02 Forester S wrote:
Trans. Sec...(恕刪)
Lahood Apologize
很不幸的是
不到半個小時
美國交通部長又招開記者會坦承自己失言
不過身為一國之行政官, 不顧及被日本車廠雇用的車廠勞工的生計, 而如此情急宣告, 雖是顧及人民生命安全,
但是有沒有想過萬一豐田關廠, 那些被解僱的勞工的家庭生計?
Toyota早知道油電混合車Prius的煞車系統有問題,沒告訴你
Prius brakes: Toyota knew, didn't tell you
http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/04/autos/prius_timeline/
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Toyota has known about brake problems in its popular Prius cars for some time, going so far as to fix it in new production vehicles, but has kept Prius drivers in the dark about the problem until the Japanese government called for an investigation.
Prius hybrid cars coming off Toyota's assembly line in Japan have had an improved version of the software used to control the cars' brakes since January.
That's little consolation to those driving Priuses made before then which seem to be the source of mounting complaints about brake performance and have been linked to four crashes.
Prior to the revelation on Tuesday that the Japanese government was pushing Toyota to do something about mounting complaints about Prius brakes, Toyota had said nothing publicly about the problems.
In the U.S., the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Thursday that it is launching a formal investigation into the Prius brake problems based on customer complaints here.
As of Wednesday, 124 Prius owners in the United States had lodged formal complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about brake problems with their cars. Prius owners in Japan, where the hybrid car is the nation's most popular model, have also lodged complaints about the problem.
A total of four crashes, two involving injuries, have been attributed to poor brake performance in 2010 model year Priuses.
Toyota issued an announcement Thursday saying it was cooperating with NHTSA's investigation. Toyota spokespeople in the U.S. have not yet returned calls and e-mails requesting comment on the issue.
The complaints have been very consistent. As described by NHTSA's Office of Defect Investigations "Consumers allege a momentary loss in braking during brake applications while traveling over an uneven road surface, pothole or bump in the roadway."
0:00 /2:52Toyota customers keep the faith
As one driver put it in a complaint posted to NHTSA's pubic Web site, "When braking, if a pothole or bump in the road is hit, the car seemingly jerks forward/accelerates for a split second."
Toyota officials in Japan described the problem as a "disconnect" in the vehicle's complex anti-lock brake system (ABS) that causes less than a one-second lag. At 60 mph, though, a vehicle will have traveled nearly another 90 feet before the brakes begin to take hold.
"The brakes become little slow when you are using light braking under certain road conditions," Toyota managing officer Hiroyuki Yokoyama said. "But if you continue to step on them, the car will stop safely."
Yokoyama denied that Toyota was trying to cover up problems with the Prius's brakes, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The issue was handled as are most general quality problems, he said.
The software change was part of what Toyota called "constant quality improvements," Toyota executives said.
"Currently we are considering ways to explain this to our customers," Yokoyama said at a Japanese press conference. "Please give us time, we would like to come to conclusion as soon as possible."
Brakes in hybrids such as the Prius operate differently from brakes in most cars. In addition to standard brakes, which use friction from pads pressed against drums or rotors, the electric motors in hybrids also help slow the car. The process also generates electricity to recharge the batteries.
Complex moment-by-moment calculations are needed to coordinate the two separate braking systems in order to provide smooth braking performance.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-04/toyota-pedal-recall-may-spur-u-s-to-require-new-brake-systems.html
Toyota Pedal Recall May Spur U.S. to Require New Brake Systems
Feb. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp.’s U.S. recall of 5.6 million vehicles for possible unintended acceleration may spur regulators to require braking technology that prevents such sudden bursts of speed in all future vehicles.
So-called brake override systems, which disengage the engine when the brake and throttle are both depressed, are now on many newer autos that use computers instead of cables to control acceleration. Toyota said last month it is adding the equipment on most models, in response to a Sept. 29 recall.
“There’s no question,” said Joan Claybrook, a safety advocate and former director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “We are going to see a brake override system requirement in response to this.”
New regulations would build on the government’s history of expanding its safety rules in response to accidents that expose dangerous vehicle defects. Upgrades such as improved fuel tanks, new gearshift designs and air-bag warnings all flowed from federal mandates to automakers since the 1970s.
“The most likely outcome of this will be a regulatory catharsis,” said Brian Johnson, a Barclays Plc analyst based in Chicago. “There will probably be some sort of fail-safe system against unintended acceleration.”
Cost Estimate
Requiring automakers to upgrade braking software may cost $25 to $50 on each vehicle, Johnson said. That expense would rise to a range of $50 to $150 should regulators compel installation of new technology, he said.
A NHTSA spokeswoman, Karen Aldana, didn’t respond to a phone call or e-mail seeking comment.
