400 owners can be wrong: NHTSA closes Tacoma unintended acceleration investigation

As is usually the case when complaints of unintended acceleration are levied against a vehicle, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has concluded that no specific vehicular defects have been found in 2004-2008 Toyota Tacomas. The mid-sized truck had been under fire from over 400 owners who claimed their trucks had accelerated without them touching the gas resulting in 51 crashes and 12 injuries. According to Toyota, however, the truck features a drive-by-wire system and its computer records any event of a mismatch between the gas pedal and the engine's throttle. None of the trucks involved in accidents reported any such codes. The NHTSA has closed its investigation and believes that driver error is the most likely cause for the vast majority of complaints while a few could be attributed to loose floor mats.
While the fact that the Tacoma has received so many specific complaints is worrisome, we are not big believers in unintended acceleration and tend to agree that publicity of the issue may well have attracted more erroneous claims. Debris stuck under the brake or pedals that are just closer together than some drivers are used to remain possible explanations, but could hardly be considered defects.

[ Via: The Detroit Free Press ]
[ Tag: sudden acceleration,SuddenAcceleration,toyota tacoma,ToyotaTacoma,unintended acceleration,unintended-acceleration,UnintendedAcceleration ]

Toyota Camry hybrid lead engineer died from Karoshi (overwork)

Lending a bit of credence to recent allegations made by The National Labor Committee regarding workers right abuses by Toyota is the recent death of a lead engineer on the Camry hybrid project. Although the man died back in 2006, the Japanese Health Ministry has just now ruled that the man died of karoshi, which is a Japanese word meaning death from overwork. This ruling will allow his family to receive benefits from his ex-employer. The 45-year old man is survived by a daughter and his wife, who recalls her husband working long eighty-hour work weeks, along with frequent nights and weekends. Just prior to his death, he was working on shipping logistics related to the Detroit Auto Show, a trip he missed by just one day. Toyota responded to the ruling by saying that it would monitor its workers health more closely. Thanks for the tip, Ledwinka!


[ Via: AP via Yahoo ]
[ Tag: camry hybrid, CamryHybrid, karoshi, overwork, overworked, toyota, worker rights, WorkerRights, workers rights, WorkersRights ]

Toyota gets attacked for worker rights abuses

The top is a tough place to be. Just ask Toyota, which is now facing charges of worker right abuses, including the use of sweat shops and human trafficking. As we've reported before, Japan even has a word for being overworked to death: karoshi. Toyota plants are not immune to this stress-related disease, as workers at its plants have indeed suffered death due to working too hard. These facts have caught the attention of The National Labor Committee, which has an entire report worked up that alleges Toyota over-works and under-pays its Japanese employees and has ties to various unsavory Dictators. It's also been well established that Toyota does not want its American workforce unionized.
The report is being directly targeted at Prius-driving celebrities who see Toyota as the shining green beacon in a world of pollution-spewing car companies. Whether or not this report has all its facts straight, if famous Toyota supporters in Hollywood react to these allegations, Toyota could indeed have a public relations disaster on its hands.

[ Via: World Car Fans ]
[ Tag: sweat shop, sweat shops, sweatshop, sweatshops, toyota, worker rights, WorkerRights, workers rights, workers unions, WorkersRights, WorkersUnions ]

Toyota under spotlight for possible Tacoma sudden acceleration

Audi went through it in the '80s. Jeep went through it a couple years ago. Other makers have been accused of it, and now it's Toyota's turn: the NHTSA is considering investigating Tacoma pickup trucks from 2004-2008 due to claims of unintended acceleration. In one instance, a man said he turned off his cruise control to exit the freeway, and the truck surged on him, forcing him to dodge a few vehicles -- even as he had his foot on the brake pedal.
Toyota says there is nothing wrong with the Tacoma's drive-by-wire system. The trucks that have been inspected have not shown the error codes Toyota would expect if the throttle and accelerator pedal were out of whack. The company wrote to the NHTSA and said, "Toyota believes that it is likely that many of the consumer complaints about the general issue of unwanted acceleration ... as well as many of the complaints about this subject that have been received by Toyota, were inspired by publicity."
We can't comment on the claims of unintended acceleration, as we have no idea if they are true or publicity driven. But we can wonder out loud why the brakes suddenly don't work. No matter what a car does -- even at full power -- the brakes should still do their job. After Audi's debacle, the NHTSA conducted a 2-year investigation of the issue and found nothing wrong with those cars, and everyone who sued Audi lost in court. Perhaps the folks in Tokyo should make time for a call to Ingolstadt.

