Car and Driver: Toyota's Current Challenges

News reports began surfacing last November of problems with stuck accelerator pedals on certain Toyota cars.  The Japanese carmaker is in the midst of two separate recalls covering millions of vehicles, and now faces possible problems with the braking system on some 2010 Prius models.  Click here for access to Toyota's official website and their response to the recalls.

The current edition of Car and Driver Magazine carries a story on unintended acceleration that tested a Toyota Camry with a Infiniti G37 and a high powered Roush Stage 3 Ford Mustang. (Click here for the story.) The article finds that no major deficiencies in the ability of the Camry to deal with unintended acceleration, but suggests that the automaker should emulate the competition by installing a throttle cutoff and a more responsive push button ignition.

The magazine also outlined the best steps drivers can take if they experience unintended acceleration problems.


Credit: Car and Driver research Data

The magazine's tests found that "stomping on the brakes" in stuck-throttle emergency is most immediate action a driver can take. The tests found the car should stop in 190 feet, or a foot less that a Ford Taurus with no throttle problems. The tests also noted that shifting into neutral is perhaps the best move. "This is your best option in an emergency. Neither the Camry’s nor the Infiniti’s automatic transmission showed any hesitancy to shift into neutral or park when accelerating at full tilt."

The C & D experts found that new software should be used to improve electronic throttle control in Toyotas. They also said shutting off the engine is not the best action either.  

The problems now being experienced by Toyota are reminiscent of the bad press Audi received in the '80s when the media carried stories of runaway vehicles.  Following press coverage of the supposed Audi problems, it was subsequently revealed that the tests  intending to show the cause of unintended acceleration were rigged, yet the public response to the false reports decimated the carmaker's sales for years to come.

On November 23, 1986, the CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes" carried a  segment on the Audi 5000 automobile. According to an article in Automobile.com, the "60 Minutes" story highlighted an alleged problem of  unintended acceleration and featured emotional interviews with six people who  unsuccessfully sued Audi after their cars were involved in crashes.
 
CBS aired footage of an Audi 5000 with the gas pedal moving down - allegedly on its own -causing the car to accelerate.  The demonstration  was designed by an expert witness who had been hired by one of the plaintiffs.  The accelerator pedal had been modified with a concealed device in order to show what could happen with unintended acceleration yet that was never revealed to viewers.

The reports nearly destroyed Audi's brand in the United States, which did not reach the same level for another fifteen years. The incidents were reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Transport Canada to have been caused by driver error, where owners had depressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal. The Wall Street Journal featured an article then that has been reprinted on the website of the Manhattan Institute which examined the problem of unintended acceleration.   

With the phenomenal number of Toyotas on the road, what is the actual risk - the ratio of vehicles with real problems?  Toyota has weathered the cutbacks in consumer purchases far better than any other automaker - especially with clean vehicles - the Prius is the largest seller in the world.  Perhaps, as in the 80s, only time will tell the full story.