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From: C. E. White on 30 Nov 2009 07:10
Toyota dealers can use existing tools for pedal fix
Chrissie Thompson
Automotive News
November 25, 2009 - 8:19 am ET
UPDATED: 11/25/09 4:21 p.m. ET

Toyota and Lexus dealers will be able to use existing tools to quickly
reshape accelerator pedals on 3.8 million vehicles involved in Toyota
Motor Corp.'s largest U.S. recall, a spokesman said.

Spelling out fixes today for a planned recall announced in late
September, Toyota said it would reconfigure the shape of accelerator
pedals to reduce the risk that they may be jammed in the floor mat and
cause unintended acceleration. In addition, Toyota will replace both
first- and second-generation original-equipment floor mats with a pair
of redesigned mats on the seven affected vehicle lines.

Reshaping the pedals is a temporary fix until replacement pedals
become available -- roughly in April, although exact timing will vary
by vehicle model, Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said. Customers who
initially have their pedals reshaped will then have the option of
having them replaced.

Dealers will receive a template, or "jig," next month, along with
instructions for fixing the pedals, Michels said. Customers will start
getting letters at the end of the year, and dealerships will begin
work in January.

The job involves removing the one-piece pedal assembly and cutting 20
millimeters, or three-fourths of an inch, off the bottom of the
pedal's face, Michels said. The width will also receive a small
adjustment.

"That's a simple matter," Michels said. "It doesn't affect any of the
pedal assembly."

The job shouldn't take much time and shouldn't require dealers to get
new tools, he said.

Toyota does not have an estimate of the total cost of the recall,
including paying dealerships for labor, Michels said.

The model years and vehicles involved are the 2004-2009 Prius; the
2005 to 2010 Avalon and Tacoma; the 2007-2010 Camry, Tundra and Lexus
ES 350; and the 2006 to 2010 Lexus IS 250 /IS 350.

As part of the action, Toyota will install a brake override system on
the involved Camry, Avalon, and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250 models
"as an extra measure of confidence." The system will shut off engine
power if drivers press the accelerator pedal and brake pedal
simultaneously.

The automaker said it will send first-class letters to owners of the
Camry, ES 350, and Avalon by the end of the year. Owners of the five
other models will be notified throughout 2010.

Plan looks good

A former Toyota engineer who is now with automotive analysis firm
Edmunds.com said in a statement today that the solutions from the
recall should work.

"Our tests have confirmed that an out of position floor mat can cause
the throttle to stick because of the shape and geometry of the current
gas pedal," wrote Dan Edmunds. He served as senior chassis development
engineer for Toyota's Technical Center before joining Edmunds.com in
April 2006 as director of automotive testing.

"Temporarily shortening and replacing the accelerator pedals are
viable solutions to alleviate the problem," Edmunds wrote.

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, announced plans for the recall
in late September, citing the risk that a loose floor mat could force
down the accelerator, a problem suspected of causing crashes that
killed five people. The recall is only in the United States. No
investigations into unintended accelerations in Toyota vehicles are
underway in Europe, Japan or China, Michels said today.

Toyota has said it has confidence the problem is linked to floor mats
and not a vehicle design flaw or problems related to braking, fuel or
accelerator systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said
discussions included "several vehicle-based" factors that may
contribute to pedal interference and a driver's ability to control and
stop the car when the accelerator gets stuck.
Toyota vs. NHTSA

Earlier this month, Toyota Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo
denied allegations the automaker tried to sidestep engineering or
design defects that led to the recall.

His comments came a day after NHTSA rebuked Toyota for issuing
"inaccurate and misleading information" about the safety recall, which
advised drivers to remove floor mats that may potentially jam
underneath the gas pedal and cause unintended acceleration.

A Toyota statement days earlier said NHTSA found "no defect exists in
vehicles with properly installed floor mats." In fact, NHTSA had said
Toyota vehicles have a "very serious defect."

The accelerator and floor design of the vehicles create "the potential
for entrapment of the accelerator by floor mats," said a statement by
NHTSA. It said removing the floor mats is only an interim solution
that does not correct the underlying defect.
Funo said Toyota had "no disagreement on this issue."

