Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Government/Legal, Toyota

Koua Fong Lee, the man who was convicted in 2006 of killing three people when his Toyota Camry struck a vehicle at a stoplight, has been acquitted of any crime. Lee served a total of two-and-a-half years in prison after his defense attorney failed to adequately show that he had been applying the brake on his vehicle the whole time. In the wake of a number of unintended acceleration claims on similar Toyota vehicles and increasing outcry for his release (including a big ABC News feature), Lee’s case was reopened. In four days of testimony, his new counsel had a series of drivers who had experience unintended acceleration in their Toyotas take the stand. Eventually, the presiding judge heard enough and released Lee.

Lee served two-and-a-half years of an eight-year sentence for vehicular homicide after his first attorney actually suggested to the jury that Lee could have mistaken the accelerator for the brake pedal. Combined with the defendant’s limited English and the fact that few people had heard of unintended acceleration at the time of the first trail, the judge sentenced Lee to the maximum penalty under the law. Now that he’s been released, Lee says that he’ll focus on getting to know the youngest of his four children. Thanks for the tip, Brian!

[Source: MSNBC | Image: Ben Garvin/Associated Press]

Report: Man convicted in fatal crash set free with Toyota sudden acceleration appeal originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Man convicted in fatal crash set free with Toyota sudden acceleration appeal

Filed under: Sedan, Lexus, Reviews, Luxury

The entry-level luxury sedan segment doesn’t command the enthusiast attention of, say, the ultra-premium luxury sports sedan. But if you ask automakers to choose between the two, we’d wager that most would rather have a best-in-class $35,000 sedan than a world-beating $70,000 sports tourer.

The reason? Very few fortunes are made selling a few thousand highfalutin’ rocket launchers, but bottom lines can easily be bolstered or crippled based on the success or failure of a plush, high-volume cruiser. Luxury marques from Acura to Volvo have experienced varied levels of success at the low end of the luxury market, but few have enjoyed the consistent sales dominance of the Lexus ES. In the past decade, Toyota has cranked out over 600,000 copies in the U.S. alone, with another 650,000 units shipped around the world. And those sales have traditionally been overwhelmingly of the retail variety with little or no incentives. Not bad for what many consider a glorified Toyota Camry.

Enthusiasts take note: Lexus didn’t reach such lofty sales levels with a rear-wheel-drive architecture or pavement-punishing quantities of horsepower. The road map to success for the ES has been simple: a soft, compliant ride; a pampering interior; and unmatched quality. The fifth-generation ES350 has built nicely on those attributes with smoother power, a quieter cabin and more technology. But the competition is still striving to overtake the ES in sales, so Lexus has gone and given its top-selling sedan a mid-cycle refresh for 2010. We spent a week in a Starfire Pearl ES350 to see if it still had the goods to remain a top option in the entry-level luxury segment.

Photos by Chris Shunk / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350 is soft-riding royalty that’s lost its crown

Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350 is soft-riding royalty that’s lost its crown originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350 is soft-riding royalty that’s lost its crown

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee is still pouring over Toyota’s unintended acceleration issues, and right now the group is looking into older braking systems. Automotive News reports that the committee was told by investigators that an investigation of a 2005 Toyota Camry showed that some older model Toyotas were equipped with brake override systems (although not all newer models have such equipment). Toyota, as you may recall, has promised to equip all 2011 model year vehicles with a brake override system.

The Japanese automaker has also been asked by the committee to detail the work being performed by research firm Exponent Inc. relative to Toyota’s unintended acceleration issues. Exponent has said that it hasn’t found any electronics issues that would lead to unwanted acceleration issues. For his part, Committee Chairman Henry Waxman has told reporters in a letter that Exponent “has not been fully cooperative with the committee’s requests.”

Toyota is reportedly being given until July 6 to contact the House committee, and documents must be provided by July 12. Toyota spokesman Mike Michels has informed AN that the company will cooperate with requests from the committee.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req. | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty]

Report: Toyota must share info on brake override system originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Toyota must share info on brake override system

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Hatchback, Mazda, Canada

There’s a battle raging over the northern border between the Mazda3 and Honda Civic: the Mazda3′s 5,436 units sold in April outdid the Civic by 135, and through the end of last month the Zoom-Zoom ride leads the Honda by just 21 units. The rest of April’s Canadian top five is filled out by the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra and Hyundai Accent. Compare that to April’s American top five of the Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Honda Civic and Ford Fusion. Mazda (and higher gas prices) really have a hold on the Canucks, it seems – even if they’re flogging Mazdas for $20K over list…

[Source: Canadian Driver]

Mazda3 unseats Honda Civic as Canada’s best-selling car originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 23 May 2010 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying

Parents has worked up a lengthy list of its favorite family haulers for 2010, though you won’t see too many minivans or SUVs on the roundup. Instead, the site broke down its selections into categories like sedans, hybrids and large vehicles and arranged its picks in no particular order. We certainly can’t argue with cars like the 2010 Subaru Legacy or the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, though a few of those that made the cut had us scratching our heads.

Both the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight found favor among the Parents editors. Sure, we can respect trying to save some cash at the pump, but those hybrid hatches don’t exactly have the space for the Boy Scouts level of preparedness that accompanies traveling with a toddler.

Other shockers include the loveable but quirky Kia Soul and the omission of the ubiquitous Toyota Camry in favor of the sportier Honda Accord. You can hop over to the Parents site to see the full list of 15 cars and CUVs for yourself.

[Source: Parents]

Parents magazine names ‘Best Family Cars of 2010′ originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 May 2010 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc.

