Toyota representatives stand by their product and a recall fix for reported cases of unexpected acceleration.
The service manager at one Okanagan dealership says he has “yet to have one that is documented other than a floor mat issue.”
“We and Toyota still seriously believe – and research shows – the biggest problem remains floor mats,” said Russ Murray, service manager at Vernon Toyota.
But that doesn‘t instill confidence in one Kelowna driver, who had his Tundra pickup spontaneously accelerate on three separate occasions.
Toyota says unintended acceleration in its vehicles is rare, but Blake Bowser, who bought the truck new in April 2007, had three heart-stopping instances of unexpected acceleration before the manufacturer issued a massive recall involving 8.5 million vehicles.
Bowser has since received recall notification online and twice in writing during the past month, but was initially told there wasn‘t a problem with his truck.
“I am one of the ‘rare instances‘ they refer to in this correspondence wherein the pedal actually sticks to the floor, causing extreme acceleration,” he told The Daily Courier.
Toyota Canada spokesman David Gollom responded by saying, “We have high confidence in the solution our engineers have developed.
“The solution has been rigorously tested and involves reinforcing the pedal assembly in a manner that eliminates the excess friction that has caused pedals to stick in rare instances. We also remain committed to encouraging customers to contact our Customer Interaction Centre or their dealer with any questions or concerns regarding the performance of their vehicle.”
Bowser‘s first unexpected acceleration occurred in May 2007, shortly after he purchased the 2007 Tundra.
“I had the presence of mind to depress the pedal a few quick times and dislodge it. I thought it was just a sticky accelerator,” he said.
However, it happened again a year later in 2008.
“I was not so lucky. I could not release the pedal as before and found myself careening down a 50 km/h two-lane street at well over 120 km/h before I figured out that I was required to put the shifter in neutral while the engine spooled into the red line maximum and turn off the ignition,” said Bowser.
“The end result was terrifying. I had to wrestle this hurtling projectile without the assistance of power steering or brakes to the side of the road without causing injury to myself or others.”
After Bowser regained his composure, he drove straight to Vernon Toyota.
“They inspected the pedal and all the usual suspects, reporting that all was well and it must have been the fault of the floor mats coming loose and jamming underneath the pedal,” said Bowser.
He had installed an after-market rubber mat, so “I shoved it right underneath the accelerator and pushed it as hard as I could, but (the accelerator) wouldn‘t catch on it.”
Nevertheless, Bowser immediately removed the floor mat.
But that didn‘t help in December of last year, when driving a friend to Kelowna airport.
“The exact same results took place without the floor mat. We moved over to pass a vehicle, and that‘s when it just jammed right to the floor. We were both shaken, but lucky in that the traffic was light,” he said.
After examining the Tundra, the Kelowna dealership‘s mechanics came up with the same story of floor mats – despite their absence.
After receiving the recall notices, Bowser had the recommended repairs done.
However, “I am no closer to feeling confident behind the wheel than before. I am not going out of my way to test it,” he said.
Murray said he has “specifically gone out to a vehicle – in spite of them receiving notices in the mail from Toyota – and found as many as three floor mats on the driver‘s side.”
Customers have adamantly denied having additional floor mats, yet when he has checked in front of the customer, “I can depress the throttle to the floor and have it physically stick there on the floor mat.”
Floor mats have interfered with gas pedals as long as there have been mats and pedals, he said.
Toyota has recognized there may be pedal stiffness in rare instances, not a stuck pedal or vehicle accelerating on its own, Murray said, but it only happens in the first 10 per cent of the sweep of the pedal and in vehicles with extremely high kilometres.
“That‘s what‘s been documented, and that is what the campaign is engineered to resolve,” he said.
“Other than those characteristics, we haven‘t seen any of the extreme cases of sticking throttles. We have yet to be able to duplicate or substantiate any of them. There have been numerous floor mat issues which can be entirely resolved by using only the mats that fit the car and securing them with the devices provided by the manufacturer.” Top of Page
