota in Creve Coeur and he says they told him there was nothing wrong with it and had never heard of such a thing happening in their cars before. Todd said he just didn't feel comfortable with that Camry so days after the incident he traded it in to another dealership for a Lincoln Towncar. He took a $5,500 loss on a car he had for six weeks and put 1,900 miles on. He was disappointed and is even more upset now that he knows he's not the only one this has happened to. I asked him if he plans to take any action to try to get reimbursed for his $5,500 loss. He says he's "reviewing his options." 3 CommentsLeave a comment |
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He took a $5000 dollar loss because of a $20 floor mat? What a moron.
A normal car would not accelerate on its own despite the placement of a car floor mat. When there is an obvious material defect with an accelerator pedal; there is no other option but to value your life and dispose of the defective vehicle immediately. That's not moronic, but merely placing a higher value on life than money. Obviously, he could afford to do so. And to properly maneuver a car that is uncontrollably driving at 90 mph down Hwy 40 during the height of rush hour sounds like a pretty intelligent man to me.
First and foremost, it’s tragically obvious there has not been nearly enough thought to all the necessary fail-safe and safety override modes designed into these “drive-by-wire” automotive systems. The Germans at least had the good sense to make their engines go to idle mode if their systems were presented with the conflicting inputs of throttle and brakes applied at the same time ("smart pedal"). (The Toyota system does not do this. Shame on Toyota — as well as the NHTSA who apparently “approved” of this!) As far as “keyless” ignition system designs go, an across-the-board “standard” is needed immediately. The dashboard “switch” should probably have at least three positions: “Off” (as in -- turn the engine ignition AND electric fuel pump systems both off -- right now); “Idle” (to bring engine power down - but not fully off - to allow for the power steering and brakes to continue to function); and “On or Run.” To have to “hold” the start-button in for ” three seconds” during an emergency situation is beyond any safety design rules I believe could or would ever be allowed for production and placed into widespread use by the driving public……