For as many people out there who own a car, there is seemingly an equally large group of people who want to steal them. The funny thing is that car thieves rarely pull a Gone in 60 Seconds and steal expensive, rare autos. Year after year some aging model year of the Honda Accord tops the list as the most frequent car stolen in the U.S., followed by such everyman-mobiles as the Civic, Toyota Camry and Ford F-150. Ubiquity rather than desirability seems to be the common denominator among these top stolen vehicles.

Follow the jump for our latest infographic that explores the facts and figures of stealing cars. And remember not to be one of the 15 percent of people who leave their keys in the ignition.

[Source: Auto Insurance for Autoblog.com]

Continue reading Infographic: One car stolen every 33 seconds… and other fun grand theft auto facts

Infographic: One car stolen every 33 seconds… and other fun grand theft auto facts originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infographic: One car stolen every 33 seconds… and other fun grand theft auto facts

Filed under: Budget, Hybrid, Sedan, Recalls, Toyota

Edmunds has officially announced the rules concerning its $1 million quest to get to the bottom of the Toyota unintended acceleration woes. If you think you can replicate the series of events that causes the sedans to go ballistic, you’ll need to write up a 1,000 word summary packed full with what you think causes the problem, why your cause is plausible, a brief account of your test protocol and what you’ve found. Throw in an in-depth, step-by-step test protocol and get it all in by October 29, 2010 at 5 p.m. PST in order to be considered for the prize.

Edmunds says it will announce the winner(s) on March 31, 2011. If there is more than one winner, the purse will be split evenly between the victors. Be warned, though, Edmunds isn’t about to pay out for causes that have already been identified by Toyota, the NHTSA or anyone else for that matter. The winning cause has to be completely unique and has to feasibly occur in the real world.

The good news is the competition isn’t just limited to Toyota models. Edmunds will let you run your tests on any stock consumer vehicle sold in the U.S. between 2006 and 2011. Let the games begin. You can check out the full rules and all the fine print here.

[Source: Inside Line]

Edmunds announces official rules for $1 million sudden acceleration contest originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Sedan, Volkswagen, Diesel

During yesterday’s North American debut of the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid at the New York Auto Show, VW’s North American CEO, Stefan Jacoby, let slip that the yet-to-be-named Passat replacement – currently known as the “New Mid-Size Sedan” (NMS) – will be available with a diesel in both the U.S. and Canada when it goes on sale in 2011.

Production of the NMS is set to begin within the next year at the automaker’s new Chattanooga, Tennessee facility, and it’s all but assured that the mill will be the same 2.0-liter diesel four-pot currently outputting 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque in the Jetta TDI.

Details on the sedan are scant, but Jacoby reiterated that the NMS will be Volkswagen’s most focused push into the mid-size segment, where it is set to do battle with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. With a launch this important, it’s no wonder that the company is still debating names.

New York 2010: Volkswagen Mid-Size Sedan to launch with TDI in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Recalls, Safety, Crossover, Toyota

The past few days have seen a new rash of stories about Toyotas run amok. First, a 2009 Venza struck a house in Hamilton, Ontario. According to The Hamilton Spectator, the driver said he lost control of the vehicle after experiencing uncontrolled acceleration. While 2009-2010 Venzas were recalled for the infamous floor-mat issue, police have yet to determine whether the Hamilton incident was a result of faulty hardware or driver error. No one was injured.

The Seboygan Press is also reporting that a 2009 Camry accelerated and climbed a small embankment while the driver had her foot on the brake in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. The 76 year-old driver, Myrna Marseille, suffered a broken sternum from the impact. In Marseille’s case, her Camry had already been serviced to correct the floor mat interference issue.

The reports join those of a San Diego man who had to call on the police to help him slow down his Prius after high-speed stint on the interstate and another Prius crash in New York. In the California case, both the NHTSA and Toyota found nothing wrong with the car (though the California Highway Patrol’s view may differ). Likewise, the New York incident was found to be driver error.

[Sources: Sheboygan Press, The Hamilton Spectator]

More Toyota accidents allegedly caused by sudden acceleration occur in Wisconsin, Canada originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More Toyota accidents allegedly caused by sudden acceleration occur in Wisconsin, Canada

Filed under: Safety, Videos, Toyota

Click on the image above to watch the video after the jump

We’ve seen demonstrations that show how to stop a vehicle experiencing unintended acceleration before, but this newest video from Consumer Reports demonstrates just how crucial a brake override function can be in stopping a throttle gone wild. CR engineer Jake Fisher lines up a pre-recall 2010 Toyota Avalon and a post-repair Camry to compare and contrast the amount of time it takes to bring a vehicle at full throttle to a stop. Hint: There’s a big difference.

The Avalon went first, and at 60 mph with the throttle open, it took over 500 feet to come to a complete stop – nearly four times the distance of a normally operating vehicle. Even worse, when the brakes were pumped, the ability to stop the Avalon diminished greatly. Pump the brake two or three times and CR shows that you might as well be driving downhill on a sheet of ice.

Next comes the Camry, which has been retrofitted with a brake override system courtesy of Toyota’s recall. The Camry stops at wide open throttle as though the gas pedal is totally disconnected. The result of CR’s little video shows that vehicles equipped with brake override can quickly come to a stop even when the throttle is pegged, making unintended acceleration a non-issue. Hit the jump to watch the six-minute video for yourself and let us know if you think all automakers should adapt this technology in the post-jump comments.

[Source : Consumer Reports]

Continue reading Video: Consumer Reports makes the case for brake override for all

Video: Consumer Reports makes the case for brake override for all originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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