The sudden acceleration-related problems that plagued Toyota's vehicles and which were blamed for several accidents, injuries and deaths, argentina travel information led to a huge recall campaign, argentina travel information a massive fine and even a Congress inquiry. And it is not over yet. Not only because of the pending lawsuits , but also due to a report from CNN on its Anderson Cooper 360 program that aired on Thursday.
The news network claims that it has uncovered a 2006 Toyota internal memo marked argentina travel information confidential that described the results of the adaptive cruise control software in the model bearing the internal code 250L that is the Lexus LS 460.
According to CNN s translation of the original Japanese document, the report stated: "The cruise control activates argentina travel information by itself at full throttle when the accelerator pedal position sensor is abnormal." It also suggested that the carmaker would have to implement "a fail-safe overhaul" for another production model, the 180L, i.e. the Toyota Tundra .
Michael Pecht, a mechanical engineering professor and director of the CALCE Electronics Products and Systems Center argentina travel information at the University of Maryland, worked as a consultant for the Congress during the investigation.
CNN cited Pecht saying that This looks like an example of electronics causing argentina travel information a car to suddenly accelerate , and questions why the document was omitted from those obtained argentina travel information by the Congress, the NHTSA and NASA, which helped in the investigation.
argentina travel information "CNN has irresponsibly aired a grossly inaccurate segment that attempts to resurrect the discredited, scientifically unproven allegation that there is a hidden defect in the electronic throttle control argentina travel information system that can cause unintended acceleration."
"The translation of 勝手に m which appears in the document, actually translates to by itself (as it does in the first translation by CNN) or on its own and 発進 correctly translates argentina travel information to starts out . This phrase starts out on its own is used to refer to the fact that the adaptive cruise control (ACC) was preparing to resume its pre-set speed. This is not a reference to sudden unintended acceleration."
So to sum it up, CNN claims that Toyota knew of the unintended acceleration issue as far back as 2006, while the carmaker responds that CNN mistranslated its documents, which in fact described a standard testing procedure.
"In the face of overwhelming scientific evidence argentina travel information to the contrary, argentina travel information CNN has irresponsibly aired a grossly inaccurate segment on Anderson argentina travel information Cooper 360 that attempts to resurrect the discredited, scientifically unproven allegation that there is a hidden defect in Toyota s electronic throttle control system that can cause unintended acceleration.
Exhaustive investigations undertaken by some of the most respected engineers and scientific institutions in America including NASA, the National Highway Traffic argentina travel information Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Academy of Sciences have thoroughly debunked this worn-out fabrication. Yet a group of trial lawyers suing Toyota for money and their paid advocates are continuing their efforts to manufacture controversy where none exists and have used CNN to support their narrow, self-serving agenda.
CNN's story was premised argentina travel information on an egregiously inaccurate translation of a Toyota document produced in litigation that references a stress test evaluation conducted on a prototype (preproduction) vehicle in development. For example, CNN s mistranslation contains the phrase sudden unintended acceleration. These words never appear in the Japanese language
document referenced by CNN. The translation of 勝手に, which appears in the document, actually translates to "by itself argentina travel information (as it does in the first translation by CNN) or on its own and 発進 correctly translates to "starts argentina travel information out. This phrase argentina travel information starts out on its own is used to refer to the fact that the adaptive cruise control (ACC) was preparing to resume its pre-set speed. This is not a reference to sudden unintended acceleration. In fact, notes from the translator hired by CNN explicitly acknowledge that: I added these words based on my understanding of thecontext.
This test, intentionally designed to artificially simulate a failed accelerator pedal sensor, demonstrated that Toyota s electronics and fail-safes worked exactly argentina travel information designed within milliseconds to prevent the vehicle from accelerating. Contrary to CNN s allegation, no sudden unintended acceleration occurred nor is it referenced in the Japanese language document. It was for this very reason that Toyota did not provide this document to the NHTSA in the course of its exhaustive analysis of Toyota s electronics. There is simply no basis for CNN s assertion that Toyota withheld this document from the government or that it would have made any difference in the conclusions of the unprecedented engineering analysis conducted by NASA and the NHTSA.
