Along with the floor-mat issue and the sticky-pedal issue, Toyota now has another high-profile problem on its hands: Braking problems with the 2010 Prius, with government officials in the US and Japan calling for investigations of a potential braking problem -- an issue that, as it turns out, was already on Toyota's radar.
The problem
Here's the issue: Owners of the new-shape Prius (2009 and earlier cars are not affected) have been reporting odd braking behavior in situations that cause (or should cause) the antilock-brake system (ABS) to activate. For those unfamiliar, ABS monitors the speed of all four wheels. If one or more wheels lock up, the ABS system rapidly pulses (applies and releases) the brakes to provide maximum braking power. (Tires adhere better when they are spinning than they do when locked.) ABS is triggered by slippery surfaces, but can also be triggered by sudden bumps, potholes, etc.
Matters are complicated on hybrid cars like the Prius, which use a mix of regular (friction) braking and regenerative (electric) braking. The regenerative brake uses the hybrid system's electric motor as a generator, which charges the battery and creates resistance, which in turn slows the car. The Prius' computer constantly varies the proportion of regenerative and friction braking. (This isn't new technology, by the way; electric commuter trains have been using it for decades.) But the use of "mix" braking can apparently cause a lag in ABS operation, since ABS functions on the friction brakes only. Prius drivers have reported a lack of braking ability under situations where the ABS should be activated. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the US government organization charged with automotive safety, has logged 124 complaints, including 4 crashes and two minor injuries, relating to Prius brakes.
Now, NHTSA complaints do not mean actual problems. A complaint is just that -- a complaint, which has to be investigated to determine a root cause. That said, Toyota had heard enough from Prius owners to address the issue. Last month, they reprogrammed the Prius' braking software to allow for more aggressive ABS application. But they didn't issue a recall -- they issued a running change.
Running changes, TSBs, and recalls
A running change is one that is applied to cars on the assembly line, but not to those already on the road. The next step up from a running change is a technical service bulletin, or TSB. TSBs are fixes that are addressed, free of charge, when the car comes in to the dealership for service or warranty repair. Since some owners use independent mechanics or do their own maintenance, not all cars will have TSBs addressed. Which leaves the recall (sometimes known as a "product update campaign" for non-safety-related items), in which the automaker attempts to contact all owners to have the problem fixed. Recalls can be either voluntary (initiated by the automakers) or involuntary (initiated by a governmental organization such as NHTSA).
So why would an automaker address something as a running change rather than a TSB or recall? The answer, obviously, is cost. If a TSB costs $50 per car, and a recall costs $100 per car, and the issue affects 200,000 cars -- these are made-up numbers, by the way -- the costs can quickly eat into profit margins. I'm not saying that automakers skimp on safety to save money; killing your customers is rarely a successful business model (unless you're in the tobacco industry). But you can understand why automakers don't issue voluntary recalls with reckless abandon. On the other hand, having a recall initiated by NHTSA can be a PR disaster.
So what's going on with Toyota? Is there a massive cover-up? I don't think so -- I think this is a case of lousy timing. Check out this PDF file, which shows the list of issues that NHTSA opened for investigation in January alone. Recalls, TSBs, and running changes happen all the time. Still, this does not look good for Toyota -- especially considering their buyer base, those who view the car as an appliance, and are probably much less willing to forgive product faults. Clearly, this storm is far from over. -- Aaron Gold
I agree that a cover-up or conspiracy by Toyota to hide quality problems is unlikely. No matter what Oliver Stone or Michael Moore might say, conspiracies require the cooperation and silence of too many people to be practical.
But, I do think that many in the automotive media may be underestimating the financial damage that Toyota may suffer due to what has become a perfect storm of quality problems, a depressed overall auto-sales climate and Toyota’s very expensive excess production capacity.
As someone on another auto site is fond of saying, this is a heaping, steaming bowl of not good.
Just for fun…
Toyota: Moving forward, even when you don’t want to.
Toyota: Miles ahead of the competition.
Toyota: Moving forward… at an alarming rate.
steve ,
it could happen to anyone
toyota has been the media darling for years quality,safety reliability , many buy into this. i do not
now there just a good car-truck with arrogant management, and some of its owners have there nose up in air
I agree Steve that this isn’t a conspiracy. It’s a car company being called onto the carpet by the government for problems it’s having, and was not addressing. If the government hadn’t gotten involved, I can almost assure you that Toyota wouldn’t have taken the measures it did. It’s a large corporation whos primary function is making money. Any measures Toyota did take, despite what they might have stated, were only done because they were forced to, not because they felt compelled to be responsible to their customers.
Of course down here in conservative San Diego, radio talk show pundit, Roger Hedgecock yesterday was accusing the US Government of picking on Toyota. And why? Because the Government has a stake in GM and Chryco and wants to help them out, so they can pay back their loans. A conspiracy theory on top of another conspiracy theory. Problem is this last investigation was started by the Japanese Dept. of Transport, who doesn’t have a stake in the Big 3.
Sorry Roger…you now can rate up there with other conspiracy theorists like Glen Beck. I guess for you that’s a compliment!
To help put the Toyota situation in perspective the following story in the Detroit Free Press provides at least some although Ford’s fire recall has extended over many years and models.
Clicking on the graph on the right side enlarges it.
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100202/AUTO01/2020330/1148/Auto-recall-rules-may-be-tightened-by-NHTSA
Ford has a braking problem with the Fusion Hybrid.
Ford has a recall under way for their problem.
Toyota needs to be dragged kicking and screaming to issue a recall on their vehicles.
Steve, must be sucken on that Camery exhaust pipe if he believes Toyota has not done everything it can to keep from recalling all these cars including lieing and covering up the real problem that they have serious glich with the software in the PCM which is common to all there cars since they are good students of sharing there components across multiple platforms. Wake Up!!
steve in ga. has it absolutely right. This is a disaster for Toyota. 3 recalls, one after the other, involving nearly everything they make and the liability law suits over the accidents and deaths are just starting. Anyone thinking of buying a new or used Toyota has to be thinking twice. Toyota made a fortune selling duull but reliable vehicles. Now they just sell the mundane.
Poor Toyota, i think Toyota have to consider its product before launching another one to the market. Because its recall for several product.
Too bad….