In late 2009, Toyota’s sudden acceleration problems became international headline news. But Toyota’s unintended acceleration problems have persisted for more than a decade. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered Toyota to recall vehicles as early as 1986 because of speed control issues. Toyota’s current generation of problems began in 2002 when Toyota notified its dealers that some Camry models could experience engine surging, which required electronic calibration to repair the problem. In 2003, the Toyota Sienna was the subject of internal communications that dealt with an “unwanted acceleration” incident that occurred during testing. Toyota reported the incident to NHTSA five years later, thus establishing a pattern of deception that has continued to the present. The current cover-up at Toyota has caused the deaths of at least 56 people and hundreds more have been injured, as consumers were uninformed about the safety issues that have plagued Toyota.

Some safety experts claim that Toyota does not know how to fix the current sudden acceleration problem. Instead, the company has blamed drivers for pressing the accelerator instead of the brake. They also blamed floor mats for entrapping gas pedals, and then later claimed that gas pedals were sticking, not returning to idle position. Data shows that Toyota’s unwanted acceleration problems began in 2002 with the introduction of electronic throttle controls. Complaints of sudden acceleration rose by 500% after Toyota incorporated these systems into their vehicles.

Although the cause(s) of Toyota’s acceleration problems may never be fully disclosed, the solution is easy and inexpensive: install the “smart pedal.” The “smart pedal” has been used for over ten years by Chrysler, Nissan, BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz and costs as little as $1.00 per vehicle. This technology works simply: if a driver inadvertently applies both the accelerator and brake simultaneously or if an electronic malfunction occurs which mimics this situation, the engine automatically shifts into idle, permitting the driver to slow and come to a stop. Toyota says it will begin using this technology in its 2011 models.

Unfortunately, Toyota has gone great lengths to avoid taking responsibility for its mistakes by attacking the research and tests of David Gilbert, an Automotive Technology Professor at Southern Illinois University. While Toyota claimed that their systems could not cause sudden acceleration, Gilbert’s tests showed the opposite: Toyota’s electronic systems could fail to prevent sudden acceleration in certain instances. Toyota told the United States Congress that they would work with Dr. Gilbert, but instead hired Exponent, a research firm, to refute the professor’s findings.

Toyota has refused to accept responsibility for its acceleration problems for years. Rather than addressing this significant safety issue by finding solutions, the company has focused on avoiding safety recalls. Toyota hired investigators away from NHSTA in an effort to stall or shut down NHTSA investigations. Internal documents at Toyota show that the company saved more than $100 million by avoiding a recall because of the sudden acceleration problem. Just one month after Toyota bragged about their cost savings “win”, a family was four of killed in their Lexus after it accelerated out of control.

While Toyota is working on a solution to its sudden acceleration problems, drivers of Toyota and Lexus vehicles should know what to do if they experience sudden acceleration.

Consumer Reports magazine reports that test drivers found the most effective strategy was to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it.

“Don’t start pumping or pounding on the brakes. That negates the vacuum assist and makes the brakes less effective. Toyota goes a step further. It advises stepping on the brake pedal with both feet, using firm and steady pressure.

After hitting the brakes, shift the transmission into neutral.

After disengaging the engine, pull safely off the road, turn off the car and park it.”

How can you be prepared?

Be sure you know how to get your car into neutral. This varies greatly by make and model and is not always intuitive. You want to know how to do this before you find yourself in an emergency situation.

People may be tempted to turn off the engine, but shifting into neutral is a better option. That’s because turning the engine off stops the power steering system and will make it harder to control the vehicle.

Still, if you can’t get it into neutral, don’t fool around. Shut the engine off.

But even this can be tricky if you are not prepared.

Toyota said if its vehicle is equipped with an “engine start/stop” button, you need to push the button firmly and steadily for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do not tap the start/stop button.

Other car makers, however, use different on-and-off systems, so be sure you know how your vehicle works.

