On Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:56:46 -0600, 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
If one googles "toyota accelerator recall", this is the second result
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/t...ry-102572.aspx,
which among other things, takes the reader to here
http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/c...ng-153495.aspx.
If one doesn't trust Toyota, then the same info along with tons of
comments is widely available. Here are some examples
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/car...oyota-sua.html
http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/how-...ator-pedals/#2
Or just google "runaway toyota" for a half-million hits. Clearly, the
info is there for anyone who wants it. If anything, there's too much
info. All any owner really needs to know is to take his car in for
service when he gets the recall, and in the meantime if there's a
problem, then stand on the brakes immediately and shift into neutral
if necessary. I'd add that *everybody* should be familiar with how
their car's brakes and steering feels when the engine is dead.
Wayne