Admit it, Toyota: The Camry's sudden surge is what "startled" Koua Fong Lee

Please spread the word: There may be hope yet for folks who were victimized by Toyota regarding the "pre-cat" manufacturing defect in MR2 Spyders.
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Leave it to the attorneys for an admitted crook to try to pull a fast one in court. As Koua Fong Lee's lawsuit got underway, Toyota's attorney tried to fool the jury into thinking that "when Lee took the off-ramp, he was startled (emphasis mine) by many cars in front of him and stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake." The guise is based on a fallacious 1989 "study" by NHTSA - the automotive industry's little lapdog - that blabbers about unintended acceleration events coming about because the driver is "distracted" or "startled."

A common-sense analysis shows how utterly absurd the notion is, especially when applied to unintended acceleration events that happen on highways, when the driver's foot is most assuredly already on the accelerator, as was the case with Koua Fong Lee. What makes NHTSA's much-ballyhooed "study" so ridiculous is the fact that no explanation is offered regarding precisely why a "distracted" driver would respond by pushing more forcefully on the accelerator pedal.

What actually happens is confirmed by electrical engineer Dr. Antony Anderson in his lengthy and highly detailed study of unintended acceleration events. The driver is "distracted" or "startled" by the sudden surge in the vehicle's SPEED. Because the driver's foot is already on the accelerator, it's implausible - indeed, it's ridiculous - to assert that the driver would respond by pressing harder on the accelerator pedal. Such blabber was cooked up by NHTSA and the automotive industry as part of a well-orchestrated effort to dupe the public. As anyone who's driven a vehicle knows, in such a situation the spontaneous response would be to stomp on the brake pedal. And during Koua's appeal for a re-trial, it was demonstrated - by a burnt brake light filament - that he did just that when his 1996 Camry suddenly picked up speed as he exited the highway.

Another issue the NHTSA blabber conveniently avoids is the fact that runaway vehicles are exceedingly difficult - if not impossible - to stop. Consumer Reports' engineers "found that it's difficult to stop some vehicles with a stuck throttle at highway speeds by pressing on the brakes alone." As did highway patrolman Saylor - the doomed driver of the runaway Lexus ES 350 whose screams for help were caught on a 911 recording - Koua too began screaming that he couldn't stop the car.

What's important to bear in mind is evidence galore confirming Coverup King Toyota's dishonest behavior when the now admitted crook argues a case in court. An Associated Press investigation, concluding that Toyota "has routinely engaged in questionable, evasive and deceptive legal tactics when sued" is apparently an understatement.

I'll say it again: Koua Fong Lee still needs all the luck he can get.

Update 1/13/2015 - The burnt filament in Koua's brake light - proving that Koua had his foot on the brake - was spotlighted in yesterday's testimony by an expert witness. Of course, this had already been established during Koua's bid for a re-trial prior to charges against him being dismissed. Nonetheless, it's appalling that such testimony hasn't been headlined by mainstream media.

Update 1/14/2015 - A mysterious pause in Koua's lawsuit took place yesterday, and it's rumored that Toyota is trying to settle the case out of court. If there's anything admitted crook and Coverup King Toyota can't stand, it's the truth, and lots of it has been coming out since Koua's lawsuit started. Nobody should be surprised if wunna Toyota's "confidential" settlements is reached in an obvious effort to shut things up. Bear in mind that Toyota has been in "settlement mode" ever since that landmark unintended acceleration trial in Oklahoma unveiled evidence of electronic defects in the Coverup King's throttle control: "After the Oklahoma verdict, Toyota's (settlement offer) increased substantially." Stay tuned. 

Longtime customer who got EDR readout fed up with Toyota

“'There are five Toyotas in my family. We’ve been loyal Toyota people,' Mr. Ruginis said. 'Now I plan to replace all five cars.'"

There'll be no more Toyotas for Bob Ruginis, the guy who lucked out and managed to get his hands on data that confirms his wife's account of what happened when her Corolla sped out of control. In a late breaking interview with local news reporter Patrick Luce, Ruginis discusses his disillusionment with Toyota, and the predicament he's now in, still making payments on a vehicle he doesn't feel safe driving and has moral reservations about selling to anyone else.

Coverup King Toyota has a way of abandoning customers. Ask Jessie Powell. She's in a similar predicament with her Prius. It too sets on a dealership lot as Jessie struggles through a lawsuit against now-admitted-crook Toyota. Jessie has picketed her dealership in a lemon costume, she blogs about her experiences, and she has a Facebook page titled "Route 44 Toyota Sold Me A Lemon".

Caveat emptor.

Details emerge re meeting at Ruginises home to discuss EDR readout

"Even when ODI witnesses Unintended Acceleration with no input from the driver with their very own eyes, they dismiss it." Sean Kane's 9/23/2014 article, "What Good Can Come of Reporting Toyota UA?" 

Sean Kane, founder of Safety Research Systems, attended the meeting last Wednesday when two attorneys from the office of Toyota's "Independent" Monitor sat down with the Ruginises - at their home - to discuss matters associated with an EDR readout Mr. Ruginis lucked out and happened to get his hands on. It'll be interesting to see how the Washington gang - especially NHTSA - explains away the hard, cold evidence (see exhibit) of electronic defects in Toyota's throttle control. Evidence that corroborates what embedded systems expert Michael Barr found after an 18 month study of Toyota's much ballyhooed source code. As an adjuct to Mr. Kane's article, read trade journal EDN's article, "Toyota's Killer Firmware: Bad Design and its Consequences." Here's what Mr. Barr found that NHTSA has ignored, Holder's "Just Us" department refuses to comment on, and the government's mainstream media stooges have tried to make sure you don't know about:

* Toyota's electronic throttle control system (ETCS) source code is of unreasonable quality.
* Toyota's source code is defective and contains bugs, including bugs that can cause unintended acceleration (UA).
* Code-quality metrics predict presence of additional bugs.
* Toyota's fail-safes are defective and inadequate (referring to them as a 'house of cards' safety architecture).
* Misbehaviours of Toyota's ETCS are a cause of UA.

Meanwhile, as Mr. Kane points out, Toyota is rushing to settle unintended acceleration lawsuits "faster than you can say Michael Barr." Fact is, Coverup King Toyota has been in settlement mode ever since that pesky unintended acceleration trial in Oklahoma last October whereby Mr. Barr's testimony resulted in a landmark guilty verdict. It's a hoot watching the now-admitted-crook shy away from jury trials in an effort to keep Mr. Barr's findings quiet.

Before you buy a Toyota, reflect carefully on the facts. Their little glitch-mobiles can take you places you don't wanna go.

Update 9/29/2014 - Today, the Associated Press published an update on Mr. Ruginis' request to NHTSA. "The consumer provided 163 reports from other drivers who experienced a surge at low speed or no speed. But NHTSA said it eliminated duplicates, those outside the scope of the 2006-2010 model years and those from foreign countries to get 141. No injuries were reported." The article doesn't name Ruginis, referring only to an "unidentified consumer" who filed an unintended acceleration complaint on 9/11/2014. Of course, that avoids publicizing all those messy details about the EDR readout and what prompted the "unidentified consumer" to file such a complaint.

Update 9/30/2014 - re immediately preceding update, other reports copyrighted AP give complete details, so apparently some news media are deleting relevant information from AP's release.

Update 10/2/2014 - As word spreads about evidence of electronic defects in throttle controls, it's apparent that unintended acceleration affects many makes and models worldwide. Hyundai is being targeted in Korea, and Saudi Arabia is keeping an eye on Coverup King Toyota.

Admitted-crook Toyota coddled at NHTSA hearing

"Car safety whtchdog turns to lapdog: Our view" - Headline, Editorial Board, USA Today.

Last Tuesday's much ballyhooed Consumer Protection Subcommittee's NHTSA hearing - and a similar exercise from the House - was almost as theatrical as the "Congressional Investigation" into Toyota's unintended acceleration scandal. Informed consumers didn't know whether to laugh or cry as David Friedman - head honcho of NHTSA's auto industry stooges - took a "blame someone else" posture.

