Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: TwinEng on September 30, 2009, 07:54:28 PM
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Toyota has issued a massive recall of their vehicles, saying that the Driver side Floor Mat can interfere with the gas pedal, and cause it to become stuck. So far, 17 people have been injured, and 5 have died in accidents caused by this issue. In one incident, it caused the death of an off-duty California Highway Patrolman, and 3 of this family members.
My Toyota is among the 3.8 million vehicles affected by this recall.
Is this really that dangerous a situation? Apparently only a small percentage of vehicles have actually experienced the problem. Do I truly have to throw my floor mat out? Should I be compensated for having to do that?
What would you do in my situation?
See these news reports:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hZvV139ZG8HMy2b8l0L_JuLErTZQD9B1T9J00
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Car-Recall-Too-Late-for-Some-62985327.html
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Would you trust your and your familys live's on it?
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if every recall cost them $50.00 thats $190,000,000
:cry <- toyota
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There was at least one fatal accident with multiple deaths. The mat was the source of locking the throttle down. Why the driver simply didn't shift into neutral no one will ever know. A floor mat is not a necessary part of the car. Deal with it.
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AAAAAHHHHH every car ive ever owned had a floor mate issue............. you deal with it and go on in your life!
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Nothing a utility knife likely can't solve.
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All you have to do is ensure that the mat is still in its proper position. They tend to creep forward which can muck up the pedals. Slide it back into place and you're good to go.
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Remove the drivers side floor mat, until Toyota can replace it.
If your carpet gets dirty make them clean or replace that too.
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velcro problem solved
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Too bad clueless drivers can't be recalled.
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Happened to me before, shifted to neutral and pulled the mat back good to go. You could try filing a formal complaint for reimbursement, Twin.
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Too bad clueless drivers can't be recalled.
indeed. especially women :D
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velcro problem solved
:aok
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How do you recall over 2 million cars? What are the owners supposed to do? Put a stamp on the windshield and park next to their mail box? :P
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I find it difficult to believe that a California Highway Patrolman had such a simple problem and didn't just shift into neutral. Either the problem is more complicated than described or......well, I really thought American police officers tended to be capable and professional people, unlike the complete cretins, morons and double figure IQ'd British police officers we get over here.
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Can't shift into neutral if the box of donuts is between the dash and the shifter. It's not Toyota's fault, it's Dunkin's.
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Toyota has issued a massive recall of their vehicles, saying that the Driver side Floor Mat can interfere with the gas pedal, and cause it to become stuck. So far, 17 people have been injured, and 5 have died in accidents caused by this issue. In one incident, it caused the death of an off-duty California Highway Patrolman, and 3 of this family members.
My Toyota is among the 3.8 million vehicles affected by this recall.
Is this really that dangerous a situation? Apparently only a small percentage of vehicles have actually experienced the problem. Do I truly have to throw my floor mat out? Should I be compensated for having to do that?
What would you do in my situation?
See these news reports:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hZvV139ZG8HMy2b8l0L_JuLErTZQD9B1T9J00
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Car-Recall-Too-Late-for-Some-62985327.html
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take it out.
chances are that yours will not do anything wrong. what happens, is that floormats can, and often do slip. sometimes they curl down from one of the upper corners.
often, when things shift like that, they can jam the accelerator pedal, causing uncontrolled acceleration, or lack of ability to stop or slow down.
if this happens, you can also lose your brakes, as their power assist comes from engine vacuum. when the throttle is opened, there is no engine vacuum, thus no power assist to the brakes.
i don't like them, and don't have them in my cars for a number of reasons, including the above.
when toyota, or other manufacturers do these recalls, they "shotgun" it. any vehicle at all that has a remote chance of the problem will be included in said recall.
the safest/smartest thing you can do, is to get it to your local toyota dealer. better safe rather than sorry.
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There was at least one fatal accident with multiple deaths. The mat was the source of locking the throttle down. Why the driver simply didn't shift into neutral no one will ever know. A floor mat is not a necessary part of the car. Deal with it.
because they were "out of their element" once that happened.
they got caught off guard, froze up, and as you well know, that 1 or 2 seconds, is life or death.
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Too bad clueless drivers can't be recalled.
yaknow......as much as we argue on here.....i HATE to admit this......but living in new jersey, i find myself agreeing with the above. :uhoh
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:aok
velcro won't work.
most factory floor mats generally have some sort of hook arrangement to hold them in place.
