RideLust

A 2010 Toyota Prius. Image: Toyota

Remember last month, when I told you that the NHTSA and NASA had issued their findings on the whole Toyota unintended acceleration debacle? To summarize, NASA reviews some 280,000 lines of code relating to acceleration commands, and could find no instance where a short or other malfunction could create an instance of unintended acceleration. The NHTSA (and even Toyota’s biggest opponent, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood) supported these findings, and agreed that there were only two causes of unintended acceleration in Toyota models. The first to be identified was “pedal entrapment”, caused when the accelerator pedal stuck in an open position, jammed by the floor mat. The final cause identified was a sticking acceleration pedal assembly, which Toyota has since corrected via a series of recalls. Other instances of unintended acceleration, based on the data available, were found to be caused by pedal confusion, which is a polite way of saying “operator error”. Read More…

Ever want a car so bad but are simply afraid to buy it because of what it is? For example, say you’ve always lusted after a Ferrari 308. Their performance by today’s standards is pretty dismal, in fact a new Toyota Camry will kick the shit out of it on any racetrack on the planet, but lets face it, a Ferrari is a Ferrari and that’s all there is to it. Price wise a new Camry (when maxed out) will run you around $32,000, about the same price as a used Ferrari 308. So… herein lies the dilemma. On the one hand, if you buy the Toyota you get a brand new car, with a full warranty and decent performance. However its styling is so bland that it will make you invisible the moment you set foot in it and you’ll feel like plain vanilla for as long as you own the car.
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My own FJ, playin' in the dirt.

Uh oh – this recall hits close to home, since I own a 2008 FJ Cruiser. Looks like I’ll be getting notice in the near future to bring my truck to the dealer for a tire pressure sensor recalibration. I have no idea what’s involved, but I imagine it’s just a software update to correct the minimum threshold tire sensor values. Since replacement parts aren’t involved, I suspect the recall will be executed quickly once Toyota kicks it off. Some 22,000 Toyota trucks are affected and the list of vehicles follows the jump. Read More…

The 2011 Chevy Volt. Image: © GM Corp.

Recommendations from Consumer Reports can sell a lot of product; criticism from Consumer Reports, on the other hand, can destroy sales if consumers buy into the hype. Look at the Suzuki Samurai, whose handling Consumer Reports rated as “Not Acceptable” in July of 1988. Sales of the diminutive off-roader evaporated, literally overnight, and even the launch of an entirely new-and-improved model (the Suzuki Sidekick) never substantially improved sales. Thanks to CR, the brand and the vehicle were forever tainted. Now CR has decided that the Chevy Volt, “doesn’t really make a lot of sense” from a financial perspective. Their recommendation, of course, is to buy a Prius instead. Read More…

The FT-86 II Concept. Image: Toyota Europe

Toyota chose to roll out their latest FT-86 concept at this week’s Geneva Motor Show. Called simply the “FT-86 II”, the latest iteration of the much awaited FT-86 is probably close to what we’ll see in production form, at least in terms of overall styling. Base models probably won’t have HID headlamps, and I’d be willing to bet the LED driving lights don’t make it to production on entry level cars, either. The body kit shown will likely be optional (which is a good thing, since I think it’s hideous), and I’ll bet base models will come sans rear spoiler. Remember, Toyota’s original goal for the car was to produce an affordable sports car with decent power and superb balance; in today’s tough economic climate, affordable performance has to equal few amenities. Read More…

A 2008 Toyota RAV4. Image: Toyota

This is not rehashed news from last year, I promise: Toyota has announced the recall of some 2.2 million vehicles to address the issue of floormat entrapment of the accelerator pedal. The recall, voluntary on Toyota’s part, will end an NHTSA investigation into the automaker to determine if enough models and variants were recalled in the last round. Vehicles affected by this recall (and approximate numbers) are listed below. Read More…

Toyota's headquarters, Toyota City, Japan.

In my business career, I worked for the Japanese on two separate occasions, for a total of six years. I also spent four years managing business in Japan for a third company, so I have an understanding of the way Japanese companies operate. I’m not calling myself an expert, but nothing about last year’s Toyota recall debacle surprised me. Japanese companies tend to be very layered, with substantial overlap is responsibilities. The Japanese are also polite to a fault, and no one would dare claim ownership of something that doesn’t clearly belong to them. Their inaction on the floor-mat-entrapment and sticking-accelerator recalls was not due to malice, but due to a clear lack of ownership of the problem. That’s changed in America, and it’s about to change in Japan. Read More…

There has been a lot of buzz recently about Toyota’s budget minded rear-wheel drive FT-86 sports coupe. Truth be told this is one nifty little bugger and if the rumors of a Subaru derived 305hp / 290 lb-ft turbo 4-cylinder are true, it’s also going to be an absolute pistol to drive. The FT-86 will be built under a joint venture between Toyota and Subaru. However according to Toyobaru.net, U.S. residents will be seeing the FT-86 badged under the Scion nameplate as the Scion FT-S when it eventually hits U.S. shores. There are also rumors of an AWD version to be released under the Subaru nameplate with a price tag that could be upwards of 40k… that’s big money for a little car that would be a pretty close competitor to Subaru’s own 4-door STI. Production of the Scion FT-S is rumored to begin in the 4th quarter of 2011, so stay tuned for more information.

Is it me, or have automobile companies gone out and hired image consultants in an attempt to get us to think that minivans are cool. Toyota for instance has spent big money trying to convince us that their Sienna minivan or “Swagger Wagon” is the answer to making those with kids feel young again. Then there’s the new 2011 Honda Odyssey commercial which states, The Van Beckons, and treats us to some 1980′s hairband music with a black panther thrown in for good measure. Granted it’s hokey, but in the end it’s fun to watch. Lastly we’ve got the latest entry from Dodge in the form of the new 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan R/T that recently debuted at the Chicago Auto Show. This baby has 17-inch wheels, double stitched black leather seats and a V6 that pumps out 283 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. It also rolls on Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires… now I ask you, is that cool?
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DOT: No ghost in the Toyota electronics.

After a ten month investigation involving the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA, the results are in: Toyota’s unintended acceleration problems were mechanical, not electronic in nature. The agencies examined some 280,000 lines of software code and ran an extensive battery of tests to reach the conclusion that floor mat entrapment and sticking accelerator pedals were the sole causes of legitimate unintended acceleration cases. Human error, or “pedal confusion”, was found to be the cause in many of the incidents. Read More…