In early November, ABC News broadcast interviews with a number of
Toyota drivers who said their vehicles suddenly accelerated out of
control even though their foot depressed the brake and not the gas
pedal. ABC cited reports of 16 acceleration-related deaths and more
than 200 accidents.

The floor mat recall was prompted by an Aug. 28 accident involving a
runaway Lexus ES 350 in San Diego that killed four people.

Toyota in late October said it would begin sending letters to owners
urging them to remove the floor mats from their cars while the company
considers what to do to curb unintended acceleration problems.


From: Fatter Than Ever Moe on 30 Nov 2009 09:07
C. E. White wrote:
> Toyota dealers can use existing tools for pedal fix
> Chrissie Thompson
> Automotive News
> November 25, 2009 - 8:19 am ET
> UPDATED: 11/25/09 4:21 p.m. ET
>
> Toyota and Lexus dealers will be able to use existing tools to quickly
> reshape accelerator pedals on 3.8 million vehicles involved in Toyota
> Motor Corp.'s largest U.S. recall, a spokesman said.
>
> Spelling out fixes today for a planned recall announced in late
> September, Toyota said it would reconfigure the shape of accelerator
> pedals to reduce the risk that they may be jammed in the floor mat and
> cause unintended acceleration. In addition, Toyota will replace both
> first- and second-generation original-equipment floor mats with a pair
> of redesigned mats on the seven affected vehicle lines.
>
> Reshaping the pedals is a temporary fix until replacement pedals
> become available -- roughly in April, although exact timing will vary
> by vehicle model, Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said. Customers who
> initially have their pedals reshaped will then have the option of
> having them replaced.
>
> Dealers will receive a template, or "jig," next month, along with
> instructions for fixing the pedals, Michels said. Customers will start
> getting letters at the end of the year, and dealerships will begin
> work in January.
>
> The job involves removing the one-piece pedal assembly and cutting 20
> millimeters, or three-fourths of an inch, off the bottom of the
> pedal's face, Michels said. The width will also receive a small
> adjustment.
>
> "That's a simple matter," Michels said. "It doesn't affect any of the
> pedal assembly."
>
> The job shouldn't take much time and shouldn't require dealers to get
> new tools, he said.
>
> Toyota does not have an estimate of the total cost of the recall,
> including paying dealerships for labor, Michels said.
>
> The model years and vehicles involved are the 2004-2009 Prius; the
> 2005 to 2010 Avalon and Tacoma; the 2007-2010 Camry, Tundra and Lexus
> ES 350; and the 2006 to 2010 Lexus IS 250 /IS 350.
>
> As part of the action, Toyota will install a brake override system on
> the involved Camry, Avalon, and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250 models
> "as an extra measure of confidence." The system will shut off engine
> power if drivers press the accelerator pedal and brake pedal
> simultaneously.
>
> The automaker said it will send first-class letters to owners of the
> Camry, ES 350, and Avalon by the end of the year. Owners of the five
> other models will be notified throughout 2010.
>
> Plan looks good
>
> A former Toyota engineer who is now with automotive analysis firm
> Edmunds.com said in a statement today that the solutions from the
> recall should work.
>
> "Our tests have confirmed that an out of position floor mat can cause
> the throttle to stick because of the shape and geometry of the current
> gas pedal," wrote Dan Edmunds. He served as senior chassis development
> engineer for Toyota's Technical Center before joining Edmunds.com in
> April 2006 as director of automotive testing.
>
> "Temporarily shortening and replacing the accelerator pedals are
> viable solutions to alleviate the problem," Edmunds wrote.
>
> Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, announced plans for the recall
> in late September, citing the risk that a loose floor mat could force
> down the accelerator, a problem suspected of causing crashes that
> killed five people. The recall is only in the United States. No
> investigations into unintended accelerations in Toyota vehicles are
> underway in Europe, Japan or China, Michels said today.
>
> Toyota has said it has confidence the problem is linked to floor mats
> and not a vehicle design flaw or problems related to braking, fuel or
> accelerator systems.
>
> The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said
> discussions included "several vehicle-based" factors that may
> contribute to pedal interference and a driver's ability to control and
> stop the car when the accelerator gets stuck.
> Toyota vs. NHTSA
>
> Earlier this month, Toyota Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo
> denied allegations the automaker tried to sidestep engineering or
> design defects that led to the recall.
>
> His comments came a day after NHTSA rebuked Toyota for issuing
> "inaccurate and misleading information" about the safety recall, which
> advised drivers to remove floor mats that may potentially jam
> underneath the gas pedal and cause unintended acceleration.
>
> A Toyota statement days earlier said NHTSA found "no defect exists in
> vehicles with properly installed floor mats." In fact, NHTSA had said
> Toyota vehicles have a "very serious defect."
>
> The accelerator and floor design of the vehicles create "the potential
> for entrapment of the accelerator by floor mats," said a statement by
> NHTSA. It said removing the floor mats is only an interim solution
> that does not correct the underlying defect.
> Funo said Toyota had "no disagreement on this issue."
>
> In early November, ABC News broadcast interviews with a number of
> Toyota drivers who said their vehicles suddenly accelerated out of
> control even though their foot depressed the brake and not the gas
> pedal. ABC cited reports of 16 acceleration-related deaths and more
> than 200 accidents.
>
> The floor mat recall was prompted by an Aug. 28 accident involving a
> runaway Lexus ES 350 in San Diego that killed four people.
>
> Toyota in late October said it would begin sending letters to owners
> urging them to remove the floor mats from their cars while the company
> considers what to do to curb unintended acceleration problems.
>
>

