d*2
发帖数: 2053 | 1 http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Toyota-safety-in-spotlight-apf-2235825260.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=3&asset=&ccode=
Toyota gas pedal safety back in spotlight after two die in Camry crash in
western Utah
ap
In this Nov. 5, 2010 photo released by the Utah Highway Patrol, a Toyota
Camry is shown after it crashed as it exited Interstate 80 in Wendover, Utah
. Police suspect problems with the Camry's accelerator or floor mat caused
the crash that left two people dead and two others injured. (AP Photo/Utah
Highway Patrol)
Brock Vergakis and Ken Thomas, Associated Press, On Monday November 15, 2010
, 7:10 pm EST
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The deadly crash of a Toyota Camry in western Utah is
being blamed on a sticky gas pedal, the same problem that led the world's
largest automaker to recall the car for repairs early this year.
The 2008 Camry slammed into a rock wall near the Nevada border on Nov. 5,
killing the driver and a passenger. The vehicle was the subject of three
recalls, most recently for an accelerator that can get stuck in the open
position.
The crash raised questions about Toyota Motor Corp.'s system for repairing
flaws in its vehicles. Safety advocates note that the government has
received dozens of customer complaints about problems continuing even after
a repair.
"To think that Toyota has solved the problem with these recalls, I think the
complaints show something different," said Sean Kane, founder of Safety
Research & Strategies Inc., a Massachusetts-based firm that has studied
Toyota's recalls.
In the past year, Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles because of floor
mats that can snag gas pedals or accelerators that can sometimes stick.
Hundreds of lawsuits were filed against Toyota after it began issuing the
recalls.
Brian Lyons, a Toyota spokesman, said the automaker was assisting the Utah
Highway Patrol with its investigation. The automaker said it was too early
to draw any conclusions about the cause of the crash.
Toyota engineers typically help law enforcement agencies review vehicle
black boxes, which track what's happening in a car in the moments before and
after a crash.
In the Utah crash, tire skid marks showed that the Camry's driver, Paul
Vanalfen, 66, tried to stop the vehicle as it exited Interstate 80, police
said. The car went through a stop sign at the bottom of the ramp and through
an intersection before hitting the wall.
The passenger -- his son's fiancee, Charlene Lloyd, 38 -- also died.
Vanalfen's wife and son were injured.
"Based on statements from witnesses and statements from those that survived
the crash inside the car, (the investigator is) led to believe that the
pedal was stuck," Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Todd Johnson said.
The Camry's brakes appeared to be in working order, he said.
The 2008 Camry was subject to recalls focusing on all-weather floor mats
interfering with accelerator pedals, unsecured mats entrapping the gas pedal
and accelerators getting stuck.
The first recall, involving 55,000 vehicles, came in September 2007. It was
prompted by some owners stacking all-weather plastic floor mats on top of
carpet floor mats, causing interference with the pedal. Mats were made
available to owners.
The second recall, in October 2009, brought wide attention to the safety of
Toyota's vehicles.
Toyota said 4.4 million vehicles were recalled because the unsecured mats
could cause the gas pedal to get stuck in the wide-open position. It was
later expanded to about 5.4 million vehicles.
To fix the problem, owners were told to remove the floor mat and dealers
replaced the gas pedal and in some cases adjusted the surface of the floor
to increase the space between the pedal and the floor.
Through early November, Toyota said about 3 million vehicles covered by the
recall had been fixed. That included more than 80 percent of the Toyota
Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES350 models involved.
Utah investigators did not immediately know whether Vanalfen complied with
the first two recalls.
The third notice covering Vanalfen's Camry was announced in January and
affected 2.3 million vehicles with accelerators that could stick and be slow
to return to the idle position, leaving the throttle open.
Toyota said through early November it had inspected and repaired 1.85
million vehicles. Dealers installed a steel reinforcement bar to reduce the
friction inside the pedal and prevent the gas pedal from sticking.
Johnson said investigators believe Vanalfen had taken his car into the
dealership to address the latest recall notice.
He said his agency had not completed its investigation and it wasn't
immediately clear how long that would take.
Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco in Tokyo said he did not have details on
whether the Vanalfen Camry underwent any fixes under its recall.
Federal transportation investigators were reviewing the details of the crash
and declined further comment on it.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has received
about 3,000 reports of sudden acceleration from Toyota drivers in the past
decade, including 93 deaths. The government, however, has confirmed only
four deaths from one crash.
Camrys from the 2007-10 model years covered by the second floor mat
entrapment recall were supposed to receive a brake override system. The
system was designed to cut engine power when a driver is applying both the
brakes and the accelerator pedal together.
It wasn't immediately clear if the Camry in the Utah crash was equipped with
the system.
Toyota has said it has aggressively responded to the safety concerns and
expanded the engineering team sent out to examine cars that owners claim
speeded up on their own.
Toyota said it hasn't found any electronic problem, a potential culprit
raised by lawyers and safety advocates, after reviewing 4,200 vehicles in
which owners alleged problems with unintended acceleration.
The government said about 70 percent of recalled vehicles get fixed 1 1/2
years after the recall is launched.
Thomas reported from Washington, D.C. | t*****9
发帖数: 10416 | 2 66岁老头闯stop sign撞墙，也要怪 偷丫头 。。。。。。。lol
In the Utah crash, tire skid marks showed that the Camry's driver, Paul
Vanalfen, 66, tried to stop the vehicle as it exited Interstate 80, police
said. The car went through a stop sign at the bottom of the ramp and through
an intersection before hitting the wall.
"Based on statements from witnesses and statements from those that survived
the crash inside the car, (the investigator is) led to believe that the
pedal was stuck," Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Todd Johnson said. |
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