The lying is not coming from those drivers. But now what would the defense be if someone who is fully aware of these sudden acceleration problems still chooses to drive a Toyota and ends up killing someone? Do you think Toyota will investigate and accept responsibility if warranted? Will someone at Toyota “apologize”? Or will you be defending yourself in court?
It’s obvious that you have a strong bias against Toyota, but there is no way that you can know if any particular driver is lying or not. Some of these recent reports just don’t smell right, and I do think that some of them are fraud (but I don’t know for certain). I also do think that Toyota has some problem(s) in this area. My guess is:
Some of the cases are real and are the fault of some Toyota design flaw.
Some of the cases are honest mistakes made by the drivers.
Some of the cases are fraud to try an cash in on Toyota’s problems.
There is no way you can know who is lying either. Going by the evidence, do you think a young father in the car with his pregnant wife would kill three people on purpose with his Toyota (A case in Minn.) and then falsely claim the car sped out of control by itself? Considering the recent developments? Is there reasonable doubt of his guilt? This is no intellectual exercise. People are dying.
“Some of the cases are real and are the fault of some Toyota design flaw.
Some of the cases are honest mistakes made by the drivers.
Some of the cases are fraud to try an cash in on Toyota’s problems.”
I think that tardis has summed it up very well.
Additionally, Toyota is not exactly helping their image by refusing to divulge information stored in the “black boxes” of their cars that have crashed. They may well have much less liability than it appears to be, but when they refuse to allow access to information on pedal position, brake pedal position, vehicle speed, etc, they certainly make one question their motives.
By the way, that case in Minnesota happened about 2 years ago. Before all the current attention. The young father is still in jail. Convicted of vehicular homicide. Here is an ABC news link. http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/RunawayToyotas/toyota-acceleration-problems-new-evidence-imprisoned-minnesota-toyota-camry-owner/story?id=9903455
There is a new report out that backs the majority of the responders here. Here is the gist of the report which makes “mass hysteria” and “panic” plausible: NEW YORK ? Reports of sudden acceleration in the Toyota Prius have spiked across the country. But that doesn’t mean there’s an epidemic of bad gas pedals in the popular hybrid.
Experts on consumer psychology say the relentless negative media attention Toyota has received since the fall makes it much more likely that drivers will mistake anything unexpected ? or even a misplaced foot ? for actual danger.
“When people expect problems, they’re more likely to find them,” said Lars Perner, a professor of clinical marketing at Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California.
In just the first 10 weeks of this year, 272 complaints have been filed nationwide for speed control problems with the Prius, according to an Associated Press analysis of unverified complaints received by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
By comparison, only 74 complaints were filed in all of last year, and just eight the year before that.
For problems with the brakes, rather than the gas, the figures are even more stark: 1,816 filed so far this year versus just 90 in all of 2009 and fewer than 20 in every other year of the last decade.
I rest my case.
“Experts on consumer psychology”? What a joke. How about the dozens of deaths? People are paying more attention to abnormalities, no matter how minor, because they could be a harbinger of real problems. This is a good thing. Hopefully people will be more attentive. The rise in complaints is not evidence of mass hysteria. It is evidence of a more aware (finally) public. It is laughable to suggest the rise in complaints can somehow absolve Toyota of it’s responsbilities to the public. Which is to find and correct the problem. How many here believe that has been done?
I fully agree that Toyota has a responsibility to find the “real” problem and repair it. I will not defend Toyota at all. They made mistakes but the “dozens of deaths” were caused by human error. All of those drivers had full control of the gearshift and the ignition switch. They simply panicked and caused the accidents. What I find laughable is that you would buy the argument that Toyota vehicles killed people. Toyotas don’t kill people…people kill people. If you can’t control a vehicle then you should not drive a vehicle.
Apparently Mr. Sikes is also 700k in debt…
Obviously you have not been paying attention to this board, news reports or even congressional testimony from survivors. Shifting into neutral has not helped many experiencing this problem. If it is an electronics or software related problem, and there is no mechanical linkage to the transmission, the position of the gear shift lever will make no difference and will not help. Even the engine off button is electronic. And if it takes hundreds of feet to stop a runaway car by holding a button for four seconds or standing on the brakes, and in the meantime you run over some people, how is it the drivers fault? Unless of course you have been educated on the risk at this point. Do some research. Or go back and read all the posts on this topic. To say all the deaths were caused by the unsuspecting drivers themselves is nonsense. But now you have a moral choice to make. If you decide to drive one of these cars, good luck and buckle up. Try not to hit people. Or you can clear your conscience by claiming Toyota said the problem is fixed. Of course, you may end up in jail anyway. Bologna sandwiches, anyone?
“What I first noticed was the fact that he did not even try to use the emergency brake until the cop pulled up alongside him and suggested he do so.”
Ummmm…Do you actually know what constitutes an “emergency brake” on a modern automobile?
It is a mechanical connection to HALF of the car’s normal hydraulically activated service brake system. Specifically, it is a mechanical connection to the rear brake pads/shoes, which are the “weak half” of the system.
If the car’s service brake, consisting of hydraulically activated brakes on all 4 wheels cannot stop a car, do you really think that a mechanical application of the same brakes on just two of those wheels will do a BETTER job of stopping the car?
All of this is why this system is usually referred to nowadays as the “parking brake”, rather than the emergency brake. The so-called e-brake has–AT BEST–only about 40% of the braking power of the car’s service brake system.
I do not see how he is going to make money by his experience. No damage, no injuries. He will probably lose money on his car. Being in debt these days is not uncommon.
When I think about how the U.S. Airways pilot, Captain Sullenberger, calmly ditched the plane in the Hudson River and saved the lives of everyone on the plane, wouldn’t it be great if motorists could develop even 1% of his skills to handle a vehicle in a crisis?
If only unaware geese were the problem… But then again, Chesty’s plane slowed down and allowed a safe landing, and did not speed out of control.
If I was Toyota. I would be retrofitting brake override on all cars with electronic throttle control. Otherwise they are leaving themselves wide open to people blaming everything on sudden acceleration.
One could also say that the owners noticed the problems, but figured it was something to do with the technology involved in the Prius, and various service writers blowing them off, saying it’s “normal” for it to happen(how many times have we had THOSE posts on here?), so the complaints didn’t happen. Now, with all the media attention, perhaps they’re looking back and saying “Yeah! That DID happen to me too”, and the legit complaints are coming to light
I agree, they are likely going to have to do just that - a brake overrided of the throttle. Race car drivers and left footed brakers won’t be happy, but that’s the action I think Toyota is going to have to take to get the confidence of new car buyers.
An elderly gentleman lost control of his Camry today and was ejected, the car rolled, in northwest Connecticut. The state police reported on WTNH.COM that the car had been recently serviced regarding the recall. The gentleman died.
Seeing how he hasn’t made a lease payment on his car in couple months, he’s not exactly losing money. I don’t think that most people are 700k in debt either. Mr. Sike’s case is looking more and more suspicious by the day. How much you want to bet he’ll go after Toyota for mental anguish damages?
Why did you leave out the fact that the gentleman was not wearing his seatbelt? The report I read said that, according to state police sources, the man most likely would have survived the rollover if he had not been ejected. Again, I am afraid that the driver was at fault, not Toyota.