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I find it difficult to believe that a California Highway Patrolman had such a simple problem and didn't just shift into neutral. Either the problem is more complicated than described or......well, I really thought American police officers tended to be capable and professional people, unlike the complete cretins, morons and double figure IQ'd British police officers we get over here.
some are. you want to see the epitome of professional police officers in the us, come to somerdale nj. or stratford, or laurel springs.
they're kids. kids with blue and red undies and a big "S".
seriously, police are still human. it's a situation that they've never trained for, so they're likely to panic, just as any other human would.
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I find it difficult to believe that a California Highway Patrolman had such a simple problem and didn't just shift into neutral. Either the problem is more complicated than described or......well, I really thought American police officers tended to be capable and professional people, unlike the complete cretins, morons and double figure IQ'd British police officers we get over here.
The Lexus the officer was driving was a loaner. I have not been able to find information regarding how long he had been in possession of the car. It was an ES350. They all have the "Start/Stop" button and do not have a keyed ignition. To stop the car while the engine is running and the car is in gear, you have to press the start/stop button and hold it down for 5 seconds. Very few owners know this, and I can't imagine anyone driving a loaner would know it.
The gear shift is one of the automatics with a "+" and "-" for up/downshifting. If someone was not familiar with the gearshift layout I could see how one could easily confuse the upshift position for neutral. The 911 call lasted 50 seconds. It is not known how long the accelerator was stuck before the beginning of the 911 call.
(http://www.lexus.com/lexus-share/images/gallery/models/ES/photos/interior/g_int5.jpg)
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i have had throttles stick wide open on test drives, but they were old fashioned cars so i just turned the key off.
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Forget neutral I'd slam it straight to park if my life depended on it.
I have had several incidents with throttle jamming to max. But they happened at -30c temperature and a BMW with a manual gearbox so I could just hit the clutch and turn off ignition. The throttle cable actually got stuck because of the low temperature (and probably wrong kind of lubricant). It did that every time it droped below -25c untill the engine compartment warmed above -25c.
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i have had throttles stick wide open on test drives, but they were old fashioned cars so i just turned the key off.
i had it happen once to me years ago.
i had just dropped a new engine in my 83 mustang. a nicely built 289. went and made a test run on a normally deserted road.
the throttle stuck, i tried hooking my foot to pull it up, which didn't work, so i killed the key......but not before one of lindenwolds finest had seen me in 3rd gear with it firewalled.
when i told him that it stuck, he didn't believe me. he did have me open the hood to show him. when he saw i wasn't full of poop, we ended up talking for a bit.....he was a pretty cool guy, 'cept for his camaro. :D :aok
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Forget neutral I'd slam it straight to park if my life depended on it.
I have had several incidents with throttle jamming to max. But they happened at -30c temperature and a BMW with a manual gearbox so I could just hit the clutch and turn off ignition. The throttle cable actually got stuck because of the low temperature (and probably wrong kind of lubricant). It did that every time it droped below -25c untill the engine compartment warmed above -25c.
most newer cars won't go into park when over certain speeds. if they did, the parking pawl wouldn't engage anyway.
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Mickey,
that explains a lot, thanks.
I've never driven an automatic, don't like the idea of not having a clutch pedal and have an intense dislike of computer controlled everything. In fact gimme a bike, ya can't get confused about the controls on a bike......appart from RD350s from the 80s cos the indicator switch doesn't cancel in the same way as any other bike ever made......and yeah, I'm waffling now.
I did hear a tale once about a bike on which the rider had twisted the throttle too hard and forced it past it's stop point, the effect being that you had to hold the throttle closed or the return spring would open it fully again. I can see how this could cause a minor issue on a bike like mine (ZX-10R, 185bhp) until the moron riding it either: hit the engine kill switch, turned the ignition of with the key or pulled the clutch lever in. However, the bike this happened on was a cheap, plastic, 50cc italian scooter. Full throttle was good for 30mph....downhill, with a tailwind.
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I hate automatic transmissions.
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I find it difficult to believe that a California Highway Patrolman had such a simple problem and didn't just shift into neutral. Either the problem is more complicated than described or......well, I really thought American police officers tended to be capable and professional people, unlike the complete cretins, morons and double figure IQ'd British police officers we get over here.
Have you been to the states lately? Don't assume that anyone knows how to drive here, I don't, assume that is.
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"Do I truly have to throw my floor mat out? Should I be compensated for having to do that?
What would you do in my situation? "
Are you a girl?
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Bigplay, not in a few years. But imagine this country then, roads 1/2 as wide as yours........even lanes on the freeway not as wide as yours.
