The Unstoppable Toyota Prius

[Ferraricalifornia]

true lah...if you live in Km country like singapore, then go over america, see your speedo do 60MPH only, you thought it's really slow...then would wanna try hit 100MPH, only to realise you're doing 160kph...

 

either way, i've been to Dallas, Texas and though the speed limit 60mph (100kph), people there drive average 80mph (130kph)...overtaking lane around 100mph...

 

it's really easy to go fast there...even in town...very few traffic lights and the roads are freakin straight!!

[Shull]

It's official...Toyota recalling all latest model of Prius-es..

 

Toyota said to recall Prius for brake glitch

Posted: 07 February 2010 1152 hrs

 

TOKYO - Toyota, reeling from safety woes that have sullied its reputation around the globe, will this week announce the recall of 300,000 Prius hybrid vehicles because of brake flaws, reports said Sunday.

 

The move by the Japanese auto giant will affect the latest model of the Prius, a car beloved of Hollywood stars and environmentalists, following scores of complaints about brake malfunctions.

 

The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said the recall, which would repair a software programme for the anti-lock braking system designed to prevent skidding, is expected to affect some 270,000 vehicles in Japan and the United States alone.

 

"The company has notified its dealers in Japan that it would recall all the (new model Prius) vehicles sold in the country," the mass-circulation paper said, without giving a source.

 

"The company will also repair the software free of charge in the United States and other countries in a similar manner," Yomiuri said, adding that the company would make an official announcement this week.

 

The Nikkei business daily said Toyota would also repair about 30,000 vehicles sold in Europe, China, Australia, Middle East and other areas.

 

Toyota, which has had to recall around eight million cars around the world because of sticky accelerator pedals, has sold more than 300,000 of the latest Prius in 60 countries and territories since the new model rolled out in May.

 

Representatives of Toyota, the world's largest automaker, were not immediately available to confirm the reports.

 

Toyota has come under fresh fire after it said it had fixed the Prius brake system in January without warning drivers who already own the model about the possibility of brake failure.

 

Japan's transport ministry has reportedly received about 80 complaints this month about malfunctions in the brake system and called for an investigation, while Toyota has separately received more than 100 complaints since the crisis broke.

 

Local media have said that five cases reported to the government relate to crashes in which the brakes malfunctioned, according to the drivers.

 

The Prius -- which combines a petrol combustion engine with a battery-powered electric motor -- is Toyota's flagship hybrid car and key to its efforts to stay in pole position in fuel-efficient vehicles.

 

Toyota, which dethroned General Motors in 2008 as the world's biggest automaker, produced 530,000 hybrids in 2009, spanning 15 models from sport utility vehicles to sedans, mini-vans and the luxury Lexus series.

 

The Prius braking problems have come on top of trouble with unintended acceleration with Toyota cars.

 

The company has come under heavy fire for its handling of massive recalls affecting about eight million vehicles worldwide -- more than its entire 2009 global sales of 7.8 million vehicles -- due to accelerator trouble.

 

The accelerator problems have been blamed for several accidents, including an incident in California in August in which four family members were killed when their Lexus sedan sped up on a highway and crashed in a ball of flames.

 

A US class-action lawsuit filed in Colorado against Toyota has alleged the Japanese automaker hid problems that have led to the rash of recalls and seeking compensation for all residents who own affected cars.

 

Company president Akio Toyoda said Friday he was "deeply sorry" for the string of quality issues and said he would head a new task force to raise standards and investigate the cause of the problems.

 

"Believe me, Toyota cars are safe," he said.

 

But major Japanese newspapers have lashed out at Toyota's slow response to the safety fiasco and warned it could hurt the country's hard-won reputation for trustworthy technology.

 

"Words alone cannot settle the situation. Toyota represents Japan and its shaking could lead to a loss of trust for the entire Japan brand," the Nikkei business daily said in an editorial on Saturday.

 

"Failure to deal properly with the current fiasco could deal a blow to the international trust in Japan's manufacturing technology," added the Yomiuri.

 

Toyota, which is staring at a two-billion-US-dollar bill from the global recall, is facing "a moment of crisis," admitted Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder.

 

Despite the huge recalls, however, the Japanese giant reported last week it was on course to earn 80 billion yen (880 million US dollars) this fiscal year to March.

 

- AFP/ir

 

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp...1035892/1/.html

Edited February 7, 2010 by Shull

[GoodCar]

One day I was cycling along the PCN track ( along the big canel near Bedok Reservoir) , my speedo meter suddenly increase to 60km/hr for awhile which is impossible on my bicycle.

 

I turn around and went thru the same stretch of road to confirm, the same thing happen again. I suspect that there is an underground cable or strong magnetic source nearby affecting my speedometer.

 

Can this happen to car electronics too?

 

[Chogokin]

Unless he was in a genuine hurry, that Prius driver must be a special kind of moron. Buy a hybrid whose super-economy depends on steady, non-aggressive driving, then proceed to drive it in an unsteady, aggressive way.

