Testing, testing, one, two, three...

Oh...only certain comments with facts about Toyota SUA are censored?

No, just your lying, garbage spam propaganda, apparently.

Many of my factual-based sudden unintended acceleration comments are STILL "in moderation" over 24 hours later. What's going on? Why th cover-up about Toyota unintended acceleration ?

Clearly they don't like your false, misleading, baseless, fraudulent lies and unsubstantiated claims.

"Driver error" is a catch-all excuse used by automakers to divert attention away from serious safety defects, it seems. There is insufficient regulation of safety standards in the automobile industry, especially in the area of complex electronics. For instance, Toyota is in the lead in terms of cases of sudden unintended acceleration. I'm not referring to the SUA events involving jammed floor mats, sticky accelerator pedals, or pedal misapplication. I'm referring to the unintended acceleration and erratic ELECTRONIC throttle control system behavior that occurs when a glitch is present in the substandard software. In a recent Oklahoma court case lost by Toyota, Bookout vs. Toyota, embedded software expert Michael Barr's findings of ETCS-i glitches were presented. Also noted was that a SUA-inducing glitch could also render an ineffective fail-safe. Translation? Your runaway Toyota could prove to be unstoppable until something impacts it.

Toyota, GM, and Chrysler, among other automakers, have hidden safety-related information from the public for far too long. Drivers' and their passengers' lives are at stake. In the case of sudden unintended acceleration, pedestrians have been injured and killed as well. Crashes into storefronts, buildings, and homes, are daily occurrences now and there is an extremely well-orchestrated push to conclude "driver error." Other speculative conclusions are "medical condition" (diabetes, seizures, etc.), prescription medications, driving under the influence of something, etc. A recent far-fetched speculation was that the driver's shoe (a teen learning to drive with her father beside her) jammed the accelerator causing the vehicle to "take off!" Don't most teenagers wear flip-flops? Show us how a flip-flop causes this.

In the case of GM's ignition switch, "driver error" would be the easy way out. Does GM use this conclusion despite evidence to the contrary? Are driver's (if they survive) statements discounted or discredited as they are in the cases of Toyota sudden unintended acceleration? Usually, the automakers follow the same playbook. Be sure to read Parris Boyd's "BEWARE of Toyota...it's next victim may be YOU" blog and Jessie Powell's "Route 44 Sold me a LEMON" blog to see how it's done.

One thing is clear. GM and Toyota aren't going to tell you anything you don't find out on your own. It seems historically and literally, the automakers like to be "unaware" of the issues customers reveal to them. They'd much rather say their loyal customers are confused and/or causing the problems themselves. That way, their dear bottom line is not impacted negatively. And now, with all the media control via advertising and more, the automakers' secrets can remain hidden for a whole lot longer...decades+ as shown! Add NHTSA in their back pockets, good reputation management companies, on-line customer complaint suppression, and a gaggle of attorneys, and you have an untouchable entities, don't you? Maybe...as long as the grassroots vehicle owner groups don't wise up and organize, like GM Recall Survivors, to demand answers and expect more from lawmakers and the automakers.

Charlene Blake

Perhaps you prefer "pedal misapplication"? That's what the DOT uses...

Science was used in Oklahoma case, Bookout vs Toyota. Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) settled a lawsuit that brought a $3 million jury verdict over a claim that a defect in a Camry made the vehicle suddenly accelerate and led to an accident that left one woman dead and another injured.

Really? What science was that?

More lies and propaganda...science doesn't take place in a courtroom. You continually prove ignorance is bliss...

And, next the truth-deniers will blame driver error on unicorns or UFOs or some other drivel....pathetic.

And as for injuries, I know my girlfriend's mom broke her femur in two places, and fractured four of her ribs. She most likely will be in the hospital for several days, but she is in good spirits. Still she will be recovering for at least 6 months to a year. And there were some people who were worse off, so this is a fairly serious incident, not just the broken foot everyone keeps reporting.

Michael could you add me to your Facebook, I have send you a friend request so i can explain to you what Sudden Unintended Acceleration has done to people..

Now learning that the man didn't even speak English and was 71 years old, it's going to be harder to prove that this accident was anything but driver error. Though we do know he hit the break before losing control, the man didn't explain how the car reacted to applying the brake. In any case, the man really shouldn't be on the roads if he can't even describe what happened. And can we get a toxicology report on the driver as well, especially since most people his age will most likely will be on multiple prescription drugs with some possibly being narcotics? In any case, he was in no way fit to drive an automobile.

