Monday, November 9, 2015

2010 Toyota Tacoma In Fatal Charles River Crash Not Part Of Acceleration Recall Should it have been?






2002 – 2015 TOYOTA TACOMA Vehicle Speed Control Problems  (as of: 9 Nov 2015): 


2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002

[“Current” ETCS-i began in 2005. * An earlier variant was fitted to 2002-2004 V6 models.]


2004 TOYOTA TACOMA Vehicle Speed Control Problems


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Apr 18, 2012 - Hopkinton, NH - Vehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE SPEED DROPPED AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STOPPED RESPONDING. AFTER TOWING THE TRUCK HOME I READ THE SCAN CODES AND THERE WERE MANY THAT RELATED TO THE THROTTLE BODY SENSORS. IN ORDER TO DEBUG THE SYSTEM I CLEARED THE PROBLEM. WITH THE KEY ON AND THE ENGINE NOT RUNNING I TESTED THE DRIVE-BY-WIRE SYSTEM MANUALLY. IT RESPONDED CORRECTLY AND SHOWED NO PROBLEMS. NO MORE CODES WERE THROWN. I STARTED THE TRUCK AND PUT IT IN GEAR AND ENGINE WENT TO FULL THROTTLE IMMEDIATELY. I TURNED THE TRUCK OFF QUICKLY AND RECHECKED THE DRIVE BY WIRE SERVO SYSTEM. IT STILL WORKED CORRECTLY WITH NO CODES THROWN. I AM AN ENGINEER AND HAVE WORKED A GREAT DEAL WITH SERVO SYSTEMS INCLUDING WRITING A BOOK ON THE HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT THESE SYSTEMS. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THE DESIGNERS DID NOT BUILD ANY REDUNDANCY INTO THE FEEDBACK AND CONTROL DEVICES. THIS DEVICE IS CONSIDERED A MAJOR RISK IN A FAILURE MODE ANALYSIS. IF I DID THAT TYPE OF WORK IN MY POSITION I WOULD BE FIRED AND HAVE AND UNENDING LIST OF LAWSUITS BROUGHT AGAINST ME. THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE IN TERMS OF RELIABILITY HOWEVER I AM VERY SURPRISED THAT A COMPANY AS LARGE AS TOYOTA WOULD LEAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO CHANCE. THIS DEVICE CAN EASILY FAIL IN A WAY THAT WOULD CAUSE A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE IT FAIL AT LOW THROTTLE AND NOT FULL THROTTLE AS IT DID WHEN I TESTED IT AT HOME. THIS IS A DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE AND TOYOTA NEEDS TO ADDRESS IT. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY "COULDN'T HELP" ME. IT COST $1200 TO REPAIR. IT'S NOT THE MONEY, IT'S THE RISK THAT THIS FAILURE IMPOSES. THE TRUCK NOW BELONGS TO MY 16 YEAR-OLD SON AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT HIS SAFETY. I ALSO HAVE A VIDEO THAT SHOWS THE METHODS I USED TO TEST THE SYSTEM AND THE FAILURE HAPPENING RIGHT IN MY DRIVEWAY!...UPDATED 05/15/12 * BF 
=========================================
Electronic Throttle Control System -
intelligence (ETCS-i)  (2000-2010)
Electronic Throttle Control System
Toyota Trucks *
(page 18 of 19)



Toyota Tacoma In Fatal Charles River Crash Not Part Of Acceleration Recall






Two people died after the pickup truck they were traveling in drove into the Charles River on Saturday night. (WBZ-TV)
Two people died after the pickup truck they were traveling in drove into the Charles River on Saturday night. (WBZ-TV)