Curv came over last summer and rented some cheap French car to go to the RAF museum in. I.....um.....got us a little bit lost on the way back and.....no, lemme quantify that for a sec, I took a wrong turn and then decided that backtracking was a silly idea and all we had to do was head south to pick up the road we should have been on.....and was driving down roads like this:
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/images/2008/05/28/country_lane_470x353.jpg)
And....for some reason....Curv had to keep insisting I slow down.
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Duct tape, it fixes nearly everything. :lol
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Step1 remove carpet
step 2 herculine interior
step 3 add husky mats
step 4 spill anything, drop anything on floor and be able to
smile while you clean it up.
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Yea! Sounds like you are faced with a real problem there. I hope you can overcome this major obstacle.
You might want to consider to get a qualified and licensed technician to remove that floor mat for you!
Good luck!
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most newer cars won't go into park when over certain speeds. if they did, the parking pawl wouldn't engage anyway.
But they would go off gear - no danger of misreading the dials.
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But they would go off gear - no danger of misreading the dials.
same for neutral. to get into park(assuming it'll go, you have to push the button on floor shifted cars........pull the shifter towards ya on column shifted.
to get to neutral, simply slam it till it stops....now you're in neutral. :aok
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Swager, LOL. :aok
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Yea! Sounds like you are faced with a real problem there. I hope you can overcome this major obstacle.
You might want to consider to get a qualified and licensed technician to remove that floor mat for you!
Good luck!
:rofl :rofl
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I can top that one. Every year at work, all gas cans of a certain type are withdrawn from sale. This is because some nutjob either douses himself,someone/thing else, pours it on a bbq etc and causes accidents. If it is identified as one of ours, all stock is pulled from shelves for months and nobody can buy one.
sucks big time for retailers
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I havent had a driver side floor mat for years. Problem solved
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I can top that one. Every year at work, all gas cans of a certain type are withdrawn from sale. This is because some nutjob either douses himself,someone/thing else, pours it on a bbq etc and causes accidents. If it is identified as one of ours, all stock is pulled from shelves for months and nobody can buy one.
sucks big time for retailers
Yeah but look how safe everyone is. :noid
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velcro won't work.
most factory floor mats generally have some sort of hook arrangement to hold them in place.
most yes, but not all.
Regards
SF
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O own a Tacoma crew cab longbed. I just received a recall which included a sticker that you apply next to the gross vehicle weight. Apparently it's off by 100 pounds. What a waste of a stamp !
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O own a Tacoma crew cab longbed. I just received a recall which included a sticker that you apply next to the gross vehicle weight. Apparently it's off by 100 pounds. What a waste of a stamp !
know what amuses me?
there's one of those v-8 japanese pickups that comes here for gas. he has flowmasters on it. heinsists onrevving it like he thinks it's hot.
meanwhile, there's an 800+ horsepower camaro sitting 50 feet away from him, parked next to a 400 horsepower fairmont.
toooo frakkin funny!! :rofl :rofl :rofl
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know what amuses me?
there's one of those v-8 japanese pickups that comes here for gas. he has flowmasters on it. heinsists onrevving it like he thinks it's hot.
meanwhile, there's an 800+ horsepower camaro sitting 50 feet away from him, parked next to a 400 horsepower fairmont.
toooo frakkin funny!! :rofl :rofl :rofl
Well Cap not everyone is impressed with your cars. Me being included. Know what amuses me?. That rather unprofessionally paint job on your Camaro. It looks like you painted it with spray cans. So getting someones attention IMO would require a reason that might get a person to look a little deeper . Like a nice paint job . As far as the Fairmont goes nothing would get my attention if I saw it sitting there except bringing to mind renting one in Hawaii in 78. It was a most forgetable car except for the goofy design. I can't seem to shake it from my head, even after all these years.
Weather the guy thinks he has some hot rod or not his version of transportation is in my eyes is far more reliable, comfortable, usefull and has more value then both of your dragsters put together. That's what his car is transportation not a 1/4 miler. I fail to see where the comparison is between his truck and your straightline cars.
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Well Cap not everyone is impressed with your cars. Me being included. Know what amuses me?. That rather unprofessionally paint job on your Camaro. It looks like you painted it with spray cans. So getting someones attention IMO would require a reason that might get a person to look a little deeper . Like a nice paint job . As far as the Fairmont goes nothing would get my attention if I saw it sitting there except bringing to mind renting one in Hawaii in 78. It was a most forgetable car except for the goofy design. I can't seem to shake it from my head, even after all these years.