In addition, does anybody know if the restaurant seating was illegally set up? Are there laws like in other states that require a certain amount of distance between the road and the seating? In any case, Lemoni Cafe is also at fault for having their seating in such a dangerous place. It definitely cannot be legal to block the sidewalk like that and have people so vulnerable to high speed traffic without any barrier.

Also, since we know he hit the brake before losing control, that does lend some credence to the UA scenario, but I think this may be complicated by the fact that this guy was elderly and possibly on prescription pain killers or other drugs that affect motor function and concentration. It could be a combination of the two. Perhaps it was UA, but the driver could not control the car because he was too much under the influence of his medication (or simply too old) to react fast enough. And who knows, he could be lying, maybe he feel asleep or was in an argument or at some way obviously at fault, and that's why he can't 'remember' what happened. (Trying to cover up for his guilt and hiding behind a language barrier or his elderly status)

Bottom line is that if a car is fine working condition, there is absolutely no reason why on a sunny dry day on a straight road should pressing the brakes cause a sedan to veer off onto the sidewalk and into a crowd of people. So either the driver, the restaurant, or Toyota, or all combined are at fault. All should expect litigation against them.

"People his age will most likely be on prescription drugs"...where are you going with that? That's the type of defamation that Toyota uses against the drivers to escape any responsibility for known vehicle defects.

Right out of the playbook, in fact.

Where has toyota ever used that?

Hiding behind a "language barrier? "Elderly?"

WHY the defamation of the driver before any proof? Why the speculation he was taking prescriptions drugs?

I said that because these are legitimate concerns that we need to consider in addition to any mechanical or electronic problems that could have occurred. Age obviously plays a factor in any accident, there have been plenty of incidents where the elderly have crashed due to a lack of mental sharpness and slow reaction times. We don't know if this is the case, I'm not accusing the man of being incompetent, I'm just saying it's a possibility.

But this is all speculation, conjecture. It may be that the car was fine and it was driver error, maybe the guy thought he was hitting the brake, but mistakenly hit the gas? And whenever we are dealing with a someone who may be guilty of a crime, we need to question the integrity of their character because this may factor into the unfolding of events. If someone knows that they are guilty of a crime they often try to lie (often strategically) to police in an attempt to free themselves of culpability. I don't think this guy ever had any intention of doing this on purpose, but it still might be partially his fault. Really I don't see this as very unreasonable to say.

And I speculate that he may have been taking prescription drugs that could have affected his driving because nearly 90% of people 60+ take at least one prescription drug and nearly 40% take five or more simultaneously. Often they have side effects that impair drivers' reaction times and general situation awareness. Or sometimes patients take incorrect dosages which result in similar unintended effects. It's not something that should be ignored. We can't know though until the investigation is finished. So as far as I'm concerned there is nothing more to be said here in the comment sections of these articles.

I strongly disagree. I believe there's plenty more to say. I also believe there are some very tough questions to ask, too.

The body of scientific data on electronic throttle control faults is growing as are the numbers of these crashes.

Define "scientific data."

There actually is a growing body of data proving that driver error is real, and older folks are the primary "victims" of it.

Toyota and NHTSA are committing ELDER ABUSE by targeting this group to blame for sudden unintended acceleration. There seems to be more-than-meets-the-eye calculated PR propaganda against drivers in these crashes going on. Wonder what ole Toyota is up to?

That's not scientific data. That's stupid ignorance and desperation that you can't back up.
Your propaganda may be why several sites are deleting your hokum comments.

A likely reason is Toyota's $$ is hard at work covering up any evidence of electronic faults in its ETCS-i or existence of SUA-producing "tin whiskers" in the engine.

More baseless conclusions that you can't back up. More likely is this site doesn't care for your unsubstantiated claims. Tin whiskers is another myth that's been disproven, but you inexplicably deny it....pathetic.

Believe me it is not drivers at fault accident. I am not old and I have a sharp mind. It happened to me and lets not blame drivers...old or young.. I was only 45 with an excellent driving record..

Sudden Unintended Acceleration is real, it happened to me in 2005. I had purchased a brand new 2004 ES 330 Lexus while sitting at the red light my car took off like a rocket going through the red light. By the time I realized what was happening my car was going over 100 miles an hour and I realized that I did not have brake and I could hear the accelerator revving. All I was able to do hold on to the wheel trying to avoid hitting anyone. All I could think that my car was going to kill people. I was so fortunate that no one was kill and what eventually happen I
end up on the other side of the street hitting a SUV head on totaling both cars. The dashboard fell on my legs and crushed both legs severely. The SUV driver had some minor damages. As the result of my Lexus suddenly accelerating, I have had 24 surgeries and more in future. My left leg will have to be amputated above the knee since surgery can not do any good anymore and my right ankle
will have to be fused since I am in sever pain. I hope Toyota stops the lies and fix those cars rather than blaming the elderly drivers.