BOSTON (CBS) – Massachusetts State Police say the Toyota pickup truck that plunged into the Charles River Saturday evening was not part of a recall for unintended acceleration problems.
Two people in a 2010 Toyota Tacoma died after the truck ran a red light at Leverett Circle, side-swiped a car and then drove off the Craigie Bridge and into the water across from the State Police barracks.
Brian Arcand, 36, of North Smithfield, Rhode Island, and Rebecca Smith, 36, of Providence, were pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital after being pulled from the water by rescuers.
A pickup truck went into the Charles River on Saturday night. (WBZ-TV)
A pickup truck went into the Charles River on Saturday night. (WBZ-TV)
State Police said they’re looking at speed as a factor in the crash.
“As part of every investigation into crashes with fatal or life-threatening injuries, the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section reviews vehicle recall databases and compares that data to the make, model, year, and vehicle identification numbers of vehicles involved in the crashes,” State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said in a statement Monday.
“State Police have determined that the victims’ 2010 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck was NOT part of any Toyota recall for unintended acceleration problems.”


2010 Toyota Tacoma Fatal Crash:2009 Toyota Tacoma RECALLED FOR unintended acceleration



COMPLAINTS LISTED HERE: 
2010 Toyota Tacoma Fatal Crash

Speed probed in fatal Charles River crash






The scene of a fatal Saturday-night traffic accident near Leverett Circle.
PAT GREENHOUSE/GLOBE STAFF
The scene of a fatal Saturday-night traffic accident near Leverett Circle.



State Police are investigating whether speed was a factor in a car crash that left two people dead after their vehicle tore through a 100-year-old iron fence and plunged into the Charles River near Leverett Circle early Saturday night.
A metal barricade was erected to replace the missing section of guardrail and a more secure steel chain link fence was expected to be installed Sunday night, an official said.


The victims, identified as Brian Arcand, 36, of North Smithfield, R.I., and Rebecca Smith, 36, of Providence, were traveling in a 2010 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck on Nashua Street at about 6:40 p.m. when the truck accelerated from Leverett Circle onto Monsignor O’Brien Highway (Route 28), sideswiped an Acura, lost control, went airborne, and crashed into the river, said State Police spokesman David Procopio.
“We are investigating speed as a factor,” Procopio said in an e-mail Sunday. He declined to elaborate. “The ongoing collision reconstruction, in conjunction with witness statements, will help us determine the speed.”
The pickup truck Arcand and Smith were traveling in was one of several models that had been recalled by Toyota in 2009 due to unintended acceleration.





Procopio said that part of the State Police investigation will include an examination of the vehicle’s mechanical systems.
State Police are also looking into whether the fence should have withstood the impact of the vehicle said Troy Wall, a spokesman for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, the agency that maintains the fence. A section of the guardrail fell into the dark river along with the truck.
Wall said the craggie-pattern iron fencing was approximately 100 years old and a visual inspection of the fence occurs several times a year.
Arcand’s family was mourning the loss of a man they described as a good father, and a person who always made people smile, and laugh.
A relative, who identified himself only as John, a cousin through marriage, said Arcand was celebrating his birthday and he and his girlfriend, Smith, were heading to a comedy show in Boston, one of his favorite things to do.
“He was always the light in the room . . . bright eyes and an infectious smile,” John said Sunday night.
“You could always find Brian on the floor being tackled by the children at family events. I, his family, and friends will miss him greatly.”
The driver of the Acura, identified as a 35-year-old woman from Milton, and her passenger, a 36-year-old woman from New York, were not injured in the accident, Sergeant Thomas Ryan, a State Police spokesman, said Saturday.
First responders from the State Police, Boston, and Cambridge fire departments, and emergency services came to the scene, said Steve MacDonald, spokesman for the Boston Fire Department.
A state trooper arrived within about a minute of the crash and the State Police marine unit arrived at 6:45 p.m., Procopio said.
The pickup, which was submerged in water, had landed on its passenger side. The wheels were visible when searchlights were shined on it, MacDonald said.
The victims were taken to the hospital with unspecified life-threatening injuries and later pronounced dead at the hospital, MacDonald said.
Firefighters broke the driver’s side window and pulled the victims out.
Emir Cerman of Brookline said he was visiting friends in the area Saturday night when he saw the streets were closed off.
“There were a lot of cops,” said Cerman gesturing toward the street and the river. “I came back an hour later and I saw the truck, wet.”
Information about accidents in the area was not immediately available Sunday.
But MacDonald said Saturday’s accident was the first he could remember in which a vehicle ripped through a guardrail and plunged into the Charles River.
“I can’t remember a vehicle going through the guardrail like that,” MacDonald said, adding that accidents are not uncommon in the Leverett Circle area.
“There’s always accidents at Leverett Circle . . . it’s one of the major intersections of the city,” he said, noting that people are often rushing to get to the expressway and the airport. “It’s a heavily traveled area.”
Aimee Ortiz contributed to this report. Jan Ransom can be reached at jan.ransom@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Jan_Ransom.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/11/08/speed-probed-fatal-charles-river-crash/Q1Ef8nPcCEUG12qkCHFUaI/story.html



