Toyota Reportedly Recalls 2004-09 Priuses to Investigate Gas Pedal Issues

I'd rather read the Wall Street Journal article.

FOX's headline doesn't even make sense. You don't recall 6 years of a model of automobile "to investigate" gas pedal issues.

You recall to fix.

Guess I'll hunt down the Wall Street Journal statement.

Sounds like more bad news for Toyota either way.

 

Lots of chickens, er, problems coming home to roost.

 

To recap from the other thread: The wsj.com article merely re-states the ALREADY KNOWN recall to fix the entrapped floor mats issue. It doesn't mention ANY new recall related to acceleration. Why this is being breathlessly reported as a *new* recall is a mystery, and (so far) inaccurate.

 

I don't get it - They're blaming floor mats?????

Toyota to Recall Prius Models Including One in Runaway Incident - WSJ.com
Toyota to Recall Prius Models Including One in Runaway Incident

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday that the Prius involved in a highly publicized acceleration incident on a California freeway along with hundreds of thousands of others will be the subject of a future recall to prevent floor mats from pinning down the gas pedal.

As part of those recalls, Toyota said Prius hybrids from the 2004 to 2009 model years would be recalled in the future to address the same issue. The company advised owners of those Priuses to remove their floor mats in the meantime to prevent the gas pedal from becoming trapped, said Brian Lyons, a Toyota spokesman.

The recall hasn't been issued because Toyota "hasn't developed the remedy yet," Mr. Lyons said.

 

I don't know if Toyota is trying to be transparent and open but it seems "stupid" to announce that a vehicle will be subject to a "future recall". To me, recall or don't recall. Announcing that a vehicle will be recalled, before it is recalled, doesn't make much sense. Just upsets people and leaves peoples speculating.

If this is true, I'd expect an announcement forthcoming but Toyota should investigate internal leaks, because the announcement should come immediately from themselves not speculatively from The Wall Street Journal. IMO.

 

To be clear, Toyota has not made a comment on the latest incident, except to say that they will investigate.

 

It's the same recall so what's the news?

 

Floormats are cheaper to blame than the electronic control system. Floormats cost what, $10? each in volume. Electronic control systems are $1,000 apiece and counting, depending on how much has to be replaced. If the electronic control systems of every Toyota produced since 2002 (when Toyota started to make the switch to electronic control systems) had to be replaced, Toyota could be out of business.

 

There are likely at east 2 separate systems that would probably need replacement - ECU and VSC/TC/ABS. I have no idea of the replacement cost, but I doubt it is at the $100 level. The replacement hardware would have to be certified to some level of EMI resistance, which will drive up the cost considerably. In one of my past lives, I implemented EMI shielded systems for a black-world agency. A standard PC-AT system that cost $4,000 at the time rose to $12,000 for the EMI-shielded variety. No additional processing horsepower; just the shielding with each piece being tested and certified.

 

Well, if there is no shielding and just the plastic boxes, that is where the investigation should start.

I am sorry, but I have a much lower opinion of Fox than you have. For me to agree to your characterization of Fox would be a compliment on my part. Again, I am sorry; but I can not bring myself to compliment Fox.

 

More mass-media FUD...

Toyota posts an official response to this:
Toyota Vehicles : Toyota Responds to Inaccurate Reports of Future Prius Recall for Floormat Entrapment / Toyota

Toyota Responds to Inaccurate Reports of Future Prius Recall for Floormat Entrapment
Media reports, citing a Wall Street Journal article, have incorrectly reported that Toyota plans to announce a new recall for the 2004-2009 Prius to address the potential risk for floor mat entrapment of accelerator pedals.

There is no new recall being planned for the Prius to address this issue. To be clear, the 2004-2009 Prius was part of Toyota’s November 2, 2009 announcement of a voluntary safety recall campaign to address floor mat entrapment in certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles. This announcement can be found at our press room at: Lexus Vehicles : Toyota Begins Interim Notification to Owners Regarding Future Voluntary Safety Recall Related to Floor Mats / Toyota.

Other models involved in this previously-announced recall include 2007 to 2010 Camry, 2005 to 2010 Avalon, 2005 to 2010 Tacoma, 2007 to 2010 Tundra, 2007 to 2010 ES350, 2006 to 2010 IS250, and 2006 to 2010 IS 350. On January 27, 2010, Toyota expanded the campaign to include the 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.

The remedy process for these vehicles began at the end of 2009 and is occurring on a rolling schedule during 2010. Owners of the involved vehicles that have not yet been remedied are asked to take out any removable driver’s side floor mat and not replace it with any other floor mat.

Owners who have further questions are asked to visit Toyota Cars, Trucks, SUVs & Accessories or Lexus: New Luxury Cars and SUVs from Lexus USA or contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus Customer Assistance at 1-800-255-3987.

 

yes!
and I removed my floor mat months ago.
whatever...

 

IT'S not the floormats. Stop insulting our intelligence....

 

Toyota says it is the floormats and the accelerator pedal thingy.

 

I thought Mr Toyoda was quoted as saying it was 'driver error'.