A hacksaw and a hammer? Toyota is starting to sound more and more
like a GM product.
From: JoeSpareBedroom on 30 Nov 2009 09:31
"Fatter Than Ever Moe" <HardTimes(a)TheFarm> wrote in message
news:4b13d1b8$0$5362$bbae4d71(a)news.suddenlink.net...
> C. E. White wrote:
>> Toyota dealers can use existing tools for pedal fix
>> Chrissie Thompson
>> Automotive News
>> November 25, 2009 - 8:19 am ET
>> UPDATED: 11/25/09 4:21 p.m. ET
>>
>> Toyota and Lexus dealers will be able to use existing tools to quickly
>> reshape accelerator pedals on 3.8 million vehicles involved in Toyota
>> Motor Corp.'s largest U.S. recall, a spokesman said.
>>
>> Spelling out fixes today for a planned recall announced in late
>> September, Toyota said it would reconfigure the shape of accelerator
>> pedals to reduce the risk that they may be jammed in the floor mat and
>> cause unintended acceleration. In addition, Toyota will replace both
>> first- and second-generation original-equipment floor mats with a pair of
>> redesigned mats on the seven affected vehicle lines.
>>
>> Reshaping the pedals is a temporary fix until replacement pedals become
>> available -- roughly in April, although exact timing will vary by vehicle
>> model, Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said. Customers who initially have
>> their pedals reshaped will then have the option of having them replaced.
>>
>> Dealers will receive a template, or "jig," next month, along with
>> instructions for fixing the pedals, Michels said. Customers will start
>> getting letters at the end of the year, and dealerships will begin work
>> in January.
>>
>> The job involves removing the one-piece pedal assembly and cutting 20
>> millimeters, or three-fourths of an inch, off the bottom of the pedal's
>> face, Michels said. The width will also receive a small adjustment.
>>
>> "That's a simple matter," Michels said. "It doesn't affect any of the
>> pedal assembly."
>>
>> The job shouldn't take much time and shouldn't require dealers to get new
>> tools, he said.
>>
>> Toyota does not have an estimate of the total cost of the recall,
>> including paying dealerships for labor, Michels said.
>>
>> The model years and vehicles involved are the 2004-2009 Prius; the 2005
>> to 2010 Avalon and Tacoma; the 2007-2010 Camry, Tundra and Lexus ES 350;
>> and the 2006 to 2010 Lexus IS 250 /IS 350.
>>
>> As part of the action, Toyota will install a brake override system on the
>> involved Camry, Avalon, and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250 models "as an
>> extra measure of confidence." The system will shut off engine power if
>> drivers press the accelerator pedal and brake pedal simultaneously.
>>
>> The automaker said it will send first-class letters to owners of the
>> Camry, ES 350, and Avalon by the end of the year. Owners of the five
>> other models will be notified throughout 2010.
>>
>> Plan looks good
>>
>> A former Toyota engineer who is now with automotive analysis firm
>> Edmunds.com said in a statement today that the solutions from the recall
>> should work.
>>
>> "Our tests have confirmed that an out of position floor mat can cause the
>> throttle to stick because of the shape and geometry of the current gas
>> pedal," wrote Dan Edmunds. He served as senior chassis development
>> engineer for Toyota's Technical Center before joining Edmunds.com in
>> April 2006 as director of automotive testing.
>>
>> "Temporarily shortening and replacing the accelerator pedals are viable
>> solutions to alleviate the problem," Edmunds wrote.
>>
>> Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, announced plans for the recall in
>> late September, citing the risk that a loose floor mat could force down
>> the accelerator, a problem suspected of causing crashes that killed five
>> people. The recall is only in the United States. No investigations into
>> unintended accelerations in Toyota vehicles are underway in Europe, Japan
>> or China, Michels said today.
>>
>> Toyota has said it has confidence the problem is linked to floor mats and
>> not a vehicle design flaw or problems related to braking, fuel or
>> accelerator systems.
>>
>> The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said discussions
>> included "several vehicle-based" factors that may contribute to pedal
>> interference and a driver's ability to control and stop the car when the
>> accelerator gets stuck.
>> Toyota vs. NHTSA
>>
>> Earlier this month, Toyota Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo denied
>> allegations the automaker tried to sidestep engineering or design defects
>> that led to the recall.
>>
>> His comments came a day after NHTSA rebuked Toyota for issuing
>> "inaccurate and misleading information" about the safety recall, which
>> advised drivers to remove floor mats that may potentially jam underneath
>> the gas pedal and cause unintended acceleration.
>>
>> A Toyota statement days earlier said NHTSA found "no defect exists in
>> vehicles with properly installed floor mats." In fact, NHTSA had said
>> Toyota vehicles have a "very serious defect."
>>
>> The accelerator and floor design of the vehicles create "the potential
>> for entrapment of the accelerator by floor mats," said a statement by
>> NHTSA. It said removing the floor mats is only an interim solution that
>> does not correct the underlying defect.
>> Funo said Toyota had "no disagreement on this issue."
>>
>> In early November, ABC News broadcast interviews with a number of Toyota
>> drivers who said their vehicles suddenly accelerated out of control even
>> though their foot depressed the brake and not the gas pedal. ABC cited
>> reports of 16 acceleration-related deaths and more than 200 accidents.
>>
>> The floor mat recall was prompted by an Aug. 28 accident involving a
>> runaway Lexus ES 350 in San Diego that killed four people.
>>
>> Toyota in late October said it would begin sending letters to owners
>> urging them to remove the floor mats from their cars while the company
>> considers what to do to curb unintended acceleration problems.
>
> A hacksaw and a hammer? Toyota is starting to sound more and more like a
> GM product.


It's called putting the "K" in "Kustom"! :-)


From: Hachiroku ハチロク on 30 Nov 2009 20:14
On Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:10:10 -0500, C. E. White wrote:

>
> Toyota and Lexus dealers will be able to use existing tools to quickly
> reshape accelerator pedals on 3.8 million vehicles involved in Toyota
> Motor Corp.'s largest U.S. recall, a spokesman said.

It's called a "hack saw".



From: Hachiroku ハチロク on 30 Nov 2009 20:15
On Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:07:52 -0600, Fatter Than Ever Moe wrote:

>> Toyota in late October said it would begin sending letters to owners
>> urging them to remove the floor mats from their cars while the company
>> considers what to do to curb unintended acceleration problems.
>>
>>
>>
> A hacksaw...?

Would have been the first thing I would have done. I don't look at the gas
pedal very often...



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