Strangely enough, the day before the hearing, in a 30 minute Detroit News interview, Friedman strayed from NHTSA's culpability in GM's ignition switch scandal, and blabbered that no evidence had been found that electronics were to blame for Toyota's unintended acceleration scandal. Actually, it wasn't strange at all. A few days earlier, word had gotten out regarding one Robert Ruginis, who, by fortuitous circumstance, had managed to get his hands on a very embarrassing EDR readout which confirmed his wife's account of her runaway Corolla. Mr. Ruginis - much to Toyota's chagrin - had hard, cold evidence that the accelerator was not pressed, and her foot was on the brake when rpm's suddenly doubled, and speed more than doubled, resulting in a crash. In a 9/11/2014 letter to Friedman, Mr. Ruginis had petitioned NHTSA for an investigation and was squealing to news media. He had also written a letter to David Kelley, Toyota's "Independent" Safety Monitor who had been appointed by the Department of Justice - with input from Toyota - as part of the now-admitted crook's settlement to end a federal criminal investigation. By the time Friedman had his Detroit News interview, Toyota's "independent" monitor had already arranged to meet with the Ruginises - at their home - the day after the NHTSA hearing.

So far, media has remained silent about the meeting at the Ruginises home. But stay tuned. The Ruginis readout corroborates the incriminating evidence of electronic defects unearthed by embedded systems expert Michael Barr last October at the landmark unintended acceleration case in Oklahoma. Evidence that the Holder gang had refused to comment on; evidence the government's mainstream media stooges have been trying to keep quiet. Read trade journal EDN's article, "Toyota's Killer Firmware: Bad design and its consequences." Here's what Mr. Barr found:

* Toyota's electronic throttle control system (ETCS) source code is of unreasonable quality.
* Toyota's source code is defective and contains bugs, including bugs that can cause unintended acceleration (UA).
* Code-quality metrics predict presence of additional bugs.
* Toyota's fail-safes are defective and inadequate (referring to them as a 'house of cards' safety architecture).
* Misbehaviours of Toyota's ETCS are a cause of UA.

Toyota, NHTSA, the DOJ, and the "Independent Monitor" musta been terrified when they realized what Mr. Ruginis had managed to get his hands on (see exhibit). I'd like to have seen the looks on their faces when they got word that Mr. Ruginis wuz refusin' to be bullied by Toyota and had gone public with the facts of his case. "Quick. Meet with the guy at his home. That'll make us look good while we figure out how to explain the EDR readout."

Talk about a thigh-slapper. For years, Toyota - now an admitted crook - has bent over backwards keeping EDR readouts secret, and then a minor paperwork delay lets the cat outta the bag. No wonder Mr. Friedman began the week of the NHTSA hearing with deceitful, highly publicized remarks equating the issue of electronic defects in Toyota's throttle control to a search for ghosts.

Next day, Friedman appeared at the hearing, and the dear senators sat there like dummies - like shills for the auto industry - as they let their friend from NHTSA get away not only with his disingenuous remarks to the Detroit News, but also a wisecrack he threw in at the hearing itself, declaring that there was no problem with Toyota's electronics. Never ever not once did the senators dare to bring up evidence of defects galore in Toyota's throttle control. Or the big lie broadcasted by NHTSA that NASA had ruled out electronics as a cause of Toyota's unintended acceleration scandal. Nor did they confront their friend Friedman about NASA physicist Henning Leidecker's warning of increased risk of unintended acceleration in '02-'06 Camrys due to "tin whiskers" growing in the electronic throttle control, demanding an explanation of why NHTSA hasn't ordered a recall of those models. The little glitch-mobiles are notorious for unintended accleration complaints, and it was an '05 Camry speeding out of control that resulted in Toyota's landmark guilty verdict in Oklahoma. Kinda makes ya wonder what sort of questions the senators should have asked - but decided not to - about GM's ignition switch scandal.

I quit voting long ago - Demagogues and Repukes are equally repulsive - and "representatives" like the ones who questioned Friedman are the epitome of why. If they're unaware of the evidence of electronic defects in Toyota's throttle control (which casts aspersions on all makes), and the current epidemic of vehicles crashing into buildings from parking lots (the typical setting for crashes suggestive of electronics issues), they should resign from their prestigious, high-payin' jobs. Fat chance of that happening. And if they're aware of the evidence - which they certainly should be - they oughta be charged with fraud for the way they conducted their NHTSA (No Help To Solve Anything) hearing. Problem is, Holder's "Just Us" gang would never in a million years do such a thing. So I've got an idea.

You bring the tar. I'll bring the feathers.

EDR readout puts admitted-crook Toyota in the hotseat

Coverup King Toyota is notorious for being "secretive" with readouts from "their" Event Data Recorders (EDR's). An Assciated Press investigation found that "Toyota has frequently refused to provide information crucial to crash victims and survivors, and that in some lawsuits, the automaker has routinely provided printouts with key information missing."  

Enter Bob Ruginis, who happened to obtain a copy of the "secret" black box (EDR) readout after his wife's Corolla sped out of control and crashed into another vehicle. More on that in a moment.  

The Ruginises' Corolla had been plagued with unintended acceleration events ever since it was purchased new in 2010, and prior to the accident, the Ruginises had lodged UA complaints with their Toyota dealership. The dealership blamed the transmission.

When yet another unintended acceleration event occured, this time resulting in an accident, the Ruginises filed a claim with Toyota, whereupon Toyota sent the Event Data Recorder off to the manufacturer (Bosch) to obtain a readout. But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum. There was a paperwork delay which prompted an employee at Bosch to telephone Mr. Ruginis. During the phone conversation, Mr. Ruginis asked if he could have a copy of the readout, and Bosch's employee sent him one.

Listen up, Toyota. These things happen. Plans to keep secrets do go awry. And hey, Coverup King: If there's nothing to hide, don't hide it.

The readout (see exhibit) - who woulda thought? - is consistent with Mrs. Ruginis' account of what happened: Brake on, accelerator not pressed, yet engine revs had suddenly doubled, and speed had suddenly more than doubled. Follows the usual format for the vast majority of unintended acceleration events. They begin at very slow speeds - events are usually associated with parking - when a sudden surge catches the driver by surprise.

The showdown started when Toyota's "investigative" report of Mrs. Ruginis' accident conveniently omitted the EDR data, blamed the accident on her, and denied her claim. And when the Muginises confronted Toyota about the omission, the ol' Coverup King got downright huffy, declaring that the EDR readout wasn't relevant. But instead of cowering down to such bullying tactics from an admitted crook, Mr. Ruginis - who happens to be an embedded systems expert with 35 years experience - petitioned NHTSA to launch an investigation of his case (and hundreds of other cases registering similar complaints), sent a letter to Toyota's new "Independent Safety Monitor" suggesting that Toyota had violated the terms of its federal criminal settlement by concealing the EDR data, and started talking to news media. And wouldn't ya know it? NHTSA agreed to investigate, and Toyota's new "Independent Safety Monitor" hurriedly arranged to meet with the Ruginises at their home on Wednesday of this week. 

But beyond these grand theatrics, don't expect much.

Bear in mind that NHTSA broadcasted the big lie that NASA had ruled out electronics as a cause of Toyotas speeding out of control, and the auto industry stooge - complicit up to its neck in GM's ignition switch scandal - has also ignored NASA physicist Henning Leidecker's warning of increased risk of unintended acceleration in '02-'06 Camrys due to electronic defects known as "tin whiskers" growing in the pedal sensors. In Mrs. Ruginis' case, NHTSA is blabbering about a "dual pedal application," a speculation clearly at odds with the readout.

As for Toyota's new "Independent Safety Monitor," the guy was appointed by U.S. Attorney Eric Holder with input from none other than the admitted crook the guy is supposedly charged with overseeing. Holder's "Just Us" department showed its true colors earlier this year with a curt "No comment" when confronted with compelling evidence of defects galore in Toyota's electronic throttle control. Ah, the heartwarming sincerity of a corporate-controlled government...

Toyota has chimed in with blabber about "late braking," and that's a hoot. The readout shows a big increase in speed - accelerator not pressed - a split second before the brake was applied. It evidences a sudden surge that came too late to give the driver hardly any time to attempt to stop the vehicle before it crashed. "Late braking," Toyota? The evidence points to electronically-associated late surging. And after all, prior complaints had been lodged...

Real hoot seeing a corporate bully and its government cohots squirm. No court redactions of the evidence, no confidential settlements, and no mainstream media blackouts like the kinda stuff that took place October of last year when an Oklahoma jury said Toyota exhibited "'reckless disregard' for the public's safety" in the design of its electronic throttle control.

