Comments on: The ‘Car Talk’ Spin On Toyota Recalls

By: Buckhunter912

Buckhunter912 — Fri, 13 May 2011 01:58:00 +0000

need help. got 89 f150. got 300 in it. new fuel pump, fuel filter, gas tank. dont think its gettin the gas. i put gas into the cylinder an it will run for a bit but shut off.

By: yulebrenner

yulebrenner — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:00:43 +0000

“In short, things get complicated as power and control get shifted and transients are accomodated.”

All the more reason testing must be stringent and flaws dealt with immediately not brushed aside.

To the guy who’s friend locked his steering wheel – he didn’t just shut off the engine – he turned the key further to the key removal position. A lot of these cars are now keyless so like with everything else changing and life critical RTFM or ask the dealer (or previous owner) to show you all such features before even test driving a vehicle let alone buying one.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:36:31 +0000

Toyota is getting screwed by politics. Toyota is forced to fix whats not really broken. People, stop an think about. The cash for clunkers was ment for the Big three to get back on there feet. Toyota kicked their buts in sales. Why, because they make better vehicle. The United Auto Union had a fit about this. Now the Gov. gave a 16 Billion bail out, what would it look like if they failed. Now the Union and Gov. go after the number one threat to the big three. TOYOTA. General Motors, No Government Motors.

By: Harry

Harry — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:26:41 +0000

Ive worked with Toyota 21yrs. A master tech. 17yrs. and now a service consultant. I find it interesting that our dealer or any surrounding dealers have never heard of any of the concerns pertaining to the recalls. Now we have to deal with people getting speeding tickets, blaming it on sticking accelerators. People knock there mirror off backing out of there garage bacause the accelerator pedal stuck. People don’t stop and think about the people working at these dealerships. All they are is sue happy, looking for the easy street. I find it interesting 250 people killed in Ford Explores, 34 in 20yrs in Toyotas. Toyota has 70 million cars on the road. Due the math. Your more likely to get struck by lighting than be in a run away toyota. Also intereating, the recalls start 10 day after Toyota refused to join the United auto union. Ya, GM Government Motor is behind all this.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:41:37 +0000

Do not, EVER, turn your key to the off position while driving! A friend of mine did this once on a long, twisty downhill to “save gas”. A few seconds after turning the key, he turned the steering wheel to accommodate a turn, and the steering wheel lock kicked in, rendering the steering wheel immovable. Luckily, he was able to start the car up again (as we were going 60+ mph), and avoid killing us both!

By: Willie

Willie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:35:41 +0000

2009 Toyota Corolla there might be a steering wheel logic control with the electronic steering. I hope they fix the new electric power steering since I have to keep both hands on the wheel at expressway speeds. Also NHTSA has many reports of this that no one has started talking about.

thanks
W

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:19:30 +0000

Tom- You are correct that your TDI (Turbocharged Direct Injection) doesn’t have a throttle – it is a diesel, with the fuel injected directly into the cylinders under electronic control. If I understand correctly, most gasoline engines – even modern “drive by wire” systems – still use a throttle to control engine power.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:06:12 +0000

I am pretty sure my 03 Jetta TDI does not have a throttle operated by an electric motor through the onboard computer. I didn’t think cars that have “drive by wire” had any throttle. Please clarify. Tom, Middleboro, Ma

By: Rudolf

Rudolf — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:48:37 +0000

A complication with hybrid cars is that under some conditions the car’s engine is not running while the cars is underway. That means that some things like the air conditioner and power steering pumps cannot be driven from the engine. So they have to be electrically driven from battery power. So when the engine shuts down or starts up there are transients as the load shifts from one configuration to another. This, in turn, causes shifts in the neutral or null point settings of controllers which influence the vehicle mechanisms such as braking. In short, things get complicated as power and control get shifted and transients are accomodated.

By: yobimmer

yobimmer — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:21:16 +0000

Not quite accurate information on turning the key off. You still have some accumulated brake vacuum and if the throttle is pinned, whether the key is on or off the amount of power assist you have won’t be any different…the only difference will be that the engine won’t be speeding you up. And with the steering, at speed, most cars have an EVO anyway that cuts off most of the power steering assist because you don’t really need it at speed. I’d be cautious of telling people not to turn off the ignition (just not to the lock position of course). Sure Neutral is the best bet but it’s not obvious on gated shifters and has caused some high speed crashes. I’d say if all else fails and you can’t get it to stop accelerating, then kill the power rather than kill yourself.