Are Toyota electronic flaws with stalling related to sudden acceleration?

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Examiner.com

Frank Sherosky

According to Reuters, Toyota Motor Corp has told U.S. safety regulators via a letter that it is considering how to fix nearly 1.2 million Corolla and Matrix models at risk of stalling out because of flaws in an electronic system. Note the words, “electronic system.”

Be apprised, this admittance by Toyota is no public claim at all that it is also related to sudden acceleration. The early-stage investigation relates primarily to vehicles stalling. However, read the words carefully, and judge for yourself if there might be a possible connection.

Toyota said it did not believe that drivers would have any "prior warning" that the engine was about to stall because of a glitch with the engine's electronic control unit, or ECU. No prior warning? Sound familiar?

Did they also say, “glitch?” Yes, they did. The fact that Toyota is even admitting to any electronic flaws at all these days is a major change in their repertoire, and it has to way heavy on the minds of Toyota owners with sudden acceleration problems. It would with me.

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/x-3721-Detroit-Automotive-Technology-Examiner~y2010m3d18-Are-Toyota-electronic-flaws-with-stalling-related-to-sudden-acceleration

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Connecting the dots. Read the full story.

[IDemo]

1. If they haven't, Toyota needs to put the system through a wringer

First, pull the ECU and its associated circuitry from a failing vehicle (pay the customer the full purchase price, of course). Place everything in an environmental chamber capable of temperature extremes from -50° to 100°C (about -50° to 210° Fahrenheit). Use a chamber that can also produce humidity extremes and vibration. This is a tried and true method for stress testing circuit boards and forcing them to display a fail that otherwise might escape detection, whether that means a cold solder joint or a faulty memory chip. Supply inputs from an external source to the throttle, brake and other I/O's on the ECU, driving them repeatedly high, low, and every possible combination in between. Measure and record the outputs to throttle servo and brakes. Keep track of those error signals.

This would also indirectly test the firmware, although not with the in-depth level as a line for line debugging.

If a vehicle has experienced sudden acceleration issues, and done so more than once, this would very likely repeat it. And, it would do so in a safe environment where the variables could be recorded in realtime instead of autopsied later.

[TexasObserver]

2. Interesting.

[DainBramaged]

3. Open mouth insert digital probe

toYOYOta has just basically admitted they have a problem in the ecm and they have been denying this all along. How cute they don't see this....