Stay tuned. This is one of several recently publicized events that evidence the involvement of electronics in cases of unintended acceleration. To find out just how big the government and industry coverup is, read Tom Murray's book, "Deadly by Design." It was published after Toyota lost the big case in Oklahoma, and puts the unintended acceleration issue in proper perspective.

Admitted-crook Toyota chickens out on driverless cars

Talk about a thigh-slappin' hoot:

Toyota - that paragon of the best money can buy when it comes to electronic throttle controls - sez they're not interested in this "driverless" car thing. And nobody can blame 'em. After all, if their vehicles didn't have a driver, who would the admitted crook blame when their little glitch-mobiles sped out of control?

Yessir, with hundreds of pending lawsuits revolving around evidence of electronic defects in that pesky ol' throttle control, they know better than to dabble about in the world of cars that drive themselves. Just think how utterly terrified Toyota must be at the thought of wunna their vehicles speeding out of control with no driver to blame. No possibilities for blabber about pedal confusion, medical conditions, floor mats, or sticky accelerators.

I'll bet Toyota's Washington gang is breathin' a sigh of relief. U.S. Attorney Eric Holder, along with the admitted crook's new "safety monitor," the "investigators" at NHTSA, and our "representatives" in Congress must be high fivin' each other. No tellin' how much sleep they've lost worrying about wunna Toyota's "driverless" vehicles takin' off with nobody and no thing to blame but their good friend's electronics. In fact, I'll bet the entire auto industry is relieved by Toyota's decision to stay out of the "driverless" car business.

Embedded systems expert Michael Barr must be rollin' in the aisles. He's the guy who examined Toyota's much ballyhooed source code for 18 months, found electronic defects galore, and convinced an Oklahoma jury to return a guilty verdict in that landmark unintended acceleration case last October. In spite of a well-orchestrated effort by government, the auto industry, and mainstream media stooges to keep things quiet, word has gotten out about the "house of cards" architecture in Toyota's electronic throttle control. Read trade journal EDN's article, "Toyota's Killer Firmware: Bad Design and its Consequences." Here's what Mr. Barr found:

* Toyota's electronic throttle control system (ETCS) source code is of unreasonable quality.

* Toyota's source code is defective and contains bugs, including bugs that can cause unintended acceleration (UA).

* Code-quality metrics predict presence of additional bugs.

* Toyota's fail-safes are defective and inadequate (referring to them as a 'house of cards' safety architecture).

* Misbehaviours of Toyota's ETCS are a cause of UA.

The jury was so incensed they declared Toyota guilty of reckless disregard in the way the throttle control was designed. Looked bad for the entire auto industry, 'cause other makes - Jeeps are notorious for speeding out of control at carwahes - have also been involved. In fact, as NHTSA (No Help To Solve Anything) stonewalls the evidence, the National Carwash Association has been takin' notes. Is it any wonder that Toyota immediately went into settlement mode when the Oklahoma jury's sentiments were revealed?

Just think of the money ol' Sammy's corporate friends in the auto industry would be be out if they had to install the kinda failsafes that have been required for years in the airline industry. Amidst the current epidemic of runaway vehicles crashing into buildings and causing deaths, injuries, and close calls galore, it all boils down to teamwork. By not dabbling in driverless cars, admitted-crook Toyota is simply doing their part to see that their team prevails. Can't blame 'em fer that, can ya?

Consumers should be thrilled.

Update 9/10/2014 - Speaking of driverless cars, Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Dr. Paul Craig Roberts featured some apt remarks in his introduction to a guest article, "Putting Big Brother in the Driver's Seat: V2V Transmitters, Black Boxes & Drones."  

Toyota remains mum as Honda admits to electronically-induced unintended acceleration

Update 10/17/2014 - Amidst Honda's current airbag scandal, another accident suggesting unintended acceleration is making headlines. "Hai Ming Xu was pulling his 2002 Acura TL into a parking spot when he accelerated and crashed into a wall after striking several other vehicles, according to a police report of the September 2013 accident."

Update 7/29/2014 - Speaking of sudden unintended acceleration in Hondas, this just in regarding a serious crash in Florida. This corporate-controlled government doesn't care how many deaths or injuries occur due to its well-orchestrated efforts to help the auto industry conceal defects.

Amidst growing public awareness of evidence of electronic defects associated with unintended acceleration, Honda has now admitted to a software defect causing 175,000 of its hybrids to speed out of control. This could be the beginning of the end for Toyota-style blabber about floor mats, sticky gas pedals, and "driver error."

For years, the auto industry, this corporate-controlled government, and mainstream media stooges have thrown out every dirty trick in the book in an effort to protect corporate interests from having to install fail-safes on par with what was mandated long ago for the airline industry. Thanks to some courageous plaintiffs, the Beasley Allen law firm, an embedded systems expert named Michael Barr, and the determined efforts of a handful of small-time media publications, the truth has gotten out in spite of police-state efforts to keep incriminating evidence quiet.

It all goes back to that guilty verdict last October in an Oklahoma courtroom, whereby Toyota was found guilty of reckless disregard for public safety in the design of its electronic throttle control. Facts emerged after embedded systems expert Michael Barr spent a whopping 18 months taking an exhaustive look at Recall King Toyota's much-ballyhooed source code, and then told it like it is to one very attentive jury. From the article "Toyota's killer firmware: Bad design and its consequences, here are the findings that threw Toyota, the auto industry, and their friends in government into panic mode:

* Toyota's electronic throttle control system (ETCS) source code is of unreasonable quality.

* Toyota's source code is defective and contains bugs, including bugs that can cause unintended acceleration (UA).

* Code-quality metrics predict presence of additional bugs.

* Toyota's fail-safes are defective and inadequate (referring to them as a 'house of cards' safety architecture).

* Misbehaviours of Toyota's ETCS are a cause of UA.

The Oklahoma case was the first time anyone had dared to allege that electronic defects caused unintended acceleration, and the facts sent Toyota into settlement mode not only for the Oklahoma case, but also for hundreds of remaining unintended acceleration cases, along with forking over $1.2 billion in payola to end a federal criminal investigation. Silence became golden as the government - epitomized by the Department of Justice - called out all the stops in an effort to keep things quiet.

As Honda admits to electronic defects causing unintended acceleration, acknowledged crook Toyota continues to be allowed to ignore Mr. Barr's findings. This police-state government couldn't care less that vehicles are speeding out of control in epidemic proportions - especially from parking lots into storefronts - while exhibiting common denominators indicative of electronic failure. So what if people are injured or killed? So what if drivers are unjustly charged? As long as corporate interests are protected, everything is A-OK with ol' Uncle Sam and his crooked cohorts like Toyota and GM. Depend on it: Toyota-style, our illustrious "Just Us" department will make sure that nobody at GM or NHTSA goes to prison over the ignition switch scandal.

I'd be willing to wager that Honda wanted to get the jump on other automakers in an effort to make themselves look good by being the first to admit that electronic defects caused unintended acceleration. Growing public awareness of the facts has shown that the days of blaming "pedal misapplication" are all but over, and it's now a case of the devil takin' the hindmost regarding which automakers would step forward and come clean.

Meanwhile, NASA physicist Henning Leidecker's warning about electronic defects increasing the risk of unintended acceleration in '02-'06 Camrys is ignored not only by Toyota, but also by NHTSA. Never mind, of course, that '02-'06 Camrys have exceptionally high rates of unintended acceleration complaints. Also, never mind NHTSA's murderous complicity in GM's ignition-switch scandal.

Really, folks.

How much longer are Americans gonna put up with the kinda bloodthirsty, profits-over-people nonsense that's being dished out by this tacky little corporate-controlled police state?

Update 7/13/2014 - The National Carwash Association has been documenting cases of unintended acceleration, at least one carwash owner gives his employees - no, they're not elderly - a list of vehicles proven to be prone to speed out of control, and insurance companies are addressing the carwash UA problem in safety seminars. These facts came to light amidst yet another runaway vehicle at a car-wash. Car-wash settings include common denominators for such events: extremely low speed, parking, and driver's foot likely on the brake pedal. What a hoot: A carwash association is better than NHTSA is at discerning defective vehicles.

