Throttle not mats??

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6743567.html

 

Um, no. Typical idiotic media reporting. Hey, let's create a story out of thin air. I freaking hate the media in this country.

 

A very weak article IMO.

 

LMAO- If the computer decides. What a hack job writer....

2008- Toyota ECUs cause every car to have unintended acceleration problems.
2009- Floors mats get replaces
2010- Toyota ECUs become self aware and go after the floormats in the eternal struggle to dominate the earth..

 

I wonder how long it will take insurance companies to catch on to this and raise our rates. It sounds like a good excuse for those pricks to do so...

 

It would be interesting to hear from an automotive engineer about the safeguards built into Toyota's drive-by-wire system. Clearly, someone must have thought about "What happens if the motor that actuates the throttle plate seizes?" or "What if a sensor reports an incorrect value?" The software must account for these failures, since they can be expected as the vehicles age. IMHO, since the computer code is likely a trade secret, we'll never get to find out...and we'll just be stuck with under-researched news articles.

For what it's worth: on my 05 Tacoma, there's a noticeable delay in the throttle closing after I let off the gas. I'll let off the gas, put it neutral, and it takes a solid second or two for the RPMs to drop from 3k to idle. This interests me, but I don't really care.

 

^^ My cousin has a '08 Civic (DBW also) and he complains about the total opposite, he says there is a delay (1 sec) when he steps on the gas.

 

I have cautioned my wife when driving our '06 Taco SR5 DC LB that when at a stop light be prepared for it to inch forward after about 30 seconds. I really make sure I am on the brakes now and I shift to neutral at lights. I don't know why it does it, thought it was normal for the Taco, it appears as though it may be normal for mine only. Anyone else?

 

just buy some weather tec mats...........you cannot go wrong.....they are the 1st thing that went in my truck the 2nd day of owning it....I do not see how the gas pedal could ever get stuck in these mats.......

 

On my wife's trailblazer, it has a low power mode that it goes into if a problem is detected with the throttle by wire system. It limits the rpm an the speed as well, I believe. I'm not sure if the tacomas have a similar system.

 

I believe it is a malfunction in the drive by wire throttle control that is responsible. Why does that seem not likely? Are you saying nothing can ever go wrong with it? Famous last words. Remember the Fords that burn up sitting in the drive way? I saw a Ford pickup that had a cylinder suck raw gas straight from the fuel pump because of a failed check valve, a two dollar item. It locked the engine up dead. Seems the engineers never thought to check the "what would happen if this part malfunctioned?" scenario.

What happens if the sensor connected to the pedal malfunctions? What happens if the TPS malfunctions? What happens if there is any number of malfunctions? Not too hard the imagine a number of things that can go wrong and cause the throttle to go to maximum. Why is that so hard to believe? I think it's ludicrous to think floor mats are causing all of this. I tell you one thing. I will take great care never to floor my Taco because it might just stick.

 

Happens to me in my 01 PreRunner, startled the hell out of me first time it happened. Thought somebody had hit me a little bit but I got used to it and it doesn't do it very often nowdays.

Meanwhile, back on the topic;


And the computer decides if it will obey you.

That sounds like typical media lack of research and overuse of scrae tactics and "experts".

 

True. It's not a HAL 9000 in the thing. http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/wav/cantdo.wav

The writer is trying to illustrate for the lay people that the throttle is not connected to gas pedal by a cable and linkage like it used to be.

 

Just to reiterate what Kilted said, drive by wire has been around for decades. The F-16, one of the worlds top fighter jets is a fly-by-wire system. Honestly, each system (wire or cable) has their flaws, but nothing that a round-room pudding eater hasn't investigated before it went on the market. Throttle cables can get stuck or bound just the same. Nothing is perfect.

Like I posted in an arguement a few weeks ago..... If you don't know what to do when your car goes out of control, such as a stuck accelerator, you SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING.



"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that"

 

My 08 SR5 DC LB does that too. Interesting, I thought it was just me... like I had let pressure off the break while waiting at a light... and then all of a sudden i'm moving forward???

 

Tacomas have that safety feature also : http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=316477

 

I think it's ludicrous to think DBW is causing the problem. Why do you guys always have less than 20 meaningful posts ?

 

Could be the compressor for the A/C kicking on, taking power from the brake assist...used to happen in my 4Runner.