Charles River Crash Victims Identified



BOSTON (CBS) — Massachusetts State Police have released the identities of two Rhode Island residents who were killed when their pickup truck drove into the Charles River near Leverett Circle Saturday night.
Brian Arcand, 36, of North Smithfield, and Rebecca Smith, 36, of Providence, were pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital after being pulled from the water by rescuers.
Police say the 2010 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck they were in traveled through a red light at Leverett Circle and side-swiped a 2008 Acura MDX in the circle at about 6:40 p.m.
The pickup truck then drove off Charles River Dam Road and into the water across from the State Police barracks, becoming fully submerged.
Divers work in the Charles River on Saturday night. (WBZ-TV)
Divers work in the Charles River on Saturday night. (WBZ-TV)
Witnesses couldn’t believe what they were seeing when the truck went in.
“All I heard was a horn going off,” said witness Chris Monzert. “I heard the impact, looked over (and) I saw that piece of (the) bridge over there just crumpled. (It was) one piece solid into water, and then  the tail lights as the truck went over.”
The driver and passenger in the Acura were not hurt.
Authorities have searched the Charles River and do not believe anyone else was in the pickup truck when it crashed.
State Police say that speed is being looked at as a factor in the crash. The crash is still under investigation by police.





Sunday, November 8, 2015

Salem, N.H. man medflighted following early morning TOYOTA LEXUS crash




Salem, N.H. man medflighted following early morning crash

By Aimee Ortiz GLOBE CORRESPONDENT  


A 23-year-old Salem, N.H., man was medflighted to Massachusetts General Hospital on Saturday morning with life-threatening injuries following a car accident in Salem, N.H.
According to a statement released by the Salem police department on their Facebook page, Officer Kristen Verdonck radioed Salem police dispatch at about 2:56 a.m. after she had been passed by a 1997 Lexus traveling over 90 miles per hour on Main St., near the intersection of Hampstead Rd.



Verdonck, who was not in a position to stop the vehicle, activated her emergency lights, but quickly lost sight of the speeding car. Moments later, the statement says, she came upon a serious accident in front of 317 Main St. According to police, the Lexus that had passed her earlier had gone off the road, striking several trees before coming to a stop. The driver of the car, the 23-year-old man, was found lying face down at the base of a tree, having been ejected from the vehicle during the crash.
The Salem fire department initially transported the driver to Lawrence General Hospital, 


http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/11/07/salem-man-medflighted-mass-gen-following-early-morning-crash/xOPKNdPwyz08aTVyZKsunJ/story.html?event=event25






2010 Toyota Tacoma Fatal Crash




2010 TOYOTA TACOMA Problems & Complaints  (as of: 8 Nov 2015): 


http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2010/toyota/tacoma/vehicle_speed_control/problem.aspx

http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2010/toyota/tacoma/service_brakes_hydraulic/problem.aspx

http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2010/toyota/tacoma/


safercar.gov
2010 Toyota Tacoma
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
31 of 152 total complaints

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResults;jsessionid=B0dqW1TJTvHJMpJ9LTq2F30qTmQDL0c8Tl2m1BD7fTv49gJv66m7!1136289827?prodType=V&searchType=PROD&targetCategory=A&searchCriteria.model=TACOMA&stats=783794%2C12%2C0%2C152%2C14%2CTACOMA&makeStats=&jsonBaseURL=%2Fdownloads%2Ffolders%2F&searchCriteria.model_yr=2010&searchCriteria.make=TOYOTA&searchCriteria.prod_ids=783794

2 dead after car crashes into Charles River in Boston 

PUBLISHED SUN, NOVEMBER 08, 2015




Two people have been killed in Boston after a their pickup truck sideswiped an SUV and crashed into the Charles River, police say.