Azar Hadi Brannan

And why would/should we believe you? You can't back up a single word you ignorantly say.

Why the defamation of the car/company before any proof? Why the speculation that it was some electronic issue?

Don't listen to this idiot Azar, mike. She just wants to spam you like she's doing in the comments here.
Driver error is a serious problem, especially with older folks

Azar is a SUA victim herself who has permanent damage to her legs. She's still faced with years of rehab and more surgeries (24 already!) due to no fault of her own. Her Lexus became out of control in a similar way and she was not able to maintain control of it.

Another victim (and denier) of driver error. EDR data will back this up, no doubt.

Be careful though because Toyota has also stated emphatically that the EDR shows "no braking" when drivers emphatically say they were! When the EDR dat suits Toyota, this is what it will show. It's called CHERRY-PICKING the data to suit escaping manufacturer's responsibility.

Recall all the hot water that NHTSA is in regarding the GM ignition switch debacle? NHTSA aided and abetted Toyota during the first sudden unintended acceleration fiasco, according to most SUA victims! I was present during the recent NHTSA hot seat in front of Congress. Rest assured, NOTHING has changed there!

Remember WHO was found to be lying to Congress, NHTSA, and customers. It was Toyota that got a "deferred prosecution agreement" from the DOJ and who has to be monitored for YEARS due to its brazen disregard for the TRUTH.

Dr. Antony Anderson, an expert electrical engineer the UK, has shown that Toyota EDR can be inaccurate and inconsistent. See the Highlander crashes into home on YT. He found that that data recording did not match the movements of the vehicle in he video.

THIS is the way that Toyota will attempt to incriminate the driver if at all possible, IMO. It's happened before and it will likely continue to happen.

And..as a historical aside, I've seen this OWNER BLAME GAME before in the case of Toyota engine oil sludge. See Automotive News May 13, 2002 issue which gives my story. It was another Toyota consumer effort in which I participated. Back then...and to this day...Toyota maintained this serious engine malady was caused by owner maintenance neglect of their own vehicles. It has never taken due responsibility for the defect which owners say caused the engine oil to be consumed quickly and baked within the engine.

Cite all the fabrications, frauds, and lies you want. The truth doesn't line up with your conspiracy theories or the paid minions who are funded by trial lawyers suing for money. You can't back up any of your misguided theories.
Toyota has never said what you ignorantly claim. Nor have they blamed a driver. They allow the facts to speak for themselves, even if your "opinion" doesn't align with them.
For example:
"Reached for comment, Toyota says in a statement it was the driver's fault for depressing the brake pedal too late to avoid an accident."
"The vehicle's Event Data Recorder (EDR) conclusively demonstrates that the brake pedal was not depressed until less than 0.8 of a second before impact," the statement reads. "Toyota also thoroughly inspected and test drove Mrs. Ruginis' vehicle, which revealed no issues, and was unable to duplicate the phenomenon described. This data supports our conclusion that this was not a sudden unintended acceleration event but a collision that resulted from late braking, which is not unique to drivers of Toyota vehicles."
Where exactly does it say, in this case, the brakes were NEVER used? They were, but it was too late-solely the drivers fault.
With regard to your historical aside, learn to change your oil properly and you won't have a problem. Toyota went above and beyond to compensate owners for their negligence and ignorance, even though Toyota had no requirement to do so.

The settlement brings Toyota's tab for the sudden-acceleration ordeal to about $5 billion in fines, settlements, repair costs and lost sales.

Toyota was formally charged with one count of wire fraud, which will be dismissed after three years if the automaker abides by the settlement terms. Prosecutors typically charge wire fraud in cases in which they suspect the use of phones, email and other electronic communications for criminal purposes.

Yes, you've repeated this ad nauseum. It isn't $5 billion. But they paid a lot of money for a problem that doesn't exist. Remind me again where you got your engineering degree?

I am not the one found by the DOJ to be GUILTY of fraud and lying. Who was?

Censorship????

TOYOTA & LEXUS!!!!!

...are #1!!!!

