toyota sales halted (of 8 models)

[99LeCouch]

Hmm, maybe the Prius I kinda want will be cheaper.

Sucks to hear about folks having to die to get Toyota to admit fault.

Also, Toyota's not selling those vehicles out of goodwill, but because of US law.

[Ford Man]

Heard on the news tonight that even though Toyota told the dealers not to sell anymore of the affected vehicles, dealers were ignoring the warning and even telling prospective buyers that the problem was only on older models. That in itself would be enough to keep me out of Toyota showrooms.

[cfg83]

Hello -

More grist for the mill :

Toyota temporarily halts sales of eight models - latimes.com

A month later, Toyota said it would recall seven models of vehicles to prevent sudden-acceleration incidents. In November it said that recall would involve modifying or replacing pedals, swapping out floor mats, changing carpet padding and installing new safety software that overrides the throttle when the brake is depressed.

That recall is underway, but reports of unintended acceleration have continued to mount.

And after insisting for months that the problem was limited to floor mats entrapping pedals, the automaker last week announced that it had identified a separate, mechanical problem.

According to Toyota, pedal assemblies made by CTS Corp., an Elkhart, Ind., supplier, had a tendency to stick or return slowly after being depressed in certain conditions. Toyota last week said it had not found a problem with pedals made by another supplier, Denso Corp.

It *seems* like the mechanical (Pedal) part of the problem could have a culprit in CTS Corp :

Toyota supplier CTS Corp. at center of sales halt - Burns on Business

CarloSW2

[MetroMPG]

99LeCouch:

Prius isn't one of the models directly affected by the recall/production stoppage.

But it still could affect the prices...

[cfg83]

Hello -

Ok, the pedal's made in Canada :

Toyota pedal supplier CTS says new parts on the way | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

The Japanese automaker has said the problem with accelerator pedals that could stick open as they aged was limited to a pedal mechanism supplied by CTS Corp., built in the supplier’s Canadian factory.

CTS said today the problem identified by Toyota had been reported "fewer than a dozen" times, and "in no instance did the accelerator actually become stuck in a partially depressed condition." It also said it was unaware of any accidents or injuries stemming from the flaw.

"The products we supply to Toyota, including the pedals covered by the recent recall, have been manufactured to Toyota’s design specifications," CTS said in a statement, adding it had worked with Toyota on a new pedal "to meet tougher specifications."

CarloSW2

[KITT222]

Prius and Yaris are safe. Toyota is losing money big time because of this. As a GM fan, sure this means more people flocking to GM, but when you hear how much money Toyota is losing because of this, and how hurt their publicity will be hurt, you just feel sorry for them. They're losing half a billion dollars weekly. Bad news for a BIG company. Toyota will get out of it. Hopefully there will be a bit of reputation left so they can still entice buyers.

Good luck Toyota!

[cfg83]

KITT222 -

I think they did the smart thing in the long run, *if* they can solve it fast. They dragged their feet for a while, but you can make an argument that they are putting people ahead of profit.

CarloSW2

[luvit]

i agree.
it's a reputable company. innovation was ahead of same car different package.

[NeilBlanchard]

Here's a story about the possible reason for this problem:
No Easy Answer To Why Toyota Accelerators Stick : NPR
Seems the throttles made by CTS Corp (Elkhart, IN) are the ones that are failing, while the Denso made units are fine.

[gone-ot]

quote: "...A few years ago, the company sent out a technical bulletin saying some cars accelerate on their own between 38 and 42 mph, and it reprogrammed the electronics with new software codes, Kane said."