Update 7/17/2014 - See 7/13 update. If any brand is notorious for runaway vehicles at carwashes, it's Jeep (do a Google search). Yesterday in Beaverton, Oregon, there was yet another runaway "SUV" - caught on video - rusulting in injuries, and almost some fatalities. Isn't it strange how carwashes cause folks - especially those driving Jeeps - to confuse the accelerator with the brake? Admitted crook Toyota, of course, is notorious for runaway vehicles period, along with a mysterious increase in such events as soon as the Recall King introduced its electronic throttle control.      

Update 7/23/2014 - As word spreads about evidence of electronic defects in throttle controls, this 7/21/14 article, "Drivers vulnerable to unintended acceleration," confirms that the auto industry's crooked tentacles extend far beyond our borders. Over the past few months, I've discovered that there are literally too many crashes to keep up with that point to electronic defects in throttle controls.  

Update 7/24/2014 - Picketing has continued pretty regularly. Always a pleasure to confront an admitted crook like Toyota. 

Update 5/11/2015 - Jeeps speeding out of control at carwashes has prompted this article from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Video: Runaway RAV4 plows into library - electronics at issue

Update 6/7/2014 - This article (unusually detailed) underscores the all-too-common circumstances in which crashes suggestive of electronically-induced unintended acceleration take place. Note that the Gilmans' car was an '03 Camry. NASA physicist Henning Leidecker is warning of increased risk of unintended acceleration in '02-'06 Camrys, calling it a game of Russian roulette.

Last Tuesday, a runaway RAV4 smashed into Finkelstein Memorial Library in Spring Valley, New York. Security-cam video caught the entire event. The RAV4 was SLOWLY turning into the parking lot when the vehicle suddenly took off like a rocket. Consistent with the video, the driver says his foot was on the brake pedal when he heard the engine rev up as the RAV4 simultaneously accelerated. This makes at least three cases during the past two months suggesting electronically-induced unintended acceleration in runaway Toyotas. Common denominators include parking lots, turning corners, slow speeds when the events begin, and driver complaints that the brakes failed to stop the vehicles. None of the drivers in these crashes (injuries galore, death of a four-year-old) have been elderly. All of the vehicles crashed into public buildings. A Solara into a daycare, a Lexus into a church, now the RAV4 into a library. 

Okay. If ol' Sammy is gonna let acknowledged crooks like Toyota ignore compelling evidence of electronic defects in throttle controls, ya gotta put barriers up. 'Specially twixt public buildings and parking lots. 'Cause parking lots are where so many unintended accelerations occur.

Who needs expensive, proper designs for electronic throttle controls when ya can have storefront barriers?

Believe it or not, that seems to be the attitude of the rapidly growing storefront-barrier movement, 'cause I've yet to see wunna their websites even so much as mention the issue of electronically-induced unintended acceleration. Not that automotive interests would dupe the public by promoting notions of "driver error," but such websites are poppin' up as fast as runaway Toyotas...

Meanwhile, runaway-vehicle events are happening far more frequently than most folks realize. The exceptionally well-credentialed electrical engineer Dr. Antony Anderson estimates that on a worldwide basis, 10,000 electronically-associated runaways take place each year. How many of these events result in vehicles crashing into public buildings is anyone's guess, but it's an alarming consideration.

One thing's for sure: The barrier people got it wrong for the runaway RAV4. Barriers placed at the library entrance - which happens to be in a direct line to a parking lot entrance that requires motorists to make a 90 degree turn, apply brakes, and travel at slow speed - were spaced so far apart that even a vehicle the size of a RAV4 could zoom between 'em unscathed, leaving the "scathed" part for the library, people inside, furniture, desks, chairs, books...

Not only proper spacing. Ya also gotta make sure those storefront barriers are strong enough to stop an out-of-control vehicle, and some haven't been. Fact is, cars have become giant computers that can even be hacked. So just think how nice it would be - since automakers seem a bit slack in designing electronic throttle controls - if barriers were most everywhere, and folks were confident that runaway vehicles, especially Toyotas, were no match for those ever-present barriers.

No, it wouldn't be a cure-all.

You'd still be on yer own until - and unless - you could get to wherever you needed to go to have safety barriers twixt you and any vehicles - notably Toyotas - in the vicinity, especially if they were lurking around those pesky parking lots where drivers are apt to be maneuvering at extremely slow speeds, foot on the brake, moving shift levers, entering or exiting parking spaces, or turning corners. As video of the runaway RAV4 demonstrates, they don't call it "sudden" unintended acceleration fer nuthin'.   

No informed consumer was surprised by Tuesday's library crash. It displayed classic circumstances in which these events take place, and the security-cam video corroborated everything the driver said. Extremely slow speed, a 90 degree turn into the parking lot, then the engine suddenly revs up as the vehicle takes off like a rocket, barrels out of control, and the brakes fail to stop it. One of the people inside the library thought the place had been bombed, and a 14 year old girl wound up pinned beneath the RAV4, lucky not to have been critically injured or killed.

From the article "Toyota's killer firmware: Bad design and its consequences," let's review once again the findings of embedded systems expert Michael Barr:

* Toyota's electronic throttle control system (ETCS) source code is of unreasonable quality.
* Toyota's source code is defective and contains bugs, including bugs that can cause unintended acceleration (UA)
* Code-quality metrics predict presence of additional bugs.
* Toyota's fail-safes are defective and inadequate (referring to them as a 'house of cards' safety architecture).
* Misbehaviours of Toyota's ETCS are a cause of UA

There's no excuse for this government allowing automakers - especially an acknowledged crook like Toyota - to ignore evidence of defective electronics associated with unintended acceleration. As things now stand, valid safety measures are being exploited as part of a perverse effort to save corporations big bucks. Storefront barriers are no substitute for proper designs in electronic throttle controls.

Update 6/04/2014 - I just now learned of a second runaway Lexus event that happened in April, this one in Ridgewood, New Jersey as the driver was attmepting to park. "Parking" may be the most common denominator of all. While Toyotas are most likely to be involved, other brands are not immune, demonstrated by this deadly, sudden unintended acceleration of a Subaru into a hair salon on 5/30/2014 in Jefferson Township, Pennsylvania.

"City mechanic" checks Lexus - cops charge driver

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Update 5/31/2014 - Tuesday, a runaway RAV4 smashed into Finkelstein Memorial Library in Spring Valley, New York. Police have now released security cam video, which caught the entire event. The RAV4 was SLOWLY turning into the parking lot when the vehicle suddenly took off like a rocket. Consistent with the video, the driver says his foot was on the brake pedal when he heard the engine rev up as the RAV4 simultaneously accelerated. This makes AT LEAST THREE CASES during the past two months suggesting electronically-induced unintended acceleration in runaway Toyotas. Common denominators include parking lots, turning corners, slow speeds when the events begin, and driver complaints that the brakes failed to stop the vehicles. NONE OF THE DRIVERS IN THESE CRASHES - WHICH HAVE RESULTED IN INJURIES GALORE AND THE DEATH OF A FOUR-YEAR-OLD - HAVE BEEN ELDERLY. All of the vehicles - various models - crashed into public buildings. A Solara into a daycare, a Lexus into a church, the RAV4 into a library.  

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Be warned. If your vehicle speeds out of control - and the vast majority of complaints involve Toyotas - you may wind up facing criminal charges. You may wind up in prison.

Easter night, a Lexus - raising justifiable concerns of electronically-induced unintended acceleration - crashed into a church. In a previous blog post, I addressed the situation:

Case in point is this week's Easter night crash of a 2006 Lexus into a church full of people, injuries galore. All the earmarks of an unintended acceleration event, and given NHTSA's outright lies regarding the issue, nobody can be blamed for wondering. It's especially noteworthy that the driver says she was applying the brake when the Lexus suddenly accelerated. Embedded systems expert Michael Barr addressed this all-too-frequent situation in court testimony regarding the defects he found in Toyota's electronic throttle control. Mr. Barr pointed out that the driver would actually have to take their foot off the brake pedal and immediately press the pedal again in order to stand a chance of stopping the vehicle. I won't belabor the obvious unlikelihood that anyone would ever do that in such a situation. Note the eerie similarity of the Easter Sunday crash to a complaint filed with NHTSA on 4/14/08 regarding a 2006 Lexus:

LEXUS LS 430 BRAKES FAILED MOVING INTO A PARKING SPACE. PRESSED ON THE BREAKS THE SURGED FORWARD WENT OVER A BUMP, CURB, HANDICAP SIGN AND INTO THE BUILDING. WAS PRESSING ON THE BRAKES AND THE CAR JUST TOOK OFF. *TR

News reports went on to say that the make and model of the Easter night Lexus had been spotlighted in complaints to the federal government of "brake failure or uncontrollable acceleration," and I went on to point out what Michael Barr found (see "Toyota's killer firmware: Bad design and its consequences") when he examined Toyota's throttle control:

>  Toyota’s electronic throttle control system (ETCS) source code is of unreasonable quality.
>  Toyota’s source code is defective and contains bugs, including bugs that can cause unintended acceleration (UA).
>  Code-quality metrics predict presence of additional bugs.
>  Toyota’s fail safes are defective and inadequate (referring to them as a “house of cards” safety architecture).
>  Misbehaviors of Toyota’s ETCS are a cause of UA.

