Finding a fix for troubled Toyotas

Although I’ve never owned a Toyota, the corporation has been kind enough to thank me numerous times during the past few weeks for “standing by us.”

If you’ve stood by Toyota lately, you’ve stood by a company that’s asked an awful lot in return. Not only have millions of Toyota owners had their vehicles recalled, they have had to deal with uneasiness about the safety of their vehicle. I know I’d be nervous about driving a vehicle that might accelerate beyond my control, as has reportedly happened to several of the manufacturer’s models in the past months.

Though its problems have worsened recently, Toyota’s problems can be traced to September of 2007. At that time, 55,000 Toyota Camry and Lexus ES 350 models were recalled so their floor mats could be replaced. The reason for the recall was the fear that the mats installed in the vehicles could move from their intended resting place and trap an accelerator.

Nearly two years later, four people were killed in a two-vehicle crash in California. An investigation by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concluded that floor mats installed in an involved ES 350 were designed for another model. There were signs of heavy attempted braking that were consistent with the gas pedal becoming stuck prior to the accident.

By early November, Toyota voluntarily recalled nearly 4 million vehicles and instructing owners to remove the floor mat on the driver’s side. Later that month, the company expanded the recall to include a shaved accelerator pedal which is intended to reduce the risk of it becoming entangled with a floor mat as well as a brake override system which cuts power to the engine in the event of an accelerator emergency.

Into the new year, Toyota was receiving reports that accelerator pedals were sticking even with floor mats removed. It thus issued another recall on Jan. 21 that affected more than 4 millions vehicles worldwide. The so-called sticky pedal caused Toyota to briefly suspend the production and sales of some of its vehicles until an appropriate solution could be found.

Any hopes that the manufacturer had of its troubles behind in the past ended Monday, when a Prius went on an out-of-control ride on a portion of Interstate 8 in southern California. The driver said he simply tried to pass another vehicle when his gas pedal became stuck, causing him to accelerate beyond 90 miles per hour. He required the help of a state patrol officer to slow his vehicle and eventually bring it to a stop.