Maybe Toyota should strip out all the fancy high-tech stuff and go back to 2003 or so

[d.gibbs]

Just plain old electronic fuel injection and regular steel cable accelerator pedal. No drive-by-wire. And only simple software that any half-competent programmer can debug:

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/tech/Wozniak-My-Prius-Speeds-Up-On-Its-Own--87107692.html

We talked with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who is currently driving a silver 2010 Prius -- the 9th Prius he has owned over the years. He says Toyota shouldn't rule out the possibility that a computer glitch could be a contributing factor to the sudden acceleration issues that have sparked a worldwide recall. "They'll need very good designers and testers to set up systems that are fail proof," says Wozniak.

Wozniak says he has conducted several experiments with his own Prius, which is equipped with radar detection and cruise control. He says on several occasions using his cruise control, he's seen a surge in acceleration. "At a certain speed, it accelerates more than it should. Toyota says I’m wrong and I may be," says Wozniak. But he says the car suddenly pitched forward with a surge in speed. "I'd tap it up, move up one , tap it and move up one and then all of a sudden, I'd tap it and it would take off for a long ways."

Wozniak cites other times when his GPS would stop working or his XM radio would go dead. He says he would simply stop the car, turn it off, and turn it back on. Voila, it would work again. Much like resetting your cell phone or computer. Wozniak says with so many systems talking to each other in modern cars, software glitches are hardly surprising. "It was in a good state and it went into a bad state. It can be as easy as one bit flipping from an alpha particle, a little spark of electricity. Who knows. Lots of things in computers that can cause them to get into this state. They're not easy to find." says Wozniak.

Software engineer John Vink agrees. He says Toyota engineers have a complex and difficult problem to solve, especially if it turns out to be a software issue. "The problem with debugging software is you have to see the problem happening at the time to see it's happening. So unless you have an engineer in the car with you from Toyota who's studying the problem as its happening, it’s hard to solve,” says Vink.

[Romulox]

1. Here's an idea, Woz: support American workers...

"Designed in California, Made in China" is on the bottom of every Apple device I own.

I don't care about where my Apple products are designed any more than Steve Wozniak cares about workers in the American auto industry--I say let's design the things in India, and save a couple bucks.

I'm also looking at you, Specialized bicycles!

[PJPhreak]

5. "I'm also looking at you, Specialized bicycles!"

LOLOLOLOLOLOLHahahahahahahahaha!

Ever wonder why almost every bike frame(with the exception of a very few High-Dollar ones) comes from Taiwan or China....Thank Specialized!!! They started this with the first Mass produced Stumpys back in 83!

[Romulox]

6. Perfect example. Why not buy a Giant (Asus) and cut out the rotund Californian middle men?

Who needs this guy?

[safeinOhio]

2. I could live well in an

analog discrete world. Even my Apple takes a dump once in a while. I'm helpless when it happens. I like his idea of just booting up the Pirus.

[tridim]

3. I bet if they published their software, hackers would figure out the problem in about 20 minutes.

Open source might not be a bad PR move for Toyota at this point.

[slampoet]

4. I would buy a 1986 Subaru GL if they made them new again.

the one i had ran for 2000 miles with a severely cracked engine block in its last days.

A great car as long as you changed the oil (more than i did) and watched the radiator.

[Romulox]

7. Recent Subarus are fucking hideous. nt

[Gin]

8. it's one thing to reboot a computer....but rebooting a car while

driving on an interstate is a whole other issue....complicated technology in an automobile is not a good thing.... (IMO)