Toyota Unintended Acceleration

[Jim Dupree]

I actually worked as a tech at an Audi dealer through the unintended
acceleration fiasco. I spent some time with a factory rep doing some test
fitting of the shift lock before they were released to the dealer parts
network. The first kits did not work too well. The Audi rep had inspected a
couple dozen cars all over the US and said there was consistent damage to
the gas pedal in frontal collisions and never the brake pedal. I think Audi
just though they could show the US that their engineering was sound and
there was not a problem with the car and everything would be OK. Silly
Germans just did not understand the US public and paid dearly for it.
Jim
1984 4kq
1985 4kq
1985 5kt

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Brendan Walsh" <bkwalsh4201 at hotmail.com>
To: <audi at humanspeakers.com>
Cc: <quattro at audifans.com>; <desch at alum.wpi.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 6:31 PM
Subject: Re: Toyota Unintended Acceleration


> yup that was it, i did some looking around the web today for curiosities
> sake(google audi unintended acceleration). couldn't find the specific
> article i read, but everything you said jives with what i found.I also
found
> it interesting some released court documents for Illinois (Ithink)came up.
> People were still in court with VAG in 1998 apparently. i scanned through,
> and to my shock and suprise the case was dismissed due to insuffucient
> evidence of direct negligence on audi's part... apparently this case was
> filed after the AT lockout was added,the car in question was produced with
> it factory installed, leaving only (insert score for dramatic effect)
driver
> error!!! I was only a kid at the time(4 or 5) but i remember my parents
> freinds selling there car because of the whole mess, I think it was
actually
> a 4k, but it amazes me the panic that runs through the masses. 1800
> questionable cases out of how many cars produced? numbers of unintended
> acceleration that were not statstically higher than the case with z cars
> etc? THat's why you can't believe everthing you read...
> brendan
>
>
>
> >From: Huw Powell <audi at humanspeakers.com>
> >Reply-To: audi at humanspeakers.com
> >To: "Brendan K. Walsh" <bkwalsh4201 at hotmail.com>
> >CC: Dan DiBiase <d_dibiase at yahoo.com>, Kurt Deschler
<desch at alum.wpi.edu>,
> >quattro at audifans.com
> >Subject: Re: Toyota Unintended Acceleration
> >Date: Tue, 09 Mar 2004 18:04:15 -0500
> >
> >
> >>There is an article I read somewhere on the web on this, audi responded
by
> >>moving the brake pedal in the 85(?) models up and over to decrease the
> >>risk
> >>of a driver doing just that.
> >
> >While I don't think they moved the brake pedal, they did do a recall on
> >previous production to install a lockout preventing shifting slushboxes
> >into "drive" if the brake was not depressed (poor, poor brake, should
have
> >used prozac), and this was also installed on new production.
> >
> >The carpet holding pegs we are so familiar with now were also introduced
> >(to stop the carpet from getting caught on the loud pedal).
> >
> >There may have been one or two other minor things done (like a sticker on
> >the inst cluster saying "don't use the pedal on the right when you want
to
> >stop"), but since the cars were not at fault, this was mostly window
> >dressing, other than the A/T lockout, which does make sense.
> >
> >Unfortunately (or, fortunately, for those of us who were able to buy used
> >Audis dirt cheap), VAG's response to the 60 Minutes piece of
irresponsible
> >yellow journalism was tepid and did not seem to understand the American
> >marketplace.   See, for contrast, the rapid and effective response of the
> >pickup truck mfr (GM?) to the 60 Minutes rigging of explosives in their
gas
> >tanks.
> >
> >Audi also introduced some buyer programs to support their resale value,
in
> >those darkest sales years on the late 80's.  My 89 90Q came with such
> >protection, pegged to a couple of similar market models by other
> >manufacturers.
> >
> >>I don't think a cause was ever truly determined other than "eliminate
the
> >>impossible and whatever remains...."
> >
> >The NHTSA eventually returned a verdict of "pilot error" in all cases.
> >
> >>the same article also stated that the in initial report, some lady
> >>crashing
> >>into her garage,  that the car's brakes were properly functioning and
> >>there
> >>was no other damage to the car(other than what she caused).
> >
> >In some, or many, cases, cars were found to have the A/T kickdown switch
> >(under the gas pedal) to be damaged from the amount of force the drivers
> >were using to try to stop the car with the wrong pedal in their panic.
> >
> >I hope these ancient memories are still reasonably accurate...
> >
> >--
> >Huw Powell
> >
> >http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi
> >
> >http://www.humanthoughts.org/
>
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