2013 Audi A3

Lexus To Install Brake Override On Entire Lineup

 
11 3,398 views Jan 12, 2010
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2010 Lexus ES 350

2010 Lexus ES 350

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It's been ongoing for months--years, really--but we've all heard about Toyota/Lexus's efforts to remedy problems of sticking accelerators and unintended acceleration in their cars. From misleading statements to zip ties, Lexus finally has a solution: fix the vehicles.

So how will they do it? With a new brake override system that puts the engine at idle if the computer detects that the driver is applying the brakes but the car isn't slowing. That way, no matter the cause of the unintended acceleration, the car won't drag itself forward. Of course, this only works for new vehicles. Existing vehicles subject to the recall have only the accelerator pedal replacement as a solution.

The rollout of the system has already started this month on the Toyota Camry and Lexus ES 350--the same model loaned out by a southern California Lexus dealer and driven by a California Highway Patrol officer who was unable to successfully stop to car, leading to an accident that killed all four people in the car. Several other cases of Toyota vehicles accelerating on their own have been reported recently.

Back in September of 2009, Toyota issued an official warning about potential unintended acceleration due to improperly installed floor mats. After a few temporary fixes, the company recalled 3.8 million vehicles to replace the mats. Of course, the whole recall was essentially a recall of the previous 2007 floor mat/gas pedal interefence issue, which wasn't adequately fixed in newer models.

Toyota believes the new brake override method will solve the problem once and for all. It plans to install the system on all Toyota/Lexus vehicles by the end of the year.

[Auto News - sub. req.]





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Comments (11)

  1. By  NC2000 Posted: 1/12/2010 8:12am PST

    Well, for liability reasons, all manufacturers will need to adopt this too. Sad commentary of the USA driver.
     
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  2. By ebirah Posted: 1/12/2010 8:25am PST

    So does this mean a recall on ALL Toyotas & Lexi or just installing them on the new ones made ... ?
     
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  3. By Phil Marshall Posted: 1/12/2010 10:09am PST

    This is all fine and dandy, but aren't all "Sudden Acceleration" incidents people who press the go pedal instead of the stop pedal. If they don't step on the break, this won't help.
     
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  4. By  My Wheels On Walls Posted: 1/12/2010 10:36am PST

    Has anyone with half a brain read this intelligently? Any engineer will tell you the majority of suddern acceleration incidents is that the drivers brain thinks that their foot is on the brake when in reality its on the gas peddle!! Thus making the above technology redundent.... Audi ofcourse proved this in a court of law and yes it cost them dearly in the U.S. market but then again they are German and stubborn!
     
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  5. By Carguy Posted: 1/12/2010 12:26pm PST

    Many other manufacturers have this feature already, and in some cases it is a problem. For example, a modern Porsche 911 cannot be left foot braked on the track because pushing the brake idles the engine...
    Toyota should have had it there a long time ago (it is about 10 lines of code in the computer, for crikes sake...)
     
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  6. fb_100000275684479 avatar Michael Escobar Posted: 1/12/2010 6:24pm PST

    I don't care if the "cause" is an actual problem or people inadvertently stepping on the wrong pedal. It is the "solution" that bothers me. If Toyota says it's caused by stuck floor mats, why are they having to resort to an electronic safeguard? And if that malfunctions, what, no brakes? Or stopping suddenly and unintentionally and getting rear-ended? This HAL9000/KITT/electronic nannery (I believe I just invented that, lol) nonsense makes me fear for humanity's future among our increasingly sophisticated technological overlords.
     
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  7. By  r4 card Posted: 1/12/2010 7:53pm PST

    Toyota has five major assembly plants in the U.S. ... Huntsville, Alabama; Georgetown, Kentucky; Princeton, Indiana; San Antonio, Texas; Buffalo, West Virginia. A new plant is slated to be built in Blue Springs, Mississippi.Maybe a nice GM product... Again, parts from all over the place. Oh, go on, buy a GM anyway. I mean, you DO own the company! Bet you didn't know that means you also own companies in other countries. Can you say Daewoo? It's Korean. We've been pals with them for decades.
     
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  8. By Steve Baker Posted: 1/14/2010 7:44am PST

    All I am asking is ,when these current override fixes are installed will the car be safe or is this another band aid patch job like the others over the last 10 or so years? Toyota ,agreed is an automotive power house.Why haven't they FIXED this before?
     
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  9. By Oraion Q Posted: 1/27/2010 4:58am PST

    It has nothing to do with "USA drivers" or other nonsense comments. Toyota researchers have determined defective pedals as the cause - not people pressing the wrong pedal (an old argument used by auto lobbyists). Therefore, they are recalling the defective pedals. However, Lexus should also be recalled.
     
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  10. By  compact flash Posted: 1/28/2010 12:51am PST

    Hi,
    Audi ofcourse proved this in a court of law and yes it cost them dearly in the U.S. market but then again they are German and stubborn!
     
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  11. By Felix Posted: 3/19/2010 5:10pm PDT

    I think Toyota actually has an electromagnetic interference problem. You are probably familiar with the characteristic cell phone buzzing and ticking that can sometimes be heard during live television shows from any number of persons in the show wearing a cell phone. Heck, you probably heard the same cell phone buzzing and ticking off your car radio, I'm sure. Now imagine that kind of interference getting inside the vehicle's microprocessor -- your new gas pedal will not prevent another runaway event.
    A microprocessor in the throes of an electromagnetic-induced epileptic fit is not going to record anything meaningful. Perhaps, that is the reason Toyota and the NHTSA are so hard-pressed to find any useful forensic data that could help solve the problem.
    Probably the only thing that can reliably override a runaway Toyota's computer-controlled system right now would be a built-in mechanical failsafe. Until Toyota learns with certainty the root cause of the unintended accelerations, any fancy electronic smart-braking solution is probably doomed to failure by the same and still unsolved drive-by-wire shortcoming.
     
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