 

Mind you, I'm OK with chiongsters. But not when they do it in a hybrid.

 

After he clearing his last bend at BKE to KJE ,believe he was chasing or poking a black hatchback car but his ride too high to take the bend, then he sped up up to 160km then tap brake to slow then speed up again . Abit siao kia ...... I can see that black hatchback ride jus dun wan to play him on straight rd , no pts ....

 

[Fenderbender]

I've seen Priuses on our roads with out-sized sport rims and spoilers before.

[GoodCar]

So all the talk about going green go back to zero liao........sometime life have to "see open" a bit...hehe

[Leepee]

I got one question....will people in Singapore still trust Toyota and keeps buying it in 2010?

 

[Wishcumstrue]

Can this happen to car electronics too?

 

This is the current favorite suspect: EMI aka electromagnetic interferance.

 

At simple glance, it is an easy target for laymen terms.

 

We often witness EMI in our car radio from our cellphone or getting that irritating "aeroplane" noise in our beloved ICE.

Problem is a bike speedometer and some car radios are made very differently from mission-critical electronic systems like the engine ECU,

They are NOT SHIELDED from EMI.

 

Most cars today uses throttle-by-wire (aka electonics based accelerator).

These including our engines ECU units, are SHIELD from EMI and like its aerospace FBW control system, it is digitized.

This means if a computer or sensor signal gets screwed by EMI, there are redundancy parity check within the system.

 

No electronics firm will be crazy to subject their product to today's EMI polluted enviroment without going thru thorough EMC test and certification.

Edited February 7, 2010 by Wishcumstrue

[Ferraricalifornia]

i don't think Toyota's engineers are stupid or negligent in their work...

 

quality systems inspectors will be screwed if EMI seems to be interfering with the car electronics...

[GoodCar]

This is the current favorite suspect: EMI aka electromagnetic interferance.

 

At simple glance, it is an easy target for laymen terms.

 

We often witness EMI in our car radio from our cellphone or getting that irritating "aeroplane" noise in our beloved ICE.

Problem is a bike speedometer and some car radios are made very differently from mission-critical electronic systems like the engine ECU,

They are NOT SHIELDED from EMI.

 

Most cars today uses throttle-by-wire (aka electonics based accelerator).

These including our engines ECU units, are SHIELD from EMI and like its aerospace FBW control system, it is digitized.

This means if a computer or sensor signal gets screwed by EMI, there are redundancy parity check within the system.

 

No electronics firm will be crazy to subject their product to today's EMI polluted enviroment without going thru thorough EMC test and certification.

 

 

Finally got ShiFu come out to give us some insight. Thank you !

[Ben5266]

ST is reporting that the traffic flow in Toyota show rooms are not affected.

The interviews also concluded that people will still by Toyota because Toyota is the best.

 

They even publish an article on Sunday for damage control.

[Wishcumstrue]

ST is reporting that the traffic flow in Toyota show rooms are not affected.

The interviews also concluded that people will still by Toyota because Toyota is the best.

 

They even publish an article on Sunday for damage control.

See how the media reporting flipped 180

[Ben5266]

TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid cars worldwide to fix brake problems -- the latest in a string of embarrassing safety problems at the world's largest automaker.

 

Company President Akio Toyoda made the recall announcement Tuesday afternoon at a press conference.

 

"We have decided to recall as we regard safety for our customers as our foremost priority," Toyoda said.

[Wishcumstrue]

Yes, finally recall for the ABS software fix.

 

Besides Prius, another 3 hybrid models "Prius Plug-in", "Sai" and Lexus HS250h are also on recall list.

 

Official announcement today (9 Feb) @ here

 

 

[Ben5266]

Toyota Sai!

What a name.

[inlinesix]

That is the problem with too many electronic and software put into a car....mechanical car will have less problem....cos it is easier to retify the problem. This is what I think so don't flame me.

Without all these electronics, how do car maker meet the stringent emission & efficiency requirement of respective jurisdiction without sacrificing HP/Torque??

[Ben5266]

Owners of 3rd-gen Prius 1.8L to get free upgrade

The recall will involve a software upgrade of the anti-lock brake system (ABS) for the third-generation Prius 1.8-litre.

=====================+++++++++++++++===============================

 

AP is bashing Toyota. So they reported it as

"recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid cars worldwide to fix brake problems"

 

ST is kind to Toyota. So they report it as:

"Owners of 3rd-gen Prius 1.8L to get free upgrade"

=====================++++========================

 

Thanks to the internet. At least we are informed of the issue with multiple perspectives.

[Melvinyuen]

Since I am a driver of the Gen II(end 2008) model maybe I can add on.

I think this is a great car.

The FC is good and the interior is well spacious.

Maybe apart from the plastic feel of the dashboard. I think this makes the car lighter.

But well control and handling is ok for me.

I am still a contented TOYOTA owner!

Edited February 12, 2010 by Melvinyuen