accelerator

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Ford Recalls Escape for Sticking Accelerator

Almost 500k vehicles recalled

(Newser) - At long last someone will feel Toyota's pain. Ford today announced a recall on 484,600 Ford Escapes over a potentially deadly sticking accelerator defect. The recall will affect all 2001 to 2004 models with 3-liter, V-6 engines, ABC News reports. It comes following a local TV investigation into...

Toyota Recalls Yet Another 2.17M Vehicles

To fix accelerator problems

(Newser) - Toyota issued yet another massive recall today, calling in 2.17 million US vehicles to deal with—you guessed it—accelerator problems. The company intends to fix “various flaws” that could cause floor mats to interfere with the cars’ accelerator pedals, the Wall Street Journal reports. The recall will...

US: Toyota Was Right About Acceleration

NASA report finds no electronic cause for runaway cars

(Newser) - Maybe it was the floor mats after all? A government investigation has concluded that Toyota was right: there was no electronic glitch causing its cars to accelerate uncontrollably. “The jury is back, the verdict is in,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declared. “There is no electronic-based cause for...

Toyota Settles Runaway Lexus Crash for $10M

Automaker had sought to keep amount confidential

(Newser) - Toyota agreed to pay $10 million to the family of four people killed in a runaway Lexus crash that led to recalls of millions of vehicles, attorneys said today. The automaker had sought to keep the settlement amount confidential, but a judge ruled in favor of arguments by the AP...

Faulty Camry Blamed for Deadly Crash

Vehicle had been recalled to fix accelerator problem

(Newser) - A faulty Toyota is being blamed for yet another deadly crash, this time involving a vehicle that had already been recalled. Investigators believe an accelerator problem on a Toyota Camry was the likely cause of a crash that killed two people in Utah and injured two others, AP reports. The...

Feds Fine Toyota $16.4M

 Feds Fine Toyota $16.4M 
Apr 5, 2010 4:18 PM CDT

Feds Fine Toyota $16.4M

Automaker has the right to appeal penalty

(Newser) - Toyota is still paying for its decision to wait 4 months before announcing a recall and notifying federal regulators of the "sticky pedal" defect—and the automaker will pay even more: a $16.4 million fine imposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this afternoon. Toyota has 2...

Feds: NY Prius Crash Driver Never Stepped on Brake

Local officials say data are inconclusive

(Newser) - Computer data from a Toyota Prius that crashed in New York shows that at the time of the accident the driver was not applying the brakes, safety officials say. But local police say the evidence is inconclusive and driver error has not been established. "For any agency to release...

Toyota Fix Fixes Nothing: Drivers

Owners report sudden acceleration even after recall service

(Newser) - Some Toyota owners who should be at ease after recall service to repair sudden acceleration issues are anything but. Seven complaints have been filed with the NHTSA complaining that the problem is still occurring even after the fix. Seven more owners have reported other wackiness following service. There’s “...

US May Require Brake Override Systems

Obama administration 'looking at it,' LaHood says

(Newser) - The Obama administration is considering ordering automakers to install brake override systems in their new cars, Ray LaHood told the Senate Commerce Committee today. “We’re looking at it,” the transportation secretary said, in a hearing on the runaway Toyota problem. “We think it is a good...

Toyota: We're Sorry for Slow Response

Driver of runaway car says 'shame on you' to company, feds

(Newser) - The president of Toyota's US operations insisted today that electronic problems did not contribute to sudden acceleration of its cars, drawing sharp criticism from lawmakers. "We are confident that no problems exist with the electric throttle control system in our vehicles," James Lentz told a House panel. Rather,...

Woman's 6-Mile Terror Ride to Open Toyota Hearings

Pressure mounts on Toyota as House investigation kicks off

(Newser) - A House panel probing acceleration problems with Toyota vehicles will begin hearing testimony today from safety experts, Toyota's American president, and a Tennessee woman who says her Lexus suddenly zoomed to 100 miles per hour while she was driving on an interstate, the AP reports. Rhonda Smith says the emergency...

Toyota Recalls May Free Jailed Camry Owner

Immigrant convicted in fatal crash, despite claim that brakes failed

(Newser) - Toyota’s big recalls could vindicate and free a Minnesota man currently behind bars for vehicular manslaughter. Koua Fong Lee, a Hmong refugee from Laos, has always claimed that it was a brake failure that caused him to crash his Camry into another car on an off-ramp in 2006, killing...

Ralph Nader Rips US Safety Agency Over Toyota Mess

'The problem here starts not just with Toyota but NHTSA'

(Newser) - Ralph Nader says the US auto safety watchdog bears some of the blame for Toyota's sticky accelerator pedal mess. He faults the NHTSA for failing to take decisive action after six investigations spurred by complaints about involuntary acceleration. The recall is just a "cheap fix" after years of hiding...

Toyota Gas Pedal Repairs Will Start This Week

Initial cost will top $250M; automaker hit with 2 lawsuits

(Newser) - Toyota will start fixing the accelerators on 2.4 million recalled vehicles in the US this week, and production will resume next Monday. Some dealerships say they will stay open around the clock to perform the first round of repairs, which are expected to cost the company $250 million. Meanwhile,...

Toyota Closes In on Gas Pedal Fix

Asks Traffic Safety Administration to approve spring

(Newser) - Toyota has nearly finished developing a fix for the sticking accelerators that forced the company to halt sales on eight models Tuesday. Toyota’s now awaiting approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the fix, which involves a “spacer” inserted into the pedal to increase tension, sources...

Toyota Recalls 2.3M US Vehicles Over Gas Pedals

Company says pedals can become hard to press or even stuck

(Newser) - Toyota is recalling 2.3 million vehicles in the US to fix accelerator pedals that can become stuck, the latest in a string of quality problems that have bedeviled the Japanese automaker. A few months ago, the automaker recalled 4.2 million vehicles over concerns that accelerator pedals could become...

Toyota Will Recall 3.8M Vehicles in Floor Mat Danger

Company fears accelerator pedal in Camry, Prius, others can become trapped

(Newser) - Toyota will issue a recall next week on 3.8 million vehicles—including many popular Camry, Prius and Lexus models—over fears that accelerator pedals can become stuck under floor mats even after drivers take their feet off. In the meantime, a company rep tells Automotive News, owners should remove...

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