You may have heard of this little Toyota recall and the subsequent stoppage of sales it has caused. If you somehow avoided the massive media onslaught last night, don't worry it will continue for the next several weeks, or until Toyota gets it act together and fixes the problem.
So far one of the most difficult questions to answer is why Lexus and Scion vehicles aren't affected given how much they have in common with their Toyota counterparts. It's quite simple really, but for a far more complex discussion of the issue, we turned to our very own Director of Vehicle Testing, Dan Edmunds, for a complete rundown on what's going on.
Dan explains after the jump.
Toyota's most recent throttle-related recall has to do with the throttle pedal assembly. This assembly consists of the actual pedal itself, a hinge, an electronic pickup that measures how far the pedal has been pressed, a strong "return spring" that pushes the pedal back to zero when you relax your foot and, finally, a damping mechanism intended to give the pedal a "natural" feel by taking the edge off the spring's tendency to snap the throttle pedal up alarmingly. This mechanism is similar in intent to those that prevent doors or kitchen cabinets from slamming shut, but on a far more subtle level. It is this damping mechanism that is at the root of the problem.
Over time, the friction of the mechanism may get too high and cause the pedal to hang up or return too slowly. Time, temperature and humidity conditions are thought to affect whether the problem develops or not, but the exact worst-case combination of these factors has not yet been pinpointed.
But not all pedals are susceptible because the internal details of the how the damper is laid out differ slightly between the two parts suppliers that supply throttle pedals to Toyota, Scion and Lexus assembly lines. In general, Denso of Japan supplies throttle pedal assemblies for Japan-built vehicles and CTS of Canada supplies the part to vehicles built in the U.S. and Canada. It's a simple matter of logistics and shipping costs.
Scion and Lexus vehicles are not on the recall list simply because these cars are imported from Japanese plants where Denso pedals are exclusively used. The one exception is the Lexus RX: It is built in Canada, but the pedals used there reportedly come from Denso.
The Toyota Tundra, Sequoia, Avalon, the Matrix and the Pontiac Vibe are/were built exclusively in North American Toyota plants. If the model year matches the range specified in the recall notice these cars and trucks absolutely will have the CTS pedal assembly in question.
Camrys, Corollas, the RAV4 and the Highlander can be built in either North America or imported from Japan. Those built in Japan use the Denso pedal assembly and are not subject to the recall; those built in North America use the CTS pedal and are included in the recall. Japan-built models will have a VIN number starting with "JT," North American-built cars will start with a numeral instead of the letter "J."
But the Camry case is a bit more complicated. They build so many in the U.S. plant that both Denso and CTS pedal assemblies are used to maintain the supply. The Camry Hybrid and Japanese-built "JT" Camrys do not use the CTS pedal in question. Some U.S.-built Camrys use Denso, while others use CTS. For the Camry, an inspection by a dealer is needed to sort it out.
It's worth noting that the detail dimensions of these pedal assemblies (throttle pedal length, the angle at which it protrudes and the attaches to the car, and other factors) will differ subtly between each listed vehicle. A Denso pedal from a Lexus ES 350, for example, may not fit in an affected Corolla.
mark19 says:
11:59 AM, 01/27/10
If this is true that CTS-supplied gas pedals are the problem. Then why did the CHP officer who was driving a LEXUS es350, which that car is made in Japan, have a problem with the throttle? If it only affected CTS-made throttles, why is the Japan-made one which according to the article is Denso-made, having a problem?
brn says:
12:23 PM, 01/27/10
"It is this damping mechanism that is at the root of the problem. "
That's more meaningful than anything else I've read on this issue.
Mark19 does have a point. The infamous example was on a Lexus.
WasAPasserBy says:
12:29 PM, 01/27/10
Based on Mark19, I'm confused -- are we dealing with two separate issues-- one being the damping mechanism, another being mats getting caught?
mark19 says:
12:37 PM, 01/27/10
to WasAPasserBy- I was talking about the accelerator pedal, the Lexus was built in Japan, so it used the Denso supplied pedal, not the CTS, yet the Lexus still had the out-of-control acceleration. So how can this just be limited to CTS-produced pedals?
There are still crashes going on and people don't even have the floormats in the car, so how can it be that? I think the real issue is the gas pedal not giving the correct signal to the ECU (computer) and then the ECU sending the signal to the throttle locking it full open.
firstwagon says:
12:49 PM, 01/27/10
The CHP officer accident was caused by the mat, not the linkage. Two different problems.
There are still accidents going on but are they the fault of the car or just a driver who screwed up and now needs someone to blame? Just like the false Audi 5000 runaway throttle issue was blamed for lots of accidents, so will Toyotas problem.
