Toyota Recall Includes Computer Reflash, Trimming Gas Pedals

by Paul Niedermeyer

Published: February 3rd, 2010

toyota recall includes computer reflash trimming gas pedals

We’ve gotten hold of documents relating to that other Toyota recall, the one from last fall regarding pedal interference with floor mats. Tying the floor mats to the seats was the short term fix, but now Toyota has the permanent solution. This includes cars with the Denso pedal that is not part of the sticky-pedal recall. The main features: cutting off the bottom of the pedal to make it shorter (yes, with a reciprocating saw) reworking the sound-deadening and carpet near the pedal, and most important, from our point of view, a reflash of the computer to give braking priority over throttle inputs. The documents we looked at specifically concerns Camry models with the Denso pedal. Our other report details the shim fix to vehicles with the CTS pedal, but that doesn’t describe making these changes to the bottom of the pedal or the carpet. Or is that covered under a separate recall? Almost certainly, as its inconceivable that the reflash wouldn’t be applied to both models. We’ll confirm that ASAP.

Meanwhile, the Denso-equipped Camrys will have some portion of their pedals cut off with a reciprocating saw, orbital sander, and a template and gauge (tools supplied by Toyota). Some work will be done to remove sound deadening material and modify the floor surface. And any of the older all-weather mats will be replaced by newer versions. The flat rate to dealers is 2.1 hours.

We’d like to see Toyota place more emphasis on their plans to reflash the computers, and come out with a time-table for covering all their vehicles that need this done, ASAP.

#CarComputer #CuttingGasPedals #Denso-equippedCamryRecall #FloorMatRecall #PedalRecall #PedalToMatInterference #Reflash #ToyotaComputerReflash #ToyotaRecall #TrimmingGasPedals #UnintendedAcelleration

Paul Niedermeyer

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9 of 47 comments

Robbie on Feb 04, 2010

Question for the best an brightest, among all this Toyota bashing: Isn't this a case of Toyota getting extremely bad press now based on an issue that happens to one vehicle in a million, with the general public not understanding that the chances of your Toyota speeding up out of control are extremely small - smaller than say, dying when crossing a sidewalk, or getting hit by lightning?

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- Roxer on Feb 04, 2010
  
  My customers are quite understanding of the fact the chances are so slim this will happen. And they are aware it is a wearing problem that will gradually occur - not suddenly. Maybe because we don't take the news as gospel up here in Canada - who knows. People like to pick on #1 and it will always happen. Maybe people care so much they don't want Toyota to turn into GM so they are giving them a hard time with no way out except what is right.
  
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- Monty on Feb 04, 2010
  
  Why let facts spoil a good sensationalism angle on a story involving a foreign company? How many people died in the Tylenol scare? It seemed like possibly hundreds at the time, based on how the media portrayed it. How many people perished in a Pinto in a fiery blaze? The mainstream media spun the Pinto story into a carnage of epic proportions, making it seem as if every single Pinto on the road was at some time going to spontaneously combust, and immolate thousands of innocent people. (telling contemporary scene in a movie - Top Secret, and the public took it as gospel)
  
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- JohnAZ on Feb 04, 2010
  
  Robbie, I cannot claim to be either the best nor brightest, but I sure have an educated guess. Back in 1990, Perrier customers were getting sick from benzine found in some bottles of their 'pure mountain water'. Perrier followed a circuitous and confusing route to find the problem, publicly blaming everything but themselves. They ended up recalling 160 million bottles before finding that only a few bottles were contaminated in one bottling plant. They went bankrupt and the brand was sold. Maple Leaf Foods in Canada had a contaminated meat problem a couple of years back that was killing people. They immediately recalled all of their products, shut their factories, and found the cause. They reopened their business after much work, inspection and delay, and they have since regained their quality reputation and market share. Toyota has followed the Perrier plan. Too many mats, wrong mats, twist ties, driver error, confused drivers, hit wrong pedal, CTS's fault, Japan OK - USA-boo, sticky pedal caused UA, shim=precision cut metal bar, new car production fix before customer cars, first heard Oct 09, no fail safe, told to fix vs. their idea. The list goes on. All manufacturers now have two paths to follow when their brand's reputation is on the line. Tylenol/Maple Leaf or Perrier/Toyota? Choose early and choose as if your life and ours depends on it.
  
