Thread: Toyota blames faulty brakes on design problems

Toyota blames faulty brakes on design problems

10:15 AM
By Karen Bleier

Toyota acknowledges design problems with the brakes in its prized Prius, adding to the catalog of safety woes at the Japanese automaker as it reels from massive global recalls involving faulty gas pedals. Toyota Motor Corp., which Thursday reported a $1.7 billion profit for last quarter, said it had corrected problems with the antilock brake system in Prius models sold since late last month, including those shipped overseas. But the company is still deciding what steps to take to fix the problem in Prius cars sold in Japan and overseas before late January. Complaints about braking problems in the Prius — the world's top-selling gas-electric hybrid — have been reported in the U.S. and Japan, combining to some 180, and come amid a recall of nearly 4.5 million vehicles for faulty gas pedals.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... problems/1

Feb 04, 2010

U.S. safety officials open investigation into Toyota Prius brakes

11:06 AM
By Shizuo Kambayashi, AP

The government is opening a formal investigation into the brakes of the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid sedan . It comes only hours after the automaker in Japan acknowledged problems, but is yet to commit to another recall there.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today it will look specifically at whether the Prius' brakes stop working momentarily after the car hits a bump:

It says its Office of Defects Investigation has received 124 complaints about Prius brakes from consumers, including four reports in which crashes are alleged to have occurred. Investigators have spoken with consumers and conducted pre-investigatory field work, the agency said.

"Safety is our top priority," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement. "That is why in recent weeks NHTSA has also issued a consumer advisory on the recall of several models of Toyota vehicles and the Pontiac Vibe involving pedal entrapment and sticky accelerator pedals. We will continue to monitor these issues closely."

The Prius is not among the eight models that Toyota has stopped selling because of fears of unintended acceleration. But Prius is one of the automakers' most important models, carrying the flag for Toyota's mantra as the leading "green" automaker. The sedan gets 50 miles a gallon.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... s-brakes/1

JohnDoe:
I am trying to find out when the earliest date was that Toyota knew about this problem. Do you happen to know? I cant seem to find it anywhere. If you happen to run across that info would you be so kind as to post it here? I have read that Toyota knew about this long before the actual recall, but I have been unable to determine the earliest date.

Originally Posted by redpony353

JohnDoe:
I am trying to find out when the earliest date was that Toyota knew about this problem. Do you happen to know? I cant seem to find it anywhere. If you happen to run across that info would you be so kind as to post it here? I have read that Toyota knew about this long before the actual recall, but I have been unable to determine the earliest date.

2007 federal probe of Toyota complaints resolved nothing . . .
During a little-noticed 2007 inquiry, . . .
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 04056.html

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Originally Posted by redpony353

JohnDoe:
I am trying to find out when the earliest date was that Toyota knew about this problem. Do you happen to know? I cant seem to find it anywhere. If you happen to run across that info would you be so kind as to post it here? I have read that Toyota knew about this long before the actual recall, but I have been unable to determine the earliest date.

2007 federal probe of Toyota complaints resolved nothing . . .
During a little-noticed 2007 inquiry, . . .
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 04056.html

They have known about this for three years!!! OMG! Those cars have been driving around on the road for three years endangering everyone on the road. Geez.

Thanks JohnDoe. The earliest I could find was last year, but then some articles indicated it was longer than that.