Dodge Grand Caravan Continuing After All

Contrary to earlier reports, the Dodge Grand Caravan is returning to the U.S. market after a hiatus for reformatting of side air bags in order to meet new federal regulations, according to Time.  The article linked-to below gives the details.

I was saddened to learn earlier this fall that Fiat-Chrysler had decided to discontinue the mini-van.  That report has turned out to be essentially untrue, though re-introduction will be delayed.

I'll have more on this encouraging story later.


Grand Caravan Returning After a Minor Re-tooling

Toyota to Pay Huge "Fine" in Settlement with Justice Department

Toyota has reportedly agreed to a settlement with the Justice Department in which the giant auto-maker will pay $1.2 billion in penalties related to the alleged sudden acceleration defect in Toyota vehicles.

The question arises,What is the government doing to prevent such failures in vehicles in the future?  This large a penalty certainly sends a message.  Let's hope auto-makers are listening.


Government Hits Toyota with Huge "Fine"

NASA Investigation Points to Mechanical Flaws, Does Not Totally Rule Out Electronic Issues

N.A.S.A. today released its report on the Toyota sudden acceleration catastrophe. The report which is linked at the N.A.S.A. web site, reportedly indicates that design flaws allowed Toyota vehicles to accelerate, sometimes out of control. Faulty electronics were not completely ruled out as a possibility but were "unlikely."

The link below leads to the N.A.S.A. web site with more information. Other links to further information are also given.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/nasalife/features/nesc-toyota-study.html

Report of Administrator Strickland

Here is a link to the statement of the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission to Congress on May 20. David L. Strickland reports his investigators have found no incidents of either entrapped pedals or sticky pedals after correct repairs have been made. This should be at least somewhat reassuring until such time as a more complete and permanent report is made.


http://energycommerce.house.gov/documents/20100520/oi/Strickland.Testimony.05.20.2010.pdf

Cosmic Rays and Toyotas!

The exclamation point above seems appropriate. Who would have thought that cosmic rays might play a role in the sudden acceleration problem plaguing Toyotas? Yet this is, indeed, the focus of a new investigation by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The article referenced here tells more.

Of course, cosmic rays have nothing to do with defective floor mats. (They may, however, have something to do with bad drivers who seemingly have managed to drive their Toyotas into walls. But this is another story.) The upshot is that Toyota remains culpable for numerous cases of sudden acceleration.

It will be interesting to see the results of this unexpected hypothesis involving cosmic rays.





http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011361800_toyota17.html

Blog Continues

I had been planning to close this blog after the Congressional hearings into the safety of Toyota automobiles. However, because of the continuing reports of problems, even after repairs, I have decided to leave the blog open for awhile longer. Let us hope the problems with Toyota can be rectified in short order. I plan to post information here as warranted.

Lentz Testimony Makes News

In Congress' first hearing into Toyota safety issues, James Lentz, head of Toyota's US sales operation, told representatives that the fixes now being done on Toyota vehicles may not solve the sudden acceleration problem. He said the company was still researching the matter to see whether there might be other causes, including electronic problems or human error.

The testimony was at times emotional as persons, including Lentz, spoke of car accidents which had touched their lives.

The link to the New York Times article is below. Be prepared to view (or skip) an ad before bringing up the article.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/business/global/24toyota.html?adxnnl=1&ref=us&adxnnlx=1266984023-rBy0GzsXbGu0nsGRd7vOQw