Brake override systems work in tandem with the electronic throttle control technology that was unveiled in the late 1980s and is becoming an industry standard as automakers rush to meet safety rules taking effect in 2012.
Electronic throttle controls use computer signals, not the mechanical action of cables attached to the accelerator pedal, to adjust a car’s speed. In a conventional auto, releasing the pedal eases the cable pressure, closing the throttle. In vehicles with an electronic control, a brake override unit would cut power to the wheels if the throttle is stuck open.
General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. now have brake override units on some models, while Honda Motor Co. said it doesn’t have the technology. Chrysler Group LLC said it has override controls on all autos with electronic throttle systems.
Toyota’s Response
Toyota said Jan. 11 it would install the technology to cover most of its lineup after a 2009 recall. Hyundai Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. said they have brake override systems, as do luxury brands such as Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz, which put the units on autos with electronic throttle control.
“It would make sense to require a brake override,” said Michael Omotoso, a powertrain analyst at J.D. Power & Associates in Troy, Michigan. “I would be pretty surprised if it didn’t happen soon.”
Toyota’s most-recent recall began Jan. 21, covering about 2.57 million vehicles in the U.S. and Canada to fix pedals that may cause the throttle to stick in an open position. The Toyota City, Japan-based automaker halted sales of eight models and shut five North American factories while it rolls out a repair.
That followed a separate recall of 5.35 million Toyotas after floor mats in some models interfered with the accelerator pedal and kept the throttle propped open.
Pending Lawsuits
The world’s largest automaker faces at least 29 lawsuits seeking class action status in the U.S. and Canada, with 17 alleging defects in electronic throttle control systems. At least 10 lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. claiming deaths and injuries caused by sudden acceleration.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said this week the government is investigating whether some sudden speedups can be traced to electronic throttle control systems. Toyota said it has found no unintended-acceleration cases from the technology.
“I’m not sure if there are electronic gremlins in these cars that are making them malfunction,” Bill Visnic, a senior editor for auto researcher Edmunds.com in Weirton, West Virginia. “It’s not impossible, but it’s improbable. But, either way, the brake system would prevent it.”
After introducing electronic throttle control, Toyota also had a cable on the accelerator pedal as a backup from 1998 to 2002, when it determined the mechanical link was no longer needed, said Brian Lyons, a company spokesman.
Override System
Had Toyota added a backup system such as a brake override unit to cut power to the wheels, it could have kept most cars from losing control in any unintended acceleration, said attorney Robert Hilliard, who filed a suit on Jan. 29 seeking class action status in Corpus Christi, Texas. He likened the approach to a sky diver wearing an emergency parachute.
“Let’s say your first chute doesn’t open,” Hilliard said. “The safety chute doesn’t stop the problem, it just prevents the consequences.”
Antony Anderson, a U.K.-based electrical engineering consultant who has testified as an expert witness for plaintiffs in lawsuits, said any federal rule for brake override systems should ensure that the units aren’t run by the computer controlling the electronic throttle system.
A case of sudden acceleration may be caused by electronic interference, so brakes guided by the same computer might not work, Anderson said.
“If the electronics have malfunctioned, the software is in disarray,” he said. “It won’t accept an additional command.”
Regulatory Legacy
Regulatory changes spurred a number of the features now taken for granted in modern autos, said John Wolkonowicz, an analyst at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Stronger fuel tanks, for example, emerged from the 1978 recall of about 1.5 million Ford Pintos on concern that rear-end collisions could spill gasoline and ignite fires, Wolkonowicz said.
So-called shift locks, which require drivers to place a foot on the brake before putting a car with automatic transmission in gear, came in response to sudden-acceleration cases involving Volkswagen AG’s Audi, Wolkonowicz said. Recalls of Audi 5000 sedans from the 1978 through 1986 model years began in 1982 after more than 1,000 complaints.
While NHTSA closed its Audi investigation in 1989, the class action in that case is still pending in Cook County, Illinois.
More-recent automotive innovations include monitors to alert motorists to low tire pressure, Wolkonowicz said. Those devices became required after 271 deaths attributed to rollovers of Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicles, which spurred recalls of Firestone tires in 2000 and 2001. Worn, underinflated tires were cited for many of the Explorer crashes.
What Next?
Claybrook, the NHTSA chief during the Pinto recall, said Toyota’s case may prompt the U.S. to consider criminal penalties for companies that don’t react quickly to safety flaws and boost fines for some infractions to $100 million or more from a cap of $16.4 million.
Another likely quick fix is a warning label telling drivers how to stop a vehicle that accelerates unintentionally, said Omotoso, the J.D. Power analyst. Similar advisories were placed in cars after air bags were blamed for deaths of front-seat passengers, he said.
“More and more of the direct control of the car is being taken away from the driver, and there is this growing sense of helplessness in the face of technology that’s supposed to help us,” Omotoso said. “You just have to hope it all works.”
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