The accident happened at about 6:40 a.m. on Saturday when a 2010 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck was traveling on Nashua Street in Boston. Police say the vehicle traveled through a red light at Leverett Circle and side-swiped a 2008 Acura MDX, which was already traveling northbound in the circle. The pickup then traveled off Charles River Dam Road and entered the water on the east side of the northbound travel lanes.

The vehicle fully submerged and both occupants, identified as 36-year-old Brian Arcand, of North Smithfield, Rhode Island, and 36-year-old Rebecca Smith, of Providence, Rhode Island, were both pronounced dead after being extricated from the vehicle and rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital. The driver of the SUV, a 35-year-old woman from Milton and her passenger from New York, were both uninjured.

Other information was not immediately available, and an investigation into the deadly accident is continuing, state police said.

This is a breaking news alert. Please check back or follow @BNONews on Twitteras details become available. If you want to receive breaking news alerts by email,click here to sign up. You can also like us on Facebook by clicking here.





  Credit: Boston Fire Department




http://bnonews.com/news/index.php/news/id2415

Class Action Alleges Toyota Camry HVAC System Emits Foul Odors




Class Action Alleges Toyota Camry HVAC System Emits Foul Odors

By Michael A. Kakuk 

Report: VW engineer told bosses about CO2 manipulation




Report: VW engineer told bosses about CO2 manipulation

A German newspaper says revelations over VW's latest emissions scandal came to light because one of the company's engineers broke his silence. Technicians reportedly tampered with CO2 values over a two-year period.



The "Bild am Sonntag" newspaper reported Sunday that an engineer with Volkswagen's research and development department in Wolfsburg told his supervisors about carbon dioxide emissions fraud in the carmaker's models at the end of October.
Other VW employees have also since admitted to knowledge of the scam, the paper reported.
The German automaker is already reeling from a massive, separate scandal after it was revealed in September that the company had installed cheating software in around 11 million of its diesel-engine cars to thwart emission tests around the world. That scandal had centered on nitrogen oxide emissions. But on Tuesday, the company admitted that it had understated carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption of an additional 800,000 vehicles sold in Europe.
According to the weekly paper's report, tampering with CO2 emissions began in 2013 and continued until early 2015. The technicians had allegedly manipulated emissions values by increasing tire pressure to over 3.5 bar, and by mixing diesel into the engine oil to make the car consume less fuel.
Engineers reportedly said they were not able to meet the ambitious goals set by former CEO Martin Winterkorn, who stepped down in the wake of the scandal. In March 2012, Winterkorn had announced that VW would cut CO2 emissions by 30 percent by 2015.


Watch video01:17

VW: Germany's 'green' reputation tarnished

Emissions tests are important criteria for taxing cars in many countries, especially in Europe.
Travel fears
Meanwhile, according to a separate report in the "Suddeutsche Zeitung," VW managers have expressed apprehension about traveling to the United States after American investigators confiscated the passport of an employee who is there on a visit.
The newspaper cited company sources as saying that management believed investigators aimed to prevent the employee from evading questioning or criminal prosecution over the emissions scandal. It said the new VW CEO, Matthias Müller, was unlikely to go ahead with a planned trip to the US later this month.
However, a spokesman for the company said "employees are still travelling to the United States. Everything else is speculation."
VW has set aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) to cover fines and recalls , although it's likely the eventual cost will be much larger.
nm/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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http://www.dw.com/en/report-vw-engineer-told-bosses-about-co2-manipulation/a-18834783