Sources: The Safety Report, Consumer Reports

With the increase of the number of motorcyclists and bicyclists enjoying bike routes and trails throughout the State of Michigan this summer, there is a corresponding increase in the number of  accidents. It is estimated that nationally, a bicyclist is fatally injured every six hours, every day of the week. Deaths from motorcycle accidents are on the increase. Most catastrophic injuries, primarily head injuries, sustained in biking accidents are a result of a collision with a motor vehicle. Wearing the proper fitting helmet will help to prevent head injuries leading to death or serious disability. Helmets act like brakes or shock absorbers, as they have rigid outer shells, liners, padding and chin straps. Some experts believe that helmets should be replaced every five years because the resins and other materials in helmets can degrade over time. Read more about helmets and helmet safety: Snell Foundation FAQ

Recent technical glitches at Facebook have exposed the private lives of millions of users. Although U.S. senators and privacy groups have filed complaints with the FTC against Facebook, it appears there may be no limit to the number of features Facebook launches each month, frequently provoking concerns about privacy. (5/19) Wall Street Journal. Note that corporations and individuals, such as insurance companies and investigators, may gain access to your personal information on social networking sites and view or gather your information, photos and the like. If you are involved or later become involved in litigation, your case may be negatively affected.  To insure your privacy, take care in what information you place on the net. At some time in the future, the whole planet may have access to your personal information.

Just a month after Toyota was fined $16.4 million for failing to file a timely notice to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the “sticky pedal” defect, federal regulators have opened a separate investigation involving the steering systems in nearly one million Toyota SUV’s and pickup trucks. The rod, which connects the steering wheel to the wheels, can become weak and snap and cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles. Officials believe that Toyota knew about the defect one year before they issued a recall in 2005. A similar recall was issued in Japan in 2004. Automakers must notify NHTSA within five days of learning about safety defects in their vehicles. Toyota has attempted to explain away the problem by stating that U.S. drivers do not perform the number of close-quarters maneuvers required in Japan. Therefore, a U.S. recall was unnecessary, since the steering  rod would not be exposed to as much stress and would not likely snap. The NHTSA has linked the Toyota steering system defect to at least 15 crashes, 7 injuries and 3 deaths. (5/11) Washington Post

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating consumer complaints alleging their accelerator pedals stuck while they were driving their 2007 Dodge Calibers. According to Chrysler Corporation, about 10,000 vehicles may be affected by a mechanical problem “stemming from the manufacturing process at the supplier level.” The supplier is CTS Corporation, the same supplier of pedals involved in the 2.3 million Toyota vehicles recalled earlier this year. Unlike the recalled Toyota vehicles, the Dodge Caliber has a brake override system that allows a driver to stop if the accelerator pedal becomes stuck. (5/4) Detroit News

As federal officials pore over tens of thousands of documents related to safety issues at Toyota, the company is faced with a dilemma: should it accept and pay a record $16.4 million that might look like an admission of guilt, or should it fight the government and risk more bad publicity. The documents, uncovered by U.S. officials, show that Toyota knew about the defects in September 2009 when it issued recalls in Europe and Canada for sticky gas pedals and problems related to sudden acceleration, but did not issue recalls in the U.S. until January 2010. Nearly 100 injury and death cases as well as many class action lawsuits have been filed nationwide against Toyota. (4/6) Detroit News, AP

To date, Toyota has issued 10 million recall notices for vehicles located on three continents. However, the car maker faces new reports of sudden acceleration problems dating back to at least 2002 in Camrys and some Lexus models that have not been recalled. Data also shows complaints of sudden acceleration fatalities involving a Scion tC and a 2005 Highlander: neither model has been recalled. In a fatal 2004 crash involving a 2003 Camry, the paramedics found the deceased driver with both feet on the brake pedal. A complaint filed shortly after the crash said “throttle stuck-engine surged.” An official at the Center for Auto Safety sadly predicted that the number of sudden acceleration fatalities in Toyota-produced vehicles will without a doubt top 100. (2/15) LA Times

Toyota’s competitors use technology that could have prevented the fatal accidents and sudden acceleration experienced by some Toyota vehicle owners. For years, Nissan, BMW, Chrysler and Mercedes have used such a system, known as the “Smart Pedal”, which tells a vehicle’s engine to give the brakes precedence over the accelerator.  Toyota will begin to install this system on some of its vehicles produced in 2010. (2/8) Wall Street Journal

READ THE FULL ARTICLE BELOW.