[ Via: Detroit Free Press ]
[ Tag: accidents, investigations, nhtsa, pickup, pickup truck, pickup trucks, pickups, PickupTruck, PickupTrucks, safety, tacoma, toyota, toyota tacoma, ToyotaTacoma, unintended acceleration, UnintendedAcceleration ]

Toyota Crown hybrid gets Night View, spots pedestrians

We've questioned why some automakers in the past have gone to the trouble of replicating the look of traditional gauges when normal ones would do the trick. In the case of the new Toyota Crown Hybrid, though, there is a good reason for the 1280 x 480 pixel LCD panel mounted directly above the steering wheel in the dash, and Toyota calls it "Night View." Though other companies have used some sort of night vision technology before, and many have begun offering headlights that turn with the steering wheel to improve the safety of driving at night, Toyota has gone a step further by adding human recognition to its system. The technology currently only works when the vehicle is being driven between 15-60km/h, or about 10-40 miles per hour. Certain conditions, like rain, can also sometimes force the system to shut down. A high cost is also being cited as a potential obstacle to bring the technology to market. Toyota, however, is forging ahead and currently working on lowering the cost of Night View and programming it to recognize bicycles and animals.

[ Via: Nikkei ]
[ Tag: night view, night vision, night-view, night-vision, NightView, NightVision, toyota, toyota night view, toyota-night-view, ToyotaNightView ]

It's happened: Boy hit by hybrid, mom blames quiet running

When an eight-year-old boy on a bicycle gets hit by a car while riding in the middle of the street, the blame often points directly at the youth. However, if the car in question just happens to be a quiet hybrid-electric... there just may be reason to accuse the vehicle. Last weekend, a youthful Owen Erickson was riding his two-wheeler with a friend when he was struck by a Toyota Prius and tossed onto the hood of the popular hybrid. Thankfully, he was unhurt. His mother, however, was quick to place some of the blame on the "totally silent" Prius, claiming her son never heard it coming. As a scapegoat, the hybrid-electric vehicle is taking more than its fair share of heat. Two years ago, we blogged about the silent danger of hybrids. Earlier this year, Maryland launched a study, and passed legislation aimed at vehicle noise levels (more specifically, the "lack of" audible decibels), citing a legitimate concern for the blind. Just last month, a bill was introduced in the House of Representatives to study whether or not a "minimum sound level" needs to be established for these highly-efficient silent runners.We obviously haven't "heard" the end of this hybrid-electric argument as it begins to gain momentum around the country. Whether future Prius models are equipped with blaring sirens or not, we do know that Moms will still need to teach their children to not play in the middle of the street. Thanks for the tip, Tyler!

[ Via: KARE 11 ]
[ Tag: dangerous,deaf,electric-only,hybrid,hybrid-electric,noise,Prius,quiet,silent,Toyota ]

Toyota halts 2008 Highlander sales as part of recall

Slightly more than 90,000 Toyota Highlanders are being recalled for a seatbelt problem in the third row. The recalled crossovers are all 2008 models built between May of 2007 and March of this year. The stock belts could prevent secure mounting of a rear-facing child seat in the third row, and dealers will install a redesigned part on affected Highlanders. The problem with the third row belts hasn't spawned any complaints or injuries, and owners will be notified starting in June. Still, Toyota has put the brakes on Highlander sales until current stock is retrofitted and assembly lines are resupplied with the new part.

[ Via: Autoblog (Toyota) ]
[ Tag: highlander recall,highlander seatbelt,HighlanderRecall,HighlanderSeatbelt,seatbelt recall,SeatbeltRecall,toyota highlander,toyota highlander hy...,toyota highlander recall,toyota highlanders,toyota recall,toyota seatbelt,toyota seatbelt recall,ToyotaHighlander,ToyotaHighlanderHy...,ToyotaHighlanderRecall,ToyotaHighlanders,ToyotaRecall,ToyotaSeatbelt,ToyotaSeatbeltRecall ]