More than 100 complaints lodged over fixed Toyotas

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By KEN THOMAS

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Complaints of sudden acceleration in Toyotas repaired under recalls have nearly doubled in the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data.

The complaints from 105 drivers raise questions about whether Toyota's repairs will prevent the cars from speeding up on their own or if there is another reason for the problem.

Toyota has said it is confident in its repairs and has found no evidence of other problems, such as faulty electronics. The automaker did not immediately comment Wednesday on the latest complaints.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was contacting owners who have complained about their repaired vehicles. David Strickland, NHTSA's administrator, said in a statement Wednesday the agency has found "several instances in which a dealer made mistakes in applying one of the recall remedies."

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TOYOTA_NO_FIX?SITE=SCAND&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULTa

[Jefferson23]

1. The saga continues....

[awoke_in_2003]

2. Oops, pick on poor widdle Toyota-

prepare for the flamesuit :)

[divideandconquer]

Yeah Japan Inc's leading trade predator can't do software and people are dying

I feel real sorry this champion of union crushing and using slave labor.

[awoke_in_2003]

4. I would put dollars to donuts...

that this whole thing is a software problem- not easy things to find, and too many people out there calling themselves software engineers.

[divideandconquer]

3. Woz said his Toyota had software problems! wonder if he knows any experts?

[IDemo]

5. Did Woz specify the software?

If so, as an expert, he should have known better than to announce a firmware bug before analyzing the complete system.

The signs are increasingly pointing to a fault within the engine control system, but it may just as easily be a hardware issue within the analog-to-digital circuit as flawed code. Before the firmware can decide whether to accelerate or decelerate, the signal from the pedal's Hall Effect sensor must be converted from a DC voltage to a binary or Hex number. The same applies to the output: a binary number must be again converted to a voltage to control the action of the throttle servo. A cold solder joint on an A/D chip or associated component could as easily result in intermittent failure(s).