On Feb 5, 9:56*am, Frnak McKenney
wrote:
XMetal-Content: accelerator pedal, cable, wrecked Toyota

On Thu, 4 Feb 2010 23:27:40 -0800 (PST), Too_Many_Tools wrote:

* *[...]
--- Now chopped completely out of context: --

You sound more concerned about making money than for the safety of
my family on the road with the Toyota death traps.

This statement bothers me because, if you expand "money" to
"deriving benefit", this statement would seem to apply to all
concerned: Toyota, the USDOT, and the media. *Heck, _I'm_ getting
another three seconds of fame (from my fifteen minutes) simply by
joining in the discussion.

I admit that I'm not the CEO of an automobile company -- and so far
no-one has offered to pay me to play one on TV -- but if I were, and
my first concern was the safety of my customers (I suspect that
being killed in a Toyota significantly reduces the chances that that
particular customer will purchase another any time soon), wouldn't I
have taken some sort of preventative measures as soon as it became
clear that this was a problem?

I know that if I were a Toyota owner I'd want to know as early as
possible (a) if I were likely to be affected, (b) warning signs so
I could avoid the problem before it occurred, and (c) what to do if
the problem occurred anyway.

(It's entirely possible that some group already _has_ issued some
*straightforward "If you see this, here's what you do" advice, and I
*just haven't noticed it. *If that's the case, then please feel free
*to ignore this little rant and skip ahead to the next-in-thread.)

I'm not talking about a massive recall. *That might or might not
have been appropriate early on, depending on what Toyota knew about
the problem and when. *I'm thinking of a simple letter --
illustrated with Charts'n'Diagrams -- describing:

* o What kind of problem has been reported in general terms, just
* * so people don't start worrying when they see (e.g.) a rust spot
* * on the fender.
* o What models are (might be) affected.
* o Specific symptoms that precede an actual failure, or how to test
* * whether or not a given car is "close to failure". In this
* * case, perhaps something along the lines of "With the engine
* * OFF, quickly press your accelerator pedal all the way to the
* * floor (Figure A), and then quickly release it (Figure B). *A
* * properly functioning accelerator pedal will immediately return
* * to its rest position (Figure C); if this does not occur, please
* * call our 800 support number immediately: 800-xxx-xxxx"
* o Include a paragraph clarifying what should and should not be
* * done in a Toyota (or those specific Toyota models) if the pedal
* * sticks, whether as a result of this problem or any other reason
* * (including the customer failing to ever have the accelerator
* * cable greased bucause he/she/it skipped their 5,000-through-
* * 50,000 mile service visits).
* o Finally, let the owners know that Toyota is about to provide
* * a fix through its distributors, and recommend that the owner
* * register their car model, s/n, and any information they care to
* * provide via the internet or the above 800-number.

Mailing such a letter -- and having the information broadcast
through the USDOT, state xxDOTs, and the media -- would (hopefully)
have two effects:

*1) Demonstrate Toyota's concern with its customers (useful in any
* * possible upcoming lawsuits), and
*2) Decrease the number of persons killed or injured.

And yet, I don't see Toyota doing this. *I don't see the USDOT doing
it. *And I don't see the "investigative journalists" in the media
doing it. I've seen a number of suggestions here and elsewhere, but
a Toyota-engineering-issued recommendation for appropriate actions
could settle all sorts of critical issues that we on the sidelines
debate with a lot more time at our disposal than a Toyota driver
with a stuck accelerator pedal would have:

* o Shift gears? Or Not?
* o Turn the ignition off? Or not? (the "locking" problem, power for
* * steering)
* o Use the brakes? Or not?

Of course, making up things like this is a lot easier for me. *I
don't have to worry about millions of customers, multiple thousands
of stockholders, or the image of my administraton. *But the
discussions of the details of the problem and the debates about its
workarounds -- in the media and elsewhere -- would likely result in
an increased awareness of what can go wrong with an automobile, and
what one could, should, and shouldn't do if it did.

And _that_ should please many (most?) of those following this
newsgroup. grin!

I think it's time for another mug of tea.

Frank McKenney
--
* * The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt or
* * a leaky tire.
--
Frank McKenney, McKenney Associates
Richmond, Virginia / (804) 320-4887
Munged E-mail: frank uscore mckenney ayut mined spring dawt cahm (y'all)

Good comments.

I agree that more info needs to be presented to the user.

That will not happen...unless forced.

The more the company admits to the problem, the larger the economic
hit due to lawsuits.

So companies hide the bad news until it blows up in their face.

The other problem is even if the info is out there, few people pay
attention and will respond properly during an unexpected event.

When you are dealing with a multi thousand pound missile driven by the
typical driver, the last problems you want are unexpected acceleration
or lack of deceleration.

TMT