Weather the guy thinks he has some hot rod or not his version of transportation is in my eyes is far more reliable, comfortable, usefull and has more value then both of your dragsters put together. That's what his car is transportation not a 1/4 miler. I fail to see where the comparison is between his truck and your straightline cars.
the camaro's painted the way it was when i got it. soonz i can afford to, it's getting a nice paint job.
the fairmont is intended and meant to be not noticable, and forgettable. i mean, c'mon,.......most of what most people will see of that car will be that silly sticker in the back window, and the tail lights. :devil
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the camaro's painted the way it was when i got it. soonz i can afford to, it's getting a nice paint job.
the fairmont is intended and meant to be not noticable, and forgettable. i mean, c'mon,.......most of what most people will see of that car will be that silly sticker in the back window, and the tail lights. :devil
I found it curious when you mentioned he didn't notice the Fairmont 50 ft away. If I saw the Fairmont while filling up I would be looking around for Grandma.
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I found it curious when you mentioned he didn't notice the Fairmont 50 ft away. If I saw the Fairmont while filling up I would be looking around for Grandma.
well, he's in here for gas all the time. he's been in while the fairmont was running. its exhaust note is one of the few "give aways" to what that car is really capable of.
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well, he's in here for gas all the time. he's been in while the fairmont was running. its exhaust note is one of the few "give aways" to what that car is really capable of.
maybe he just figured you had a flowmaster in it as well. :rofl
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maybe he just figured you had a flowmaster in it as well. :rofl
never heard a 400hp 5.0L with glasspacks, have ya?
it has a rather distinctive, and telling idle.......throttle it at all, and well........it'll make the hair on your arms stand up. throttle it in gear, and it'll draw most of the local law enforcement in earshot.
on a side note, i was moving the camaro the other day. one of my friends from CAP that lives about 1/4 a mile away from the shop stopped in to see what i was doing to it. :D
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never heard a 400hp 5.0L with glasspacks, have ya?
it has a rather distinctive, and telling idle.......throttle it at all, and well........it'll make the hair on your arms stand up. throttle it in gear, and it'll draw most of the local law enforcement in earshot.
on a side note, i was moving the camaro the other day. one of my friends from CAP that lives about 1/4 a mile away from the shop stopped in to see what i was doing to it. :D
I was joking Cap
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400hp fairmont, the american version of a ricer.
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400hp fairmont, the american version of a ricer.
nope.
the fairmont is a mustang in disguise. same chassis, same sound, same handling, just a bit uglier. still better looking than riceburners though
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nope.
the fairmont is a mustang in disguise. same chassis, same sound, same handling, just a bit uglier. still better looking than riceburners though
please give me an example cause other then some AMC cars it doesn't get much uglier for that time period.
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please give me an example cause other then some AMC cars it doesn't get much uglier for that time period.
pinto
apollo
malibu
colt
aspen
volare
monaco
cordoba
gran fury
st. regis
new yorker
:D
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Well Cap not everyone is impressed with your cars. Me being included. Know what amuses me?. That rather unprofessionally paint job on your Camaro. It looks like you painted it with spray cans. So getting someones attention IMO would require a reason that might get a person to look a little deeper . Like a nice paint job . As far as the Fairmont goes nothing would get my attention if I saw it sitting there except bringing to mind renting one in Hawaii in 78. It was a most forgetable car except for the goofy design. I can't seem to shake it from my head, even after all these years.
Weather the guy thinks he has some hot rod or not his version of transportation is in my eyes is far more reliable, comfortable, usefull and has more value then both of your dragsters put together. That's what his car is transportation not a 1/4 miler. I fail to see where the comparison is between his truck and your straightline cars.
You say this as you actually THINK CAP will give a hoot. It's "whether" and "forgettable" btw. Give me a reliable and excellent engine build up in a rattle can paint job over an unreliable, POS engine, slick paint job ANYDAY.
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Now, if all of us drove stick shifts, this would never be a problem. Just hit the clutch.
And I can't believe a police officer didn't shift into neutral. He had enough time to call 911 and describe the situation.
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You say this as you actually THINK CAP will give a hoot. It's "whether" and "forgettable" btw. Give me a reliable and excellent engine build up in a rattle can paint job over an unreliable, POS engine, slick paint job ANYDAY.
:airplane: me during a pass in the camaro.
:banana: me when i get back to the pits, and get out of the car, checking my time slip
:neener: me after hammering the ricer
:headscratch: the ricer driver after getting hammered.
:bolt: :bolt: :bolt: :bolt: :bolt: :bolt:
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Nothing a utility knife likely can't solve.
Just don't fix it at school.
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if every recall cost them $50.00 thats $190,000,000
:cry <- toyota
that would be very cheap considering people have supposedly died due to this malfunction. Only 190mil would also mean humans have suddenly got bored of throwing law suits at anyone with a toenail out of line. :D