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Toyota Sudden Acceleration Is Driver Error
phantomfive writes "The NHTSA has investigated data recorders from Toyota cars whose owners claimed to have crashed due to an accelerator error. They found that the throttles were wide open and the brakes weren't being pressed. The investigation looked at a sample of the cars, selected by the NHTSA." Jamie found this article with a superior headline at Balloon Juice.
I mean it's got to be his fault, right? Due to their walled garden approach to their ECU software? And let's face it, I can get a Yugo for thousands of dollars less. Toyotas are just flashy and shiny objects to those who aren't smart enough to run and Yugo and those who are more concerned about being cool.
> America, unfortunately is doomed to work within the limits of it's communal IQ.
it's? Oh, you mean its. You must be American, right?
In 1988 or so I had a Pontiac Fiero that when you turned the cruise control on (just switching immediately when switching from "off" to "on"), the gas pedal would pin itself to the floor and the engine would go WIDE OPEN. Now this was easily and immediately remedied by switching the cruise control off again, but it DID HAPPEN TO ME. Electronic devices screw up constantly. Did you ever used and old MIDI instrument, that when it crashed all the data outputs would just start throwing data like crazy and all the notes would play at max volume continuously? Older musicians know this was common.
Also, I read that the reports of sudden acceleration in Toyotas have ONLY come from cars with U.S. made ECUs, and NEVER with Japanese made ECUs... I somehow doubt that all of the people supposedly "faking" look at their ECU first before determining whether to make a false claim.
Do I know for certain whether or not this is a real problem? No. But when electronics lock up, and they do all the time, anything can happen.
I was very wary when they started taking away accelerator cables, as I understand electronics all too well and prefer to never trust them with my life -- Airbus prefers to differ in their opinion, so I try to always use Boeing. And I will certainly NEVER BUY A CAR WITH FLY BY WIRE STEERING!!!!!!!!
Agreed. I'm still firmly of the belief that this was never really a problem and it was just a bunch of stupid people not knowing how to operate a vehicle. Then again, looking at any highway in America and you can spot thousands of people who shouldn't allowed anywhere near a car, let alone be allowed to operate one.
I can picture in my mind the idiots and asshats who saw that Toyota had a rumored problem and then decided to push the blame of their accident (likely caused by their own stupidity) onto Toyota instead. I have several family members who have been buying from Toyota for years and never had anything like this happen.
I'll believe there is an acceleration problem when I see it myself.