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- Psarhjinian on Feb 04, 2010
  Maple Leaf Foods in Canada had a contaminated meat problem a couple of years back that was killing people. They immediately recalled all of their products, shut their factories, and found the cause. They reopened their business after much work, inspection and delay, and they have since regained their quality reputation and market share. The difference between Maple Leaf and Tylenol and this is that it is bog-standard easy to find contaminated food and drug supplies and issue a recall. I currently work for a chemical company. If we make a batch of, oh, I don't know, soap or something and it accidentally had hydrochloric acid or human blood or whatever added to it, I can, pretty quickly, figure out everything that was made the same day, or from the same ingredients, by the same machines/production lines and recall them all because my system can trace the problem. It's pathetically easy. What Toyota is facing is more like a software bug that, say, deleted someone's files. Some people report it, but at first you tend to think it's people being boneheaded. Then more people report it. Then you start looking into it, but you can't reproduce it. Your end-users aren't at all clear on giving you bug reports, up to and including being unable to tell you what actually was deleted, when, why, how or what they're using. There's nothing quick and easy like lot tracability that you can leverage. So what do you do? You have a few choices: wait until you can get enough information to reproduce the problem, try to figure out how it's failing by theoretical means, or recall everything and/or start shotgunning. None of these options are particularly palatable from a PR perspective, and all carry the risk of you not resolving the real problem. Comparing food and drug to mechanical, electronic or software work is not really valid.
  
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- Eastaboga on Feb 04, 2010
  
  Robbie, The chance of the pedal assembly actually failing is quite small, granted, but the chance of the pedal becoming pinned down for any number of reasons, say a floormat maybe, is much more likely. IF (and I don't know the answer to this for certain) in a sustained brake application the computer is not reducing power, not allowing the transmission to be shifted into neutral, or not allowing the ignition to be turned off (unless the driver knows to press and hold for the start/stop button 3 seconds)....then the computer is programmed incorrectly. It was only amatter of time beofre drive-by-wire bit a manufacturer. I believe that if Toyota, with their reputation and good will in the marketplace, would come clean on this point they'd be in a much better position right now. This is failure mode analysis, something Toyota the Japanese OEM's are the world's best at! If the computer programming is the issue, not a computer malfunction, then they need to come clean now, otherwise this sordid mess will continue until the brand is damaged beyond recognition!
  
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Fgbrault on Feb 04, 2010

sfenders - I don't know if they will implement it on manual transmission equipped cars, but if they do I assume that it would work like my VW (DSG) does with a 1/2 second delay. Also, on my VW I don't think it is triggered if you start braking before accelerating. By the way who would buy a Toyota appliance who plans to heal & toe? :)

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Krimby on Mar 17, 2010

I just got my 2007 Camry done. It's Kentucky built, with the Denso pedal. It looks like they left the pedal and the floor mat alone. When I went in they asked if I was here for the GL4 recall ( something like that ) There's nothing on my letter saying what recall it's part of. The final receipt says I got the system reflashed and had a "Tibia Pad Assy" installed, and a "Stopper, Accelerator" installed. I have no idea what either of them are. Any ideas?

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JMHaltom on Jun 09, 2010

Wish I had seen this site sooner. The wife has a 08 Highlander. She received a letter about the mat recalls and the accelerator problem. She contacted our local toyota dealer. They said, "come on in". That should have been my first signal that something was up. Well she took her car in and when they had her pick it up, I bent down and looked at the pedel. Damn, it did look like someone took a sawsall to it. Needless to say we were more than a little pissed. Especially after fighting them for a year about her air-vent smell. It took about one minute to find out that this was there quick fix. We were informed that most people don't look at the pedel and so they slide this by. They said they could order us another pedel (they have a shorter one) and install it. This is what they should have done in the first place. If anyone wants to see the quality work, my address is mltex@carolina.rr.com

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