It's a major consideration - referenced by Michael Barr when he testified about brakes - that many of the events suggesting electronically-induced unintended accleration have common denominators. The events are triggered when the drivers are trying to park, and are in the process of shifting gears. And the vast majority of such cases involve transmissions designed so that drivers must push the brake pedal in order to move the shift lever. All of this tends to strongly corroborate statements from the driver in Easter night's Lexus crash that she was pressing the brake pedal when the unintended accleration occured.

Fast forward to this week's news announcing that the "investigation" of Easter night's crash has been completed. And we're told that the cops - in an effort to conserve tax dollars - hired a "city mechanic" to examine the Lexus. And the "city mechanic" found nothing wrong with the brakes. And the Lexus driver was therefore charged with careless driving. And because the crash involved serious injuries, the Lexus driver must appear in court...

Nuthin' like gettin' a good deal for the taxpayin' public. Who needs embedded systems experts, electrical engineers, and other pricey professionals when the cops can get an opinion - dirt cheap - from a city mechanic?

Well, as  a matter of fact...

Not that the sweet land of liberty and justice for all would ever railroad anyone in the name of corporate interests, but it was false testimony from a "city mechanic" - about brakes - that figured prominently in sending Toyota driver Koua Fong Lee to prison for four years. And Lee was lucky. Ironically, his "trial" was so egregiously wrongful that Texas attorney Bob Hilliard stepped in pro-bono (Lee's initial attorney had been a public pretender), got the penniless immigrant released, charges dropped, and is now in the process of suing Toyota.

Turned out the "city mechanic" - hired by the prosecution for the "trial" that sent Lee to prison - falsely testified under oath that Lee's Camry did not have anti-lock brakes. Given the absence of skid marks, this later-determined-to-be-false testimony weighed heavily in discrediting Lee's claims that he had been desperately trying to stop his Camry as it sped out of control and crashed, killing three people, injuring others.

Really, folks. Amidst well-publicized evidence that "city mechanics" may not even be able to tell whether or not a vehicle has anti-lock brakes, by what standard of fairness - or common sense - do cops decide to charge someone with careless driving based on a city mechanic's "investigation" of an event that raises questions of electronically-induced unintended accleration?

Here's the deal. The only lawsuit based on claims of electronic defects in Toyota's electronics was won - hands down - by the plaintiffs. The jury - after hearing testimony from bonafide software experts - went even further, finding Toyota guilty of "reckless disregard" for public safety in the way it designed its throttle control. The Oklahoma case put the Recall King in settlement mode, and put the U.S. Department of Justice in "No comment" mode.

Acknowledged crook Toyota - admittedly guilty of misleading the public about safety defects - is now being allowed to ignore the evidence presented to the jury in Oklahoma. The only media organizations that dare to discuss the evidence are trade journals, bloggers, and one or two small publications. And the taxpaying public is left holding the bag. Short of expensive, time-consuming lawsuits that present testimony from bonafide experts, consumers - especially those with limited resources - have no recourse if their vehicle speeds out of control. Indeed, such cases may be determined by a "city mechanic."

Let's face it. Consumers have become pawns in a deadly game of corporate cover-up.  

Media protecting Toyota in fatal day care crash

Regarding last month's fatal accident at a Florida day care, the facts are simple:

* The official diagram of the accident confirms that the vehicle - a Solara - that crashed into a Florida day care last month could not possibly have been shoved into the day care by the vehicle which hit it from behind. The Solara took off at an angle back toward the direction from which it was hit.

* Damages to the rear of the Solara and the front of the vehicle that struck it from behind are minor. Not nearly enough force involved to have propelled the Solara over a curb, across a parking lot, all the way through a wall and completely into the day care. Even if the wall was extensively damaged by termites. Even if geometry and physics hadn't already ruled out such a theory.

* The Solara driver's statements about the brakes not working and the vehicle accelerating on its own are consistent with established facts, all of which are clearly pointing to the likelihood of electronically-induced unintended acceleration.

But...

The guy who hit the Solara has a rap sheet. Not exactly Public Enemy Number One, but Robert Corchado is the perfect candidate for gettin' hit with a rap that isn't by any stretch of the imagination justified. He may be guilty of many things, but evidence related to his latest misadventure shows that other factors were involved when the car he bumped from behind proceeded to plough into a day care, injuring 14 children, killing a four-year-old.

So Mr. Corchado is now being tried and convicted by the "news" media. All the courts will have to do is calculate a sentence.

Concerted efforts to misrepresent the facts got underway immediately after the official diagram of the accident was released. An anonymous, contrived animation popped up - now removed - on YouTube, "demonstrating" - in defiance of the laws of physics - that the Solara was "pushed" into the day care.

Then the news accounts - which had initially headlined the likelihood of unintended acceleration resulting from a defect - started to pretty much ignore the unintended acceleration issue, choosing instead to blabber about Corchado propelling the Solara into the day care. Never mind the official diagram, the Solara driver's statements, or the laws of physics. Time to convince the public that the culprit wasn't Toyota. The culprit was the party with the rap sheet. The party less able to defend itself. The party that qualifies for a public defender.

Media's sudden obsession with Robert Corchado's rap sheet must be a relief to a corporate crook like Toyota. The unintended acceleration issue - still a part of the investigation - is now all but ignored as reports blabber about a miscreant who shoved a vehicle into a day care. Amidst frenzied efforts to focus attention away from Toyota, a second video animation has now appeared, eerily similar to the first one, except the latest one is hardly anonymous. The latest effort - included along with an interview of one of the injured children's parents - is by NBC affiliate WESH2, and isn't even consistent with the Solara's position as depicted in the official diagram of the accident. Someone who visited the day care had this to say:

"Okay...this video is ridiculous. If you look at the building further along on Goldenrod, there are three actual cars in the parking lot in one of those spots today. Note the size of the vehicles...the REAL ones, not the animated ones. Now, compare the animated cars to the actual ones in terms of size. The animated ones are actually based on ratios the size of the building next door! This makes the distance traveled look much shorter when in fact it was quite a distance in terms of car lengths."

This latest video is yet another contrived animation that makes a mockery of common sense, not to mention simple laws of physics.

What on earth is going on in the state that boasts the headquarters of Southeast Toyota?

What prompted news media to suddenly start ignoring one of the central aspects of this tragic crash? To misrepresent the official diagram of the crash with an animated video and start reporting - in the face of conclusive evidence to the contrary - that the Solara was shoved into the day care by Robert Corchado?

In other posts, I've targeted this country's corporate-controlled mainstream media, its censorship as a propaganda arm of the state, and its allegiance to most anything except the truth. Media's response to April's tragic day care crash epitomizes this disgusting state of affairs. It's a repulsive little charade, dropping to a new low with the presentation of a contrived, animated video.

If we had a free press, at least the misdeeds of Robert Corchado and Toyota might be presented in proper perspective. Enter countless cases - hundreds still pending - of wrecked Toyotas associated with deaths, injuries, and accompanying claims of vehicle defects. Enter a guilty verdict in an Oklahoma unintended acceleration case last October where the jury said Toyota displayed reckless disregard for public safety when it designed its electronic throttle control. Toss in federal criminal investigations, record-setting federal fines, lawsuits galore, billion dollar settlements, confidentiality agreements, and an admission  - in a federal criminal case - of misleading consumers and a federal regulator about safety defects associated with unintended acceleration.