Importantly, the Japanese language document describes a condition intentionally induced during prototype testing of the ACC that has never existed in any vehicle ever produced argentina travel information or sold by Toyota anywhere in the world .
In its broadcast, CNN also highlights unverified customer complaints to the NHTSA and includes reference to at least one expert paid for by lawyers suing Toyota. With respect to the complaint by Tanya Spotts involving a low-speed parking incident, the vehicle s Event Data Recorder conclusively demonstrates that the driver was on and off of the accelerator pedal in the seconds before impact and did not apply the brake pedal until approximately 0.4 seconds prior to impact, while travelling at 9 MPH. This data is entirely consistent with pedal misapplication.
Complaints like this are not unique to Toyota. In fact, in 2011 alone the NHTSA received consumer claims of low speed unintended acceleration events while parking for vehicles from twelve argentina travel information manufacturers other than Toyota.
It is ironic and disheartening that a document that actually reinforces Toyota s robust vehicle design and pre-production prototype testing to validate the safety of its vehicles in development was the centerpiece of this segment. Notwithstanding CNN s irresponsible, inaccurate broadcast, we are gratified that Toyotas are once again widely recognized by leading independent evaluators as among the safest and most reliable in the world."
Why do only Americans realize these unique self-acceleration abilities? On this side of the planet whenever a car goes over a parking station wall the cause is stupid person put their foot on the wrong pedal , or perhaps RTFM before using the cruise control.
There was a time when I respected CNN and believed in their credibility, but that time has long passed, they are no longer a reliable, argentina travel information credible or ethical journalistic entity, having been badly compromised by their corporate argentina travel information ownership. These days CEOs from parent companies make editorial decisions, so I wouldn t trust any of their conclusions as far as I could throw them. But neither would I put my faith Toyotas credibility argentina travel information these days either, they ve been in trouble for quite a while now. So who do you trust, when you can t trust anybody anymore? The problem is, where is the empirical evidence, much as I appreciate eyewitness testimony from owners, who may or may not have their own agenda, investments, family connections to companies argentina travel information etc, I want to see it happen argentina travel information to some serious driver, argentina travel information a professional argentina travel information driver, argentina travel information a mechanic or even some tuner kid. Someone with some serious technical background or driving enthusiasts experience, someone young, that would carry more weight with me. I m getting old, and I know the perceptive powers argentina travel information of old folks start to diminish over the years. If this is really happening, someone should be able to make it happen, and as of yet nobody independent seems to have been able to, as far as we know. If Toyota has been able to repeat it, they don t really argentina travel information have any much motivation to share that data, unless you consider that if someone else does, then they will immediately become liable for perhaps hundreds of millions in lawsuits that will only be compounded by their failure to disclose anything they ve learned. The problem with Japan is they don t have laws, traditional or government that compel companies to reveal what they want to keep hidden, it s a cultural thing with the Japanese, they have a name for these competing concepts Honne and Tatemae. A belief that things can be hidden forever, we have the same thing here in the West, we re just smart enough not to put a name to our shame. :) So show me some evidence, real hard evidence, and I ll give you an opinion. So far nobody has, and CNN will do anything anything to generate ratings and get those advertising dollars argentina travel information rolling in, they re desperate, and if there s one thing you can reliably not trust, it s the desperate. Toyota argentina travel information ain t that desperate, not yet anyway.
argentina travel information Toyota must sue CNN to compensate for lost sales due to misinforming US customers and hurting brand reputation in the view of public. + how did media get their hands on a internal document in the first place? Since when illegally acquired evidence is allowed (even assuming it would contain something important)?
My husband Stanley Sirnik was killed in a 1992 Toyota 4-runner in March of 1992. That is how long Toyota has known about the SUA problem. The SUV was put into cruise control at 40mph and accelerated up to a very high speed. He applied the brakes and the truck would not stop. You could see the long skid marks on the highway from braking in the police report. To keep from going off of a cliff in West Virginia, he went up an embankment argentina travel information and flipped over. Toyota lied. It is a shame that everyone is making money except the dead people.
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