Toyota And Lexus Vehicles Are Unsafe

By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

All Toyota-produced vehicles sold in the U.S. today—including Toyota cars and trucks, and Lexus automobiles—are unsafe. It will take years before new models roll off the company’s assembly lines that are completely safe. Also, millions of Toyota vehicles are on American roads already that are unsafe to drive. Any recent-vintage Toyota product, model years 2002[2] and later, potentially can turn into a runaway vehicle at a moment’s notice. Driving one or being a passenger is like playing Russian roulette. Query whether Americans, especially young families with small children, will trust their lives to Toyota?

Tragically and irresponsibly, the company has lied for years and it is lying now. First, Toyota claimed it was a floor mat problem. Next, the problems were related to the accelerator pedal[3]; and on and on the company’s lies go. Toyota has had 10 years to investigate these issues, and determine and implement solutions, but its management has lied repeatedly and it is still doing it. The runaway vehicle safety problems, which are confronting the giant automaker, are of a magnitude equal to or greater than those that brought down the storied Firestone tire brand, and the same thing may happen to Toyota. Every American needs to read about runaway Toyota-produced vehicles. The facts are sobering.

After the sudden-acceleration problems surfaced in Toyota and Lexus vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said “more motorists have died in Toyota vehicles associated with sudden acceleration in the last decade than in cars made by all other manufacturers combined.”[4] Consumer advocate Ralph Nader’s trail-blazing and Herculean efforts helped launch the automobile safety movement. His speeches and writings on behalf of Americans (see, e.g., “Unsafe at Any Speed”) helped expose and remedy auto safety defects. Today he believes: “[The NHTSA] is a broken agency that has to be rebuilt.”[5]

Wow, your desperation is pathetic and palpable.

Are you talking about the DOJ's $1.2 billion extortion? The one that found no defect in Toyota's? The one trumpeted by the now-jobless Holder who couldn't find his way out of a paper bag? That one? Yeah, thought so.

My online petition for Toyota engine oil sludge VICTIMS got over 3,300 signatories AFTER the "voluntary program" and the class action lawsuit settlements! Go figure because Toyota LIED and sad publicly that there were only 3200 cases before the matter "got legs" on the Internet forums!

The VICTIMS do NOT agree that Toyota's "voluntary program" for engine oil sludge was "unprecedented" or "generous " as proclaimed by then CEO of Customer Relations, Bruce C. Ertmann.

So you have too much time on your hands AND you don't know how to maintain a car along with 3300 other ignorant people? Got it.

See Bob Ruginis Toyota Corolla case. The EDR did back up that the brakes WERE applied prior to the unavoidable crash in the 2010 model vehicle. Toyota conveniently WITHHELD that critical information from the vehicle owners. They obtained the EDR data NOT from Toyota which never mentioned it (oh, what a feeling!) but rather directly from Bosch.

Search Robert and Kathy Ruginis unintended acceleration in. 2010 Toyota Corolla. Just occurred recently and has made WORLDWIDE headlines now!

New Toyota cover-up of GLOBAL proportions? YOU be the judge.

Actually, I have seen it. In reality, the EDR data clearly shows the elderly lady driving didn't touch the brakes until a FRACTION OF A SECOND before she rammed some poor guy's jeep. And Bob wasn't even there at the time.
This is from a news article on the Ruginis driver error case:

"Reached for comment, Toyota says in a statement it was the driver's fault for depressing the brake pedal too late to avoid an accident.
"The vehicle's Event Data Recorder (EDR) conclusively demonstrates that the brake pedal was not depressed until less than 0.8 of a second before impact," the statement reads. "Toyota also thoroughly inspected and test drove Mrs. Ruginis' vehicle, which revealed no issues, and was unable to duplicate the phenomenon described. This data supports our conclusion that this was not a sudden unintended acceleration event but a collision that resulted from late braking, which is not unique to drivers of Toyota vehicles."

Michael I will send my phone # to you on facebook. I can explain my experience regarding Sudden Unintended Acceleration..

this guy could have taken valium like a lot of older people on heart meds are. it sounds like this wasnt investivated nearly enough at the scene with the driver. i hope everyone is okay. i doubt his insurance will cover everyone's damages and medical bill so hes prob about to loose everything . if you step on the brake and dont know what happened you shouldnt be driving

Mark this accidents are not about older people, I was not old, I was only 45. This is about defective cars and that defect is called sudden unintended acceleration.

Driver error has no age limit. Next you fools will blame it on unicorns or some nonsense.