Compared to the "Toyota Way," Robert Corchado is a small-timer.

Government the "Toyota Way"

A government serving the interests of the public would be sending Toyota executives to prison. Instead, consumers are confronted with corporate-controlled thugs refusing to acknowledge - publicly, at least - compelling evidence of electronic defects in the Recall King's throttle control. So what if people get injured or killed? Isn't it ridiculous when taspayers have reason to doubt the government's story of what the terms were when a crook like Toyota handed over $1.2 billion in payola to end a federal criminal investigation? Toyota is notorious for confidentiality agreements, and nobody can be blamed for wondering if an admission of covering up electronic defects associated with unintended acceleration was part of the deal Toyota cut with the feds.

First off, there was the weird language used by mainstream media, "hinting" that Toyota had admitted to covering up electronic defects. Then the feds exhibited a high-handed attitude when confronted with evidence of electronic defects in Toyota's throttle control. Now, claims are being made that Toyota's billion dollar federal criminal settlement did in fact have to do with concealing electronic defects in its throttle control. At least two attorneys, and an Orlando TV station have come right out and said so. One of the attorneys is the highly prominent Bob Hilliard, currently representing unjustly imprisoned Toyota driver Koua Fong Lee. Furthermore, two of the news reports addressed Toyota's criminal settlement in the context of reporting a fatal crash strongly suggestive of electronically-induced unintended acceleration. It's beginning to look like the public has been lied to - not only by NHTSA - but also by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Don't be misled by the government's mainstream media stooges. Unintended acceleration events are continuing - probably on a larger scale than most folks realize - and it's a hoot the way news media avoids divulging too many details - such as a vehicle's model and year - when accidents are reported. Cases suggesting electronically-induced unintended acceleration pop up constantly, such as this 5/3/2014 mishap in Natick, Massachusettes. The vehicle's year wasn't reported, but it was a Toyota Camry. And it's amazing the way accident investigators are usually so quick to consider every conceivable possibility - dutifully reported by the news media - except an electronic problem. Of course, as word spreads regarding evidence of electronic issues, the tune seems to be changing. Exceptionally well-credentialed electrical engineer Dr. Antony Anderson - as part of his recent study published in the prestigious IEEE Access - estimates that 10,000 unintended acceleration events occur worldwide each year. In fact, so many vehicles are crashing into public buildings that the issue of storefront safety is now being addressed by non-profit organizations. Problem is, amidst government efforts to keep things quiet, these well-intentioned groups are failing to address compelling evidence of electronic issues while admirably encouraging the installation of safety barriers.

Granted, storefront crashes are caused by a variety of things, and nobody knows what percentage of these crashes are caused by electronically-induced unintended acceleration. But the mere fact that parking is involved is enough to raise eyebrows. Accounts of unintended acceleration events show some common denominators. Most of these events begin at a slow speed, driver's foot likely on the brake pedal when the unintended acceleration starts. Events occurring in parking lots, driveways, and garages are typical, as evidenced by today's report of a Camry crashing into a home in Rochester, New Hampshire last night. Embedded systems expert Michael Barr addressed this situation in testimony that won the landmark lawsuit against Toyota last October in Oklahoma. He found that a driver in such a situation would have to remove their foot from the brake pedal and instantaneously reapply pressure to stand any chance at all of stopping the vehicle. With only seconds to spare before a collision, it's unlikely that enough pressure could be applied quickly enough to avoid a crash. Elderly drivers are at even more of a disadvantage, because extra forceful pedal pressure is required. Let's review once again (see trade journal EDN Network's article, "Toyota's killer firmware: Bad design and its consequences") what Mr. Barr concluded:

>  Toyota's electronic throttle control system (ETCS) source code is of unreasonable quality.
>  Toyota's source code is defective and contains bugs, including bugs that can cause unintended acceleration (UA)
>  Code-quality metrics predict presence of additional bugs.
>  Toyota's fail safes are defective and inadequate (referring to them as a 'house of cards' safety architecture).
>  Misbehaviours of Toyota's ETCS are a cause of UA.

It's a shame when the public has to depend on a few trade journals for information about what led a jury to find a crook like Toyota guilty of reckless disregard in the design of its electronic throttle control. Take a look at yesterday's EE Times article, "Video: Michael Barr Speaks of Software That Kills."

The government - Repukes and Demagogues alike - isn't ignorant. Or underfunded. Or merely inefficient. The government is crooked. Enter NHTSA's big lie that NASA had ruled out electronics as a cause of unintended acceleration in Toyotas. Enter NHTSA's complicity in allowing GM to avoid recalling millions of units for defective ignition switches, ignoring evidence of a problem, including deadly crashes. Driving the point home, NASA physicist Henning Leidecker is warning of increased risk of unintended acceleration in '02-'06 Camrys due to "tin whiskers" in the throttle control. The models Dr. Leidecker are concerned about have one of the highest rates of unintended acceleration. And never mind that Toyota's unintended acceleration events increased dramatically after the company introduced electronic throttle controls in 2002.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going on as the government now wrings its blood-drenched hands over GM's ignition switch scandal. Not to worry. Ol' Sammy's "Justice Department" will make sure, Toyota style, that nobody at GM - not to mention NHTSA - winds up in prison. Meanwhile, as Toyota rushes to settle hundreds of remaining unintended acceleration cases, the tax-paying public is left to wonder if the Recall King has corrected the problems Mr. Barr found in the automaker's electronics.

It takes gall for NHTSA and Toyota to say that the increased risk of unintended acceleration in '02-'06 Camrys isn't enough to warrant public concern. And it's downright insulting when the "Justice Department" simply refuses to comment when questioned about Michael Barr's findings. How much longer are Americans gonna put up with a government - Repukes and Demagogues alike - that lies with impunity, thumbs its ugly nose at anyone who dares to ask justifiable questions, and allows crooks like Toyota and GM to treat people like dirt?

Fatal Solara day care crash spotlights electronic issues

Update 5/12/2014 - Statements from the Solara driver, made public today, are consistent with concerns about electronically-induced unintended acceleration. "... the Solars's brakes 'were not responding' and the car 'actually started to accelerate at a higher rate of speed.'" The Solara driver's statements are corroborated by witness accounts.

As information spreads about electronic issues associated with Toyota's unintended acceleration scandal, instances of runaway Toyotas are continuing. There have been two high profile cases in the past week in Florida, both pointing to the liklihood of electronically induced unintended acceleration. One happened Easter night when a Lexus barreled through the wall of a church. The other involved a Solara crashing through the wall of a day care, injuring many children, killing a four-year-old.

Florida Highway Patrol has now released a diagram of the KinderCare crash, which should resolve any notions - much ballyhooed by mainstream media - that the Solara was knocked through the wall when another vehicle hit it from behind. The diagram clearly shows that to be an impossibility. The Solara headed back at an angle in the opposite direction from where it was hit from behind, jumped a curb, went across a parking lot, and plowed through a wall.

There's more.

The driver of the Solara was turning a corner. Most unintended acceleration events are triggered at slow speeds, so the Solara's speed was typical. Furthermore, the driver probably had his foot on the brake. Embedded systems expert Michael Barr found that in such a situation (assuming the absence of a fail-safe), in order to get the brakes to work, a driver would have to immediately take their foot off the brake pedal and immediately reapply pressure.

It's ridiculous to expect someone to take their foot off the brake pedal when their car starts speeding out of control. No wonder the jury in Oklahoma - before whom Mr. Barr testified - not only found Toyota guilty, but also opined that the Recall King acted with reckless disregard for public  safety. From the article "Toyota's killer firmware: Bad design and its consequences" here's what Mr. Barr found:

>  Toyota's electronic throttle control system (ETCS) source code is of unreasonable quality.
>  Toyota's source code is defective and contains bugs, including bugs that can cause unintended acceleration (UA)
>  Code-quality metrics predict presence of additional bugs.
>  Toyota's fail safes are defective and inadequate (referring to them as a 'house of cards' safety architecture).
>  Misbehaviours of Toyota's ETCS are a cause of UA.

