Toyota floor mat recall
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Let's recap. After 18 months, recalls totaling 9 million Toyota, Lexus, and Pontiac models, and investigations by Toyota, Congress, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) unit ... what have we learned? (1) A few accelerator pedals did stick open, for one of two very different reasons. First, some dealers or owners fitted unapproved floor mats that were too thick, which could prevent the accelerator from returning to its usual position. In the case of the horrifying and highly publicized crash of a Lexus that sped along a...
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Photos: Padgett's Post-Recall Prius Pedal, Accelerator Shortened
While the dust is now settling on a year's worth of recalls by a beleagured Toyota, the company is still working to modify millions of vehicles that are potentially involved in recalls over sudden acceleration or other safety issues. Toyota Prius models built from 2004 to 2009 are part of a recall...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Owners Are Sensible and Level-Headed, In Other Words
Ah, yes, it must be about time for another outburst of Prius stereotyping. Three, two, one ... there! Did you hear it? Over there, in the slightly shrill tones of the ever-shrinking but still testy New York Observer (still printed on orange paper, so Nineties)? The paper attempted to survey New...
John Voelcker -
U.S. DoT Asks Scientists, NASA To Probe Toyota Acceleration
In the face of continuing suggestions that random electronic interference may be causing unintended acceleration in the Toyota Prius and other vehicles, the U.S. Department of Transportation has asked for independent studies on the topic from two scientific organizations. Despite multiple recalls...
John Voelcker -
Those Two So-Called Runaway Prius Cases? Cars Not At Fault
We thought we should provide a short update on two highly publicized so-called "runaway Toyota Prius" cases, one in San Diego and one in Harrison, New York. The reputed phenomenon of "sudden acceleration" has been debated at least since a 1986 controversy around the Audi 5000 model. But the two...
John Voelcker -
The Punching Bag Hits Back: Prius Crash Was Driver Error, Toyota Says
Few automotive engineers believe in so-called "sudden acceleration". But until recently, there's been no way to determine what a driver what doing when he (or she) swears that he was pressing the brake pedal with all his strength even as the car accelerated. Now, that's changed. Federal...
John Voelcker -
As we've noted before, so-called sudden acceleration is a confusing, messy, and very uncertain subject. Now a certain San Diego citizen seems to be caught in the cross-hairs of media scrutiny over what is and isn't technically possible in a Toyota Prius--let alone smart to do--if the driver claims the car is accelerating out of control. Welcome to the strange saga of Mr. Sikes and his Seemingly Suddenly Accelerating Prius. Media frenzy There's been more media coverage of the Sikes case than we could possibly do justice to. But in one sentence: There seems to be a growing possibility that Jim...
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2010 Toyota Prius Reigns As Japan Sales Champ Despite Recalls
Unlike some of its Toyota brethren, the 2010 Prius hybrid was never pulled off sale due to recalls. But U.S. sales fell 6.1% in February anyway, against the previous month, though they rose versus February 2009, when the new 2010 model hadn't yet hit dealers. Currently, the 2010 Prius is the...
John Voelcker -
2004-2009 Toyota Prius Recall Will Reshape Accelerator Pedal
Owners of Toyota's iconic Prius hybrid model who thought they'd escaped the rash of Toyota recalls need to think again. The company is working on a fix to reshape accelerator pedals so that they cannot be trapped by floor mats, and will issue details within weeks. The upcoming recall took center...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Recall Guide: Sudden Acceleration & Brake Safety
Everything you need to know about the recalls affecting the 2010 Toyota Prius, and the 2004-2009 Prius too
John Voelcker -
RECALL: 2010 Toyota Prius, Lexus HS250h For ABS Software Update
As expected, Toyota has announced a recall for its 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Lexus HS 250h models to update the anti-lock braking system (ABS) software. The new software improves the response time of the anti-lock system and alters its sensitivity to tire slippage. The update is intended to reduce...
John Voelcker -
UPDATE: Braking Issue In 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid, Recall TBD
UPDATE: The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a formal inquiry into the brakes of the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid. It has now received 124 complaints of faulty brakes, out of roughly 37,000 of the cars sold to date in the U.S. Toyota said it would cooperate fully with the...
John Voelcker -
Things are moving fast in the land of Toyota safety issues and recalls. Yesterday, we told you that the 2010 Toyota Prius was being investigated for braking problems in Japan. Today, Toyota has admitted that most 2010 Prius models (those built between the start of production last spring and late January) have a glitch in the software that controls the anti-lock braking system. That control system was completely redesigned for 2010. Only the 2010 Prius, no earlier models The problem does not occur in either first-generation (2000-2003) or second-generation (2004-2009) Prius models, which have...
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Is Woz's Prius Acceleration Just Toyota's Wacky Adaptive Cruise?
UPDATE, February 8, 2009: Speaking in a sort-of-webchat on Digg, Toyota president Jim Lentz said of the Woz complaint, "We are working with him on the operation of the cruise control." Please forgive us while we quietly smirk. ++++++++++ It's obviously pile-on-Toyota week. Transportation Secretary...
John Voelcker -
2010 Toyota Prius Investigated In Japan For Braking Problems
Citing allegations of braking loss or slippage, Japan's Ministry of Transportation ordered Toyota to launch an investigation into possible brake problems in the new 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid. That car, currently in short supply globally and also the best-selling car in Japan, is the subject of 14...
John Voelcker -
2007 and 2008 Honda Fit Recalled For Potential Fire Hazard
We've always been big fans of the Honda Fit subcompact hatchback, with fuel economy ratings of 28 mpg city, 35 mpg highway for the five-speed manual model. In its review of the newest 2010 Honda Fit, our sister site TheCarConnection lauded the Fit for: City-friendly steering and maneuverability...
John Voelcker -
Toyota and Lexus Recalls: Is Your Hybrid Affected?
So much has happened around the Toyota and Lexus accelerator safety recalls over the last week that it's hard to keep it all straight. So we're taking our first stab at it by sorting out the impact of the recall on the many hybrids offered by Toyota and Lexus. The full scope of the latest recall...
John Voelcker -
Most Popular Prius Posts for November: The Recalls Have It
Ack! It's December! Wha'ppened? Well, to avoid thoughts of the holiday shopping you haven't done yet, here are the most popular posts of the past 30 days on AllAboutPrius.com, three of them returning from October's most popular posts. This month, it's all about safety and recalls. The...
John Voelcker -
It's the end of October, but we'll spare you the lame Halloween jokes and dive directly into the most popular posts of the month on AllAboutPrius.com. Just like the month before, only two of September's most popular posts reappeared: the 2010 Toyota Prius Reference Guide (by now the year's undisputed champion), and last month's surprise entry about a drag-race video that faces off a 2010 Prius against its 2009 predecessor. # 1: 30 Days of the 2010 Toyota Prius: Your Reference Guide. It's the Reference Guide. It's on top. It was on top last month. It will probably be on top next month. What...
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ALERT: Largest Ever Toyota Recall of 3.8M Cars To Check Floor Mats
As reported earlier this afternoon on our sister site TheCarConnection.com, Toyota may will recall up to 3.8 million cars and pickup trucks to ensure that the floor mats on the driver's side are not interfering with the accelerator and brake pedals. It would will be the company's largest recall...
John Voelcker -
ALERT: Toyota Recalls 2004-2009 Prius, DoT Urges Removing Floor Mat
Toyota may will recall all models of the 2004-2009 Toyota Prius to ensure that the driver' side floor mat cannot interfere with the accelerator and brake pedals, possibly causing the accelerator to stick. This afternoon, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued an "urgent" warning...
John Voelcker