Some of the fatal accidents and sudden-acceleration incidents that have caused Toyota Motor Corp. so much trouble may have been avoided if the auto maker had equipped its cars with a technology many of its rivals have offered for years.

Chrysler Group LLC, BMW AG, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and most other auto makers have a system built into most of their cars that cuts off a car’s acceleration if the driver is hitting both the gas and brake at the same time.

The computer system—known in the industry as “Smart Pedal” —tells the engine to disregard the accelerator if both the brake and gas pedal are pushed while the vehicle is moving.

U.S. regulators, in response to Toyota’s ongoing recall, have asked auto makers to provide information on their use of a technology that instructs the brake to override the accelerator when the gas and brake pedals are pushed at the same time. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration sent a questionnaire to auto makers last week seeking details on how Smart Pedal is implemented on their vehicles sold in the U.S., according to three people briefed on the matter.

“Chrysler Group began implementing the smart brake in 2003,” a Chrysler spokesman said. “We saw the opportunity to use the system as an additional security measure for the driver. When a disagreement exists between the throttle and the brake, the brake signal causes the engine controller to reduce engine power, allowing the operator to stop the car. Safety is indeed a benefit of the system but efficiency and durability are also important.”

As part of Toyota’s recall of 5.4 million vehicles over the floor mat issue, the auto maker said it would install a brake override system in all of its newly produced cars and trucks by the end of the year.

It is also installing that system on all of the 12 models involved in the floor mat recall as owners bring their vehicles into dealerships to have work done. The dealers will reprogram the on-board computer system so that if the brakes and the gas are pressed simultaneously the brakes will take precedence.

Such a feature may have also helped control those vehicles that reportedly accelerated to high speed. Many of those incidents are believed to have been caused by bulky floor mats that could catch on the gas pedals and pin them down.

That was the problem an off-duty California state trooper had on Aug. 28 when the Lexus ES350 he was driving zoomed to 125 miles per hour on a road near San Diego. A passenger in the car called 911 and said the accelerator was stuck and the driver was hitting the brakes. The call ends when the car crashes. The trooper and three members died.

Toyota also said the brake override system would be standard equipment throughout the Toyota and Lexus product lines starting with the January 2010 production of ES 350 and Camry. It is scheduled to be incorporated into new production of most, but not all models, by the end of 2010.

The on-board electronics system in BMW’s vehicles reduces engine power so the driver can stop while continuing to press the brakes, said product spokesman Tom Plucinsky. The safety feature has been offered on all of its vehicles since the 2005 model year.

Hyundai Motor Co. intends to equip all of its vehicles with the feature by the end of February while Nissan Motor Co. already offers the feature on all of its cars.

General Motors Co. offers brake override on its performance vehicles such as the Corvette ZR1, Camero SS and the four-cylinder Malibu. The auto maker installed the system to ensure its high horsepower vehicles, or vehicles with more torque such as the Malibu, meet the company’s internal braking distance standards.

The auto maker hasn’t implemented the override system on its other vehicles since its brakes are always stronger than its engines.

“That means if you stand on the brake and the accelerator the brake wins all the time,” GM spokesman Alan Adler said.

Ford Motor Co. is employing the technology on its Fiesta subcompact car, which will be introduced in the U.S. later this year. Ford plans to roll the feature out to its other vehicles although a timetable hasn’t been disclosed.

Write to Jeff Bennett at jeff.bennett@dowjones.com

Complaints against Toyota are increasing daily as the automaker is under fire for not doing enough to insure the safety of its vehicles. Toyota is also under pressure to expand its investigation into consumer complaints about its flagship vehicle, the Prius. Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, claims that his Prius can unintentionally accelerate to 97 mph with the cruise control engaged. The U.S. Department of Transportation has criticized Toyota for failing to disclose the defects and issuing recalls in a timely manner, putting the traveling public at risk. Eleven class actions suits have been filed again the automaker, while the company faces the threat of huge civil fines imposed by the U.S. government. AP, Detroit News, Bloomberg

At least 33 Toyota Prius owners have filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration alleging reduced braking power after hitting a pothole, manhole or similar object. The result is longer than expected stopping distances that may be fatal for pedestrians. This year Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles due to faulty accelerator pedals and floor mats. (12/24) The Detroit Bureau