As the Solara case continues - the driver has not been charged with any wrongdoing - it's important to note that just because an unintended acceleration event doesn't show up on diagnostic equipment, that doesn't mean the event didn't happen. Dr. Antony Anderson recently completed a study - published in the prestigious IEEE Access - demonstrating how false speed signals can be accepted as authentic, thereby triggering unverifiable instances of unintended acceleration. Be cautious when a crook like Toyota - admittedly guilty of a federal criminal charge for misleading motorists - cites anything, including "black box" data.

Cases of unintended acceleration are continuing, and circumstances often point to defects in Toyota's electronic throttle control. Meanwhile, NASA physicist Henning Leidecker is warning of increased risk of electronically induced unintended acceleration in '02-'06 Camrys, comparing it to a game of Russian roulette. The public is being subjected to needless risk, and people are getting killed or seriously injured, apparently for no other reason than corporate greed.

How much longer is the government gonna allow a crook like Toyota to ignore compelling evidence of electronic defects in its throttle control?

Update 4/29/2014 - This just in: Today in Columbus, Ohio, a Lexus SUV crashed into seven cars, then a building, and the driver has made reference to a "stuck accelerator." Stay tuned.  

Mysterious Lexus crash. '02-'06 Camrys still not recalled.

Update 5/28/2014 - The Lexus driver has now been charged with careless driving after a "city mechanic" was used - to "save tax-payers' money" - to examine the vehicle.

We now know that NHTSA is a bald-faced government lie. Not only regarding a crook like Toyota, but also GM. It's outrageous that NHTSA would dare to use NASA as a pawn, then broadcast a big lie about the space agency's conclusions concerning electronics in Toyota's throttle control. Equally outrageous when the auto industry "regulator" is caught red-handed allowing a murderous thug like GM to avoid recalling vehicles the corporate-kissin' slobs knew were unsafe to drive. The very idea of NHTSA ignoring bloodcurdling complaints, accidents, and at least 13 deaths.

NHTSA has been exposed as a taxpayer-financed propaganda machine for big business. And that gives consumers good reason to be uneasy about most anything imaginable when it comes to the safety of motor vehicles.

Case in point is this week's Easter night crash of a 2006 Lexus into a church full of people, injuries galore. All the earmarks of an unintended acceleration event, and given NHTSA's outright lies regarding the issue, nobody can be blamed for wondering. It's especially noteworthy that the driver says she was applying the brake when the Lexus suddenly accelerated. Embedded systems expert Michael Barr addressed this all-too-frequent situation in court testimony regarding the defects he found in Toyota's electronic throttle control. Mr. Barr pointed out that the driver would actually have to take their foot off the brake pedal and immediately press the pedal again in order to stand a chance of stopping the vehicle. I won't belabor the obvious unlikelihood that anyone would ever do that in such a situation. Note the eerie similarity of the Easter Sunday crash to a complaint filed with NHTSA on 4/14/08 regarding a 2006 Lexus:

LEXUS LS 430 BRAKES FAILED MOVING INTO A PARKING SPACE. PRESSED ON THE BREAKS THE SURGED FORWARD WENT OVER A BUMP, CURB, HANDICAP SIGN AND INTO THE BUILDING. WAS PRESSING ON THE BRAKES AND THE CAR JUST TOOK OFF. *TR

Easter night's mysterious Lexus crash hasn't exactly made national headlines. One reason, "Lexus" is a buzzword. It's the same make that Mark Saylor was driving when he make the 911 call that brought national attention to the problem of unintended acceleration. Amidst government efforts to hush things up about uninintended acceleration, Easter night's crash sounds the alarm bell that such events are continuing. In the wake of recent , compelling evidence of electronic defects, it's imperative that a bonafide investigation be conducted into where Toyota now stands regarding the things Michael Barr found in the automaker's electronic throttle control. A government with the best interests of the motoring public at heart would have no problem with that. Sadly, this sold-out excuse for a government and its presstitute mainstream media stooges are instead intent on keeping things as quiet as possible when motor vehicles - especially a Lexus - mysteriously speed out of control.

Which brings up the ongoing '02-'06 Camry scam. It's one of the grandest performances NHTSA and its good friend and corporate crook Toyota have ever come up with. Evidence relevant to the Camry scam has been around for years. But while consumers are ripped off by settlements the "Toyota Way," and placed at risk for injury, death, and financial ruin, one brave NASA physicist has apparently had enough of the Recall King's shenanigans. Dr. Henning Leidecker is speaking out - much to the chagrin of those less honest - about evidence of tin whiskers posing an increased risk of unintended acceleration in '02-'06 Camrys.

It makes no sense - outside the context of greed - for a lying slob like Toyota to ignore - with the blessings of government - the tin whiskers issue in '02-'06 Camrys. Isn't it a cryin' shame when a country is ruled by two-bit punks? Deceitful, self-absorbed thugs whose only yardstick for morality is the almighty (for the moment, at least) dollar? How much would it cost Toyota - with an ill-gotten cash stash of $60 billion - to update the pedal sensors in '02-'06 Camrys?

Here's the problem.

Toyota and its good friends at NHTSA know that NASA's Dr. Leidecker is beyond reproach. And a cowardly smear campaign - like the one Toyota contemplated against Southern Illinois University's Professor David Gilbert - isn't to be dared against a NASA physicist. In fact, that would spread the truth even more about NHTSA's big lie regarding NASA's conclusion about the electronics issue. Worse yet, if the Recall King recalled '02-'06 Camrys, the electronics issue associated with unintended acceleration would break loose in worldwide, eye-catching headlines. Then the Recall King would have to address whether or not its electronic throttle control is still as defective as embedded systems expert Michael Barr found it to be.

As instances of unintended acceleration continue, the public has a right to know of Dr. Leidecker's concerns about '02-'06 Camrys, and whether or not Toyota has corrected the defects Mr. Barr found during his exhaustive, 18 month investigation of Toyota's much ballyhooed source code. Defects which produced a resounding guilty verdict in the landmark unintended acceleration case in Oklahoma last October. Take another look at what Mr. Barr found - prompting a jury to say Toyota exhibited "reckless disregard" for public safety - and ponder the government's highanded response. Trade journal EDN's article, "Toyota's killer firmware: Bad design and its consequences," gives an apt summary of the evidence:

• Toyota’s electronic throttle control system (ETCS) source code is of unreasonable quality.
• Toyota’s source code is defective and contains bugs, including bugs that can cause unintended acceleration (UA).
• Code-quality metrics predict presence of additional bugs.
• Toyota’s fail safes are defective and inadequate (referring to them as a “house of cards” safety architecture).
• Misbehaviors of Toyota’s ETCS are a cause of UA.

Next thing ya know, someone is gonna claim that Amerika is an oligarchy. A place where corporate thugs like Toyota and GM dog it over brainwashed citizens too tail-tucked to protest, even if they could somehow be made aware of tyranny's onslaught.

***Updates 4/25/2014 -
>  News coverage is now associating Easter Sunday's Lexus crash with consumer complaints - to the federal government - of "brake failure or uncontrollable acceleration" for the Lexus LS 430. Coverage also states that Toyota never issued a recall.  
>  Unrelated to the Easter Sunday Lexus crash, this 4/24/2014 article confirms that accident investigators are taking the electronics issue seriously. Also noteworthy is the attorney's statement that Toyota's $1.2 billion federal criminal settlement was for "misleading motorists about a faulty electronic-throttle system." This is the second attorney to make such a statement in recent weeks. The other attorney is Bob Hilliard, who represents unjustly imprisoned Toyota driver Koua Fong Lee. Mr. Hilliard addressed the issue in a CBS radio interview (segment 20:00-20:53) with John Williams.
>  This 4/25/2014 article states that "Toyota was fined by the Department of Justice for misleading motorists about a 'faulty electronic-throttle system' in their cars after settling a lawsuit in July that claims the same make, model and year of the Toyota Solara involved in the day care crash lost resale value after sudden acceleration complanints."
>  My 3/30/2014 post questioned what Toyota had admitted to as part of the federal criminal settlement. Has the Justice Department been lying to the public?

Update 4/24/2014 - When writing this post, I focused on news coverage in the Fort Meyers area. National coverage of Easter Sunday's Lexus crash - while not approaching the same level as the Saylor event - was better than I realized. Stay tuned. 

