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M***s
发帖数: 8769 | 1 http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Toyota-safety-in-spotlight-apf-2235825260.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=3&asset=&ccode=
Brock Vergakis and Ken Thomas, Associated Press, On Monday November 15, 2010
, 7:10 pm EST
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The deadly crash of a Toyota Camry in western Utah is
being blamed on a sticky gas pedal, the same problem that led the world's
largest automaker to recall the car for repairs early this year.
The 2008 Camry slammed into a rock wall near the Nevada border on Nov. 5,
killing the driver and a passenger. The vehicle was the subject of three
recalls, most recently for an accelerator that can get stuck in the open
position.
The crash raised questions about Toyota Motor Corp.'s system for repairing
flaws in its vehicles. Safety advocates note that the government has
received dozens of customer complaints about problems continuing even after
a repair.
"To think that Toyota has solved the problem with these recalls, I think the
complaints show something different," said Sean Kane, founder of Safety
Research & Strategies Inc., a Massachusetts-based firm that has studied
Toyota's recalls.
In the past year, Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles because of floor
mats that can snag gas pedals or accelerators that can sometimes stick.
Hundreds of lawsuits were filed against Toyota after it began issuing the
recalls.
Brian Lyons, a Toyota spokesman, said the automaker was assisting the Utah
Highway Patrol with its investigation. The automaker said it was too early
to draw any conclusions about the cause of the crash.
Toyota engineers typically help law enforcement agencies review vehicle
black boxes, which track what's happening in a car in the moments before and
after a crash.
In the Utah crash, tire skid marks showed that the Camry's driver, Paul
Vanalfen, 66, tried to stop the vehicle as it exited Interstate 80, police
said. The car went through a stop sign at the bottom of the ramp and through
an intersection before hitting the wall.
The passenger -- his son's fiancee, Charlene Lloyd, 38 -- also died.
Vanalfen's wife and son were injured.
"Based on statements from witnesses and statements from those that survived
the crash inside the car, (the investigator is) led to believe that the
pedal was stuck," Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Todd Johnson said.
The Camry's brakes appeared to be in working order, he said.
The 2008 Camry was subject to recalls focusing on all-weather floor mats
interfering with accelerator pedals, unsecured mats entrapping the gas pedal
and accelerators getting stuck.
The first recall, involving 55,000 vehicles, came in September 2007. It was
prompted by some owners stacking all-weather plastic floor mats on top of
carpet floor mats, causing interference with the pedal. Mats were made
available to owners.
The second recall, in October 2009, brought wide attention to the safety of
Toyota's vehicles.
Toyota said 4.4 million vehicles were recalled because the unsecured mats
could cause the gas pedal to get stuck in the wide-open position. It was
later expanded to about 5.4 million vehicles.
To fix the problem, owners were told to remove the floor mat and dealers
replaced the gas pedal and in some cases adjusted the surface of the floor
to increase the space between the pedal and the floor.
Through early November, Toyota said about 3 million vehicles covered by the
recall had been fixed. That included more than 80 percent of the Toyota
Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES350 models involved.
Utah investigators did not immediately know whether Vanalfen complied with
the first two recalls.
The third notice covering Vanalfen's Camry was announced in January and
affected 2.3 million vehicles with accelerators that could stick and be slow
to return to the idle position, leaving the throttle open.
Toyota said through early November it had inspected and repaired 1.85
million vehicles. Dealers installed a steel reinforcement bar to reduce the
friction inside the pedal and prevent the gas pedal from sticking.
Johnson said investigators believe Vanalfen had taken his car into the
dealership to address the latest recall notice.
He said his agency had not completed its investigation and it wasn't
immediately clear how long that would take.
Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco in Tokyo said he did not have details on
whether the Vanalfen Camry underwent any fixes under its recall.
Federal transportation investigators were reviewing the details of the crash
and declined further comment on it.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has received
about 3,000 reports of sudden acceleration from Toyota drivers in the past
decade, including 93 deaths. The government, however, has confirmed only
four deaths from one crash.
Camrys from the 2007-10 model years covered by the second floor mat
entrapment recall were supposed to receive a brake override system. The
system was designed to cut engine power when a driver is applying both the
brakes and the accelerator pedal together.
It wasn't immediately clear if the Camry in the Utah crash was equipped with
the system.
Toyota has said it has aggressively responded to the safety concerns and
expanded the engineering team sent out to examine cars that owners claim
speeded up on their own.
Toyota said it hasn't found any electronic problem, a potential culprit
raised by lawyers and safety advocates, after reviewing 4,200 vehicles in
which owners alleged problems with unintended acceleration.
The government said about 70 percent of recalled vehicles get fixed 1 1/2
years after the recall is launched.
Thomas reported from Washington, D.C.
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A Yahoo! User
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A Yahoo! User 9 hours ago Report Abuse
I'll never buy another Toyota. Quality vehicle my arse. Don't get
suckered people it could cost you your life.
Mickie
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Mickie 9 hours ago Report Abuse
I wonder if Toyota will buy this car back if the injured wife
signs an agreement not to tell anyone about the acceleration problem and the
gas pedal sticking wide open.
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A Yahoo! User
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A Yahoo! User 9 hours ago Report Abuse
Nice timing. Right before the GM ipo.
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b
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b 10 hours ago Report Abuse
hey julie r that procedure utilized by the japanese is "Hari Kari"
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A Yahoo! User
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A Yahoo! User 10 hours ago Report Abuse
Just keep drinking the Kool Aid people that they make great
vehicles. Hopefully you'll wake up to the facts about their quality myth
before it kills you. If not oh well
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A Yahoo! User
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A Yahoo! User 10 hours ago Report Abuse
Toyota is still making BILIONS in profits and that is whats
important.
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A Yahoo! User
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A Yahoo! User 10 hours ago Report Abuse
You get what you deserve. Just make sure you keep the life Ins.
premiums paid up and good luck. If you don't have ins. would you mind if I
took a policy out on you?
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greenman53
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greenman53 10 hours ago Report Abuse
Throw it in reverse, that would be fun!
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A Yahoo! User
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A Yahoo! User 10 hours ago Report Abuse
Date Line got caught rigging the gas tanks on the Chevy trucks to
explode and got sued over that. Talk about the media being biased against
the domestic manufactiures. They did what ever they could to bring them down
where the imports got a free pass for decades on their defective cars. That
is the plain and simple truth of the matter. Its about time the truth came
out on the import brands.
…… | d******g
发帖数: 6966 | 2 uaw看了看toyota事件搞不出东西来了...又开始制造事故了。。。哈哈。。。uaw这种
垃圾也就只能做做这种下三滥事情了 | M***s
发帖数: 8769 | | y****i
发帖数: 12114 | 4 记者好像没有确认这辆车子是不是去修过。
而且，撞到这种位置上，你要说纯粹是加速引起的，也难以服众吧？ | m**x
发帖数: 790 | | M***s
发帖数: 8769 | 6 highlander如果有这个爬坡能力，估计卖火了
【在 m**x 的大作中提到】
: 赞爬坡能力，都要上墙了
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