Lawyers and lots of money will now be involved and whether or not the linkage problem is the cause of an accident will now being meaningless.
seriousekid says:
01:32 PM, 01/27/10
Funny how the Yaris is the cheapest car in their lineup and it doesn't have that problem.
matrix2009 says:
01:58 PM, 01/27/10
Can anyone please tell me whether the accelerator pedals of the cars with manual transmission are affected by these issues too?
lzc says:
02:23 PM, 01/27/10
The San Diego crash involved a Lexus ES350, which I believe had the Denso pedal assembly. More important, the NHTSA memorandum on the crash reported that the gas pedal was fused to the floor mat, which was the wrong mat for the car and not properly secured. The gas pedal assembly was removed from the vehicle and found to be working properly.
redliner says:
02:23 PM, 01/27/10
@ seriousekid
HAHAH, yeah, because its so cheap they left the damper out.
actualsize says:
03:09 PM, 01/27/10
@mark19: I'll echo lzc on this. We are talking about two different failure mechanisms here. The Lexus ES350 incident in San Diego has been described as floor mat related. Two sets of mats were apparently in the car - the carpet mats and a set of all-weather mats from a larger Lexus RX. This was a loaner, and in fact we frequently see stacked mats in loaners that come our way for testing. This scenario is very easy for me to imagine. After this incident we obtained a Lexus ES350 and a set of winter mats. We were easily ave been able to duplicate the throttle hangup in a Lexus ES350 and a Prius.
See a demo here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u53oRzkRIbY
The video was made before the throttle pedal problem was announced, but the new announcement does not supercede the previous floor mat one. There were always those who said the floor mat issue didn't explain the entire issue, and so it is. The throttle pedal hinge sticking is a second type of failure mechanism that affects a different group of cars, but the floor mat issue is still legitimate.
dg0472 says:
04:41 PM, 01/27/10
@firstwagon,
Yes, some legitimate driver screw-ups will be attributed to this, but as CR's analysis shows, Toyota and Lexus vehicles already had far more complaints than other companies before the problem became widely known.
@seriousekid
According to a DetNews article, Toyota is talking about recalling the Yaris and some other models in Europe for similar complaints. I haven't heard of any Yaris stories here, but then again how fast would it possibly get up to against the brakes?
anythngbutgm says:
04:55 PM, 01/27/10
"There are still accidents going on..."
I would think any accidents from this would be priority mail to the media. Other than the California officer incident what other accidents have occurred?
firstwagon says:
07:00 PM, 01/27/10
anythngbutgm
Haven't you heard? They are happening all the time. The evening news here in Vancouver showed one tonight. An elderly man in a late 90's RAV4 "while driving through a parking lot suddenly had the throttle stick wide open and he drove through a store front".
Naturally the media choose to ignore that his truck was not one of the affected vehicles nor is the problem that the throttle suddenly goes wide open and stays there.
It's clear he stepped on the gas instead of the brake but that just doesn't make as good a story.
inlinesix says:
07:01 PM, 01/27/10
Side note:
I didnt know the Pontiac Vibe was a collaboration vehicle with GM. Its also one of the most reliable cars according to JD Power. Interesting.
http://www.jdpower.com/autos/Pontiac/Vibe/2009/Wagon/ratings
kurtamaxxxguy says:
10:05 PM, 01/27/10
Good information, but should note the Lexus RX400H and RX450H hybrids are actually built in Japan. Would they also use the Denso mechanisms ?
1487 says:
05:56 AM, 01/28/10
"I would think any accidents from this would be priority mail to the media. Other than the California officer incident what other accidents have occurred? "
There have been many accidents. The recall last week was prompted by ABC news doing a story about the acceleration and showing an Avalon accident in Texas in which people died. Do some basic research.
zoomzoomn says:
06:56 AM, 01/28/10
Wasn't it a Lexus that that California police officer had the unintended incident in that ended in a multi-fatality accident? What gives?
1487 says:
08:26 AM, 01/28/10
Lexus supposedly had a floormat problem. supposedly.
coolb944 says:
09:47 AM, 01/28/10
I really have to wonder, is all this "unintended acceleration" "stuck accelerator pedal" stuff REALLY have to do with Toyota's throttle-by-wire system, which would affect just about every car they make these days, including the ES350 and Camry.
I mean, wouldn't someone be able to tell if the throttle was stuck down or slow coming back up, and say something about it?
I've heard from someone who knows a Toyota dealer who has mentioned computer reflashes on vehicles that come in for the recall. I can't say this is totally the truth, but if it were, why would they need to reflash the computer?
I think it's worth looking into, if InsideLine or Edmunds wants to get into the game of investigative journalism.
myyaris says:
08:14 PM, 01/28/10
@ Seriouskid
The Yaris is actually assembled in Japan and imported to the US, so pedals are made by Denso (personally checked it myself). Cheap car but reliable...
myyaris says:
08:15 PM, 01/28/10
@ Seriouskid
The Yaris is actually assembled in Japan and imported to the US, so pedals are made by Denso (personally checked it myself). Cheap car but reliable...
behmer1 says:
12:31 PM, 02/ 7/10
I don't understand why when people are faced with unintended acceleration don't:
A) Put the car in neutral
B) Put on the parking brake
C) Turn the ignition off
D) Run the car up against a guard rail to slow it down
or
E) All of the above??
ennabre says:
07:23 PM, 03/14/10
I purchased a 2008 Scion Xb in July of 2009. My husband and I observed an acceleration problem right away and had our mechanic look at it after calling a Toyota Dealer who told me it was probably due to the floor mats. We don't have any floor mats in this car. The accelerator hesitates or pauses at times, mostly occurs on the highway at speeds anywhere from 35-60 mph. My mechanic detected it was a problem with the throttle and thought it might be under warranty. I brought it into another Toyota dealership in November 2009 and after assessing the reported problem they told me it was how the engine was supposed to run... Has anyone else experienced this throttle acceleration problem with their Scion xB? The xB has a Camry engine and seems to be the same problem that other Toyota models are experiencing...