NHTSA Complaint #10304921 — 2010 TOYOTA TUNDRA

HI, I'M NOT SURE HOW TO ADDRESS THIS BUT I THINK SOMEONE SHOULD KNOW. THIS COMPLAINT IS SOMEWHAT ON BEHALF OF A CHP OFFICER AND FAMILY THAT DIED AND THE MANY OTHERS OUT THERE LIKE MYSELF, FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT HAVE TOYOTAS. I TEST CARS FOR THE CALIFORNIA SMOG CHECK PROGRAM. I HAVE TESTED THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES BOTH BY DRIVING THEM ON A SENSITIVE DYNAMOMETER AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND IN PLACE AT DIFFERENT MOTOR RPMS. WHEN TOYOTA CHANGED TO AN ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL ON THEIR VEHICLES IT BECAME VERY NOTICEABLE DURING THE SMOG TESTS AS THE VEHICLE ACCELERATION AND CONTROL WAS MORE SLOPPY THAN THE PREVIOUS DIRECT CABLE METHOD. I WORRIED ABOUT THIS BECAUSE WITH NO DIRECT LINKAGE AND ONLY SENSORS TO INTERPRET YOUR INTENDED ACCELERATION, IT COULD LEAD TO TRAGIC RESULTS WITHOUT PROPER FAIL-SAFES INSTALLED. ONE NECESSARY FAIL-SAFE IS WHEN YOU PRESS ON THE BRAKES THE ENGINE NEEDS TO SLOW TO PREVENT POTENTIALLY OVERRIDING THE BRAKES OR CREATE EXCESSIVE STOPPING DISTANCES. THIS WOULD PREVENT MANY ACCIDENTS. IT IS WELL KNOWN IN THE AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR INDUSTRY THAT VOLTAGE PROBLEMS, ELECTRICAL GROUND PROBLEMS, OR A MALFUNCTIONING MAIN COMPUTER OR POORLY WRITTEN CODE, WILL CAUSE OTHER SENSORS TO BEHAVE ERRATICALLY EVEN IF THE SPECIFIC AFFECTED SENSOR IS NOT DAMAGED. VEHICLE SENSORS HAVE PROBLEMS NOW AND THEN ALONG WITH CORRUPTED INFORMATION BEING SENT TO THOSE SENSORS RESULTING IN UNINTENDED RESULTS. THE SENSORS / LINKAGE INVOLVED IN TOYOTA'S ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL ARE NOT IMMUNE TO THESE PROBLEMS AS TOYOTA SUGGESTS. A MANDATORY FAIL-SAFE NEEDS TO BE ADOPTED ON TOYOTAS TO OVERRIDE A POTENTIALLY FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE. ACCELERATION COMPLAINTS HAVE RISEN SHARPLY SINCE THE NEW THROTTLE SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED. THE DIFFICULTY WITH TESTING A SENSOR SYSTEM IS THAT OFTEN IT CAN APPEAR TO BE FUNCTIONING FINE UNTIL THE MOMENT IT MISBEHAVES OR IT CAN ACT NORMAL WHILE GOOD INFORMATION IS RECEIVED AND THEN WITH CORRUPTED INFORMATION IT BEHAVES APART FROM DRIVER'S INTENTIONS. *TR