NASA physicist warns of unintended acceleration risk in '02-'06 Camrys

"A case of a Toyota with galloping acceleration — but not a fully open throttle — was attributed to tin whiskers. And Leidecker pointed out that Toyota redesigned its pedal sensor in 2007 and again in 2008, expressly to eliminate the risk of tin whiskers. Why would it do that if tin whiskers were never a problem? he asked. Toyota did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Leidecker said he believes the tin whisker risk remains for Toyotas in model years 2002-2006. While the risk is small, it increases with time. 'It’s a game of Russian roulette,' he said."
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 4/5/2014 article, "A Carbondale professor, runaway Toyotas, and the hunt for 'tin whiskers'" 

So you'd think Toyota, NHTSA and the Department of Justice would be anxious to learn more. You'd think Toyota would be concerned enough to advise Camry owners accordingly, and issue a recall for those models to update the pedal sensors.

But you'd be wrong.

Instead, our tacky little corporate-controlled government and its good friend Toyota are trying to keep things quiet about any electronics involvement in the unintended acceleration scandal. So when the St. Louis Post-Dispatch repeatedly asked Toyota to comment on Dr. Leidecker's remarks, the Recall King - in typical, highhanded, "Toyota Way" fashion - smugly refused to respond. Reminds ya of the "Department of Justice" e-mailing a curt "No comment" when trade journal EE Times' freelance writer David Benjamin asked 'em if they'd ever heard of embedded systems expert Michael Barr finding bugs in Toyota's electronic throttle control. Congress has done no more than display some grand theatrics, and NHTSA (No Help To Solve Anything) had the unmitigated gall to bow out of the unintended acceleration issue by broadcasting the now-obvious lie that NASA had ruled out electronics.

"No comment" indeed. Not to mention lies.

People's lives are at stake. Compelling evidence of defects in Toyota's electronic throttle control has been produced. How dare this corporate-controlled slob of a government - Repukes and Demagogues alike - and its good friend Toyota remain aloof. Refuse to even acknowledge the issue, and have its mainstream-media stooges do likewise. In what sense do we have a free press when consumers have to depend on trade journals to reveal the facts? The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is to be commended for daring to take a step in the right direction.

The scam regarding '02-'06 Camrys is apparent in this interview with the owner of a 2005 model, justifiably unhappy with the chump change she got in Toyota's much-ballyhooed billion dollar, class-action economic loss settlement. Toyota (!) "never determined that sudden acceleration was the reason her vehicle crashed." Never mind, of course, that '02-'06 Camrys have an exceptionally high rate of unintended acceleration complaints.   

Talk about a racket.

BIG BUCKS for attorneys. CHUMP CHANGE AND BALD-FACED LIES for consumers, who never shoulda had to file lawsuits in the first place. Worse yet, much of Toyota's "settlement" money is earmarked for "safety research" that blames drivers for unintended acceleration. Settlements the "Toyota Way" cleverly promote the myth of driver error, while creating a database of misleading information that the Recall King can blabber about in future cases of runaway Toyotas.

It's about time consumers demanded a bit of fundamental fairness outta dishonest corporate slobs like Toyota, GM, and their government mouthpieces.

Update 4/18/2014 - The '05 Camry case referenced below targeted "tin whiskers" and software. No wonder the Recall King reached a settlement :-)

Update 4/17/2014 -
>  This just in: "Attorney: Family of dead motorist, Toyota reach settlement in Flint sudden acceleration suit." As word of Dr. Leidecker's concern leaks out, Toyota is probably in a BIG hurry to settle as many lawsuits as possible involving '02-'06 Camrys. NHTSA, where are ya? 
>  Found some background on the above case. One of the victim's children summed things up quite well: "The 2005 Camry should have been one of the first ones to be in the recall," said Lilia Alberto. "How many more deaths do they want to have before they have to put it in the recall?"
>  This 2/8/10 article shows that Toyota's electronic throttle control was blamed from the get go. "Eric Synder, a lawyer for the family, told the Times, 'We think Toyota has a safety problem with the electronic throttle control system in Camrys and other Toyota models."' 
>  One more background article - from 6/1/12 - aptly titled "Toyota Owners Forced to Continue Driving Ticking Time Bombs"

Update 4/15/2014 - A German firm has published some interesting revelations about tin whiskers: http://www.dguv.de/ifa/Praxishilfen/Zinnwhisker-auf-Leiterplatten/index-2.jsp   

NASA physicist targets Toyota's electronic throttle control

"Leidecker said he believes the tin whisker risk remains for Toyotas in model years 2002-2006. While the risk is small, it increases with time. 'It’s a game of Russian roulette,' he said." - 4/5/2014 article, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "A Carbondale professor, runaway Toyotas and the hunt for 'tin whiskers"' 

Toyota and its government friends refuse to talk about it, but there's evidence galore of electronic issues associated with sudden, unintended acceleration. After all, the Recall King did fork over some payola to end the federal criminal "investigation," shamfully (sic) limited to floor mats and sticky gas pedals. It's obvious that Congress, NHTSA, and the DOJ put on one whopper of a performance, intended all along to let a filthy-rich corporate slob - with a cash stash of 60 billion bucks - off the hook, nobody jailed. More of the same is underway with GM. 

Never mind that renowned embedded systems expert Michael Barr found bugs in Toyota's electronic throttle control and gave the Recall King a whuppin' in an Oklahoma court. Never mind that Mr. Barr's findings put the Recall King in "settlement mode" for hundreds of remaining unintended acceleration cases. And never mind that tenured professor Dr. David Gilbert impressed NASA - yes, NASA, but don't tell NHTSA - with electronics-related findings now supported by NASA physicist Henning Leidecker who refers to Dr. Gilbert as a "hero" regarding the tin whiskers issue. Physicist Leidecker has concluded that the risk of unintended acceleration increases as tin whiskers grow, and points to Toyota's redesign of pedal sensors, expressly intended to address the tin whisker risk. "Why would (Toyota) do that if tin whiskers were never a problem?" he asks. Of course, the Recall King simply ignored repeated requests to comment about Dr. Leidecker's remarks.

Soon to be published in the prestigious online engineering journal IEEE Access is yet another electronics study - this time by Dr. Antony Anderson - offering a detailed look at the potential for false speed signals to be accepted as authentic, triggering unverifiable instances of unintended acceleration. Dr. Anderson butts heads with NHTSA, demonstrating that "absence of proof" isn't "proof of absence."

A decent government would have taken a serious look at the unintended acceleration issue instead of trying to snow the public by grandstanding with NASA and then broadcasting an outright lie, claiming NASA had ruled out electronic involvement. NASA did no such thing, never claimed it had, and physicist Leidecker's outspoken interest in tin whiskers confirms it.

Instances of sudden unintended acceleration continue. For thousands of customers, Toyota's oil sludge fiasco never got resolved. Engine failures in MR2 Spyders are ignored, and class action lawsuits lining barrister pockets make headlines as Toyota treats customers like dirt.

Does anyone believe Toyota, GM, or the auto industry has changed for the better?

Updates 4/9/2014 -
>  Yesterday, Dr. Antony Anderson's comments below the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article were apparently removed, and Dr. Anderson says no explanation was given. Dr. Anderson addressed some technical issues, stated his support for Dr. David Gilbert, and criticized Toyota's response to Dr. Gilbert's findings. Hopefully, Dr. Anderson's remarks will reappear.  
>  Another massive Toyota recall, and government stooge Yahoo is immediately removing comments I post referring to Michael Barr's findings, and Dr. Leidecker's concerns about the increased risk of unintended acceleration in '02-'06 Camrys. Censorship the American way. 

Updates 4/10/2014 -
>  Dr. Anderson's comments (see yesterday's update) on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article reappeared today. Right on!!! The public needs to know that Dr. Gilbert's findings have the support of other electrical engineers. Oops - mighta spoke too soon. Don't see the comments - I'm lookin' into the matter :-) 
>  The gist of my Yahoo comments (again, see yesterday's update) reappeared yesterday.

Updates 4/11/2014 -
>  Dr. Anderson (see above updates) apparently encountered a log-in glitch. Hopefully, this will be cleared up today. 
>  Dr. Anderson's comments - with the sincere assistance of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch - are now posted. The problem turned out to be - wouldn't ya know it? - Facebook. Dr. Anderson was attempting to log in using his Facebook account, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch webmaster discovered that Facebook had designated Dr. Anderson as a "user who is suspiciously new," thereby blocking his efforts to post comments. I won't belabor the obvious absurdity.