870,000 Toyotas Recalled Because Of Spiders

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Are you a Toyota owner? Here's a not-so-happy Halloween story for you. :eek:

In some cases, the problem was caused by spiders. Sometimes, their webs can create a blockage in a drainage tube coming from the air conditioning condenser. That can cause water to drip down onto an airbag control module, causing a short circuit. That, in turn, could cause the airbag warning light to light up on the dashboard and it could even cause the driver's side airbag to deploy, something that happens with explosive force.
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Unbelievable. Toyota/Lexus has had catastrophic failures in many of their vehicle transmissions and they do nothing, but spiderweb blockages are now recall worth? Weird.
 
Methadras said:
Unbelievable. Toyota/Lexus has had catastrophic failures in many of their vehicle transmissions and they do nothing, but spiderweb blockages are now recall worth? Weird.
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Probably has something to do with the fact it's more directly a safety issue.
 
Look, he's crawling up my wall
Black and hairy, very small
Now he's up above my head
Hanging by a little thread

Boris the spider
Boris the spider

-- The Who
 
It's a good way to look at people car and tell them, how, lets change the transmission fluid or oil for example.

A real quick check for the tech, or maybe they have a screen they put on the drip hose. Plus it makes owners feel like Toyota is look out for them. LOL
 
that's why I only trust hyundai :D

Capture076.jpg
 
This is why I only drive cars I've built myself. You brand whores make me sick. DIY.
 
It makes me sick how some of these failures have led to loss of life, and these companies get away with it. They should be sued up the fucking asshole.
 
King Icewind said:
Someone really just said they trust a Hyundai over a Toyota? Every car maker has recalls, but that is silliness. http://www.autoblog.com/hyundai/recalls/
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It might have been a bit of humor, but the reason I am concerned about Toyota is mainly how they handle recall issues. Recently they seem to handle them poorly. You might disagree which is fine. I just do not feel comfortable with how they have handled recent issues.

So I spend my money with vendors which have handled them better in my opinion. I am not a large fan of Hyundai myself because of the recent gas mileage issue. I do like the Genesis though...
 
i have spiders in my Tundra. they crawl into the air vents behind the hood and get into the cabin. about once a week, i snag a web between the dash vent and door.
 
Megalith said:
It makes me sick how some of these failures have led to loss of life, and these companies get away with it. They should be sued up the fucking asshole.
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You'd have to prove the failure was their fault or due to their neglect. Otherwise all sorts of companies would be sued for things that accidentally kill people.
 
Naw, you got it wrong. PETA filed the safety complaint because spiders were getting hurt by crawling up the AC discharge...
 
Tudz said:
Probably has something to do with the fact it's more directly a safety issue.
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...because a car that accelerates uncontrollably is not necessarily a direct safety issue? :confused:



Toyota: Moving Forward
Perhaps the worst slogan in the history of the auto industry, given the circumstances.
 
potency said:
...because a car that accelerates uncontrollably is not necessarily a direct safety issue? :confused:



Toyota: Moving Forward
Perhaps the worst slogan in the history of the auto industry, given the circumstances.
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That's only an issue for stupid people who don't have enough sense to hit the brakes. I prefer to call it a value added feature for mankind.
 
Guess you could say they have a few bugs to work out .....

YEEEEEAAAAHH *puts on shades*
 
Wrecked Em said:
That's only an issue for stupid people who don't have enough sense to hit the brakes. I prefer to call it a value added feature for mankind.
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You must not realize that the engine EASILY overpowers the brakes. Feel free to stomp both pedals next time you are alone on the road and observe the outcome.

Unless of course you mean the e-brake, which will almost certainly result in the car fishtailing at a minimum, and almost as certainly rolling over at highway speeds. I wouldn't recommend trying this one out for yourself.
 
potency said:
You must not realize that the engine EASILY overpowers the brakes. Feel free to stomp both pedals next time you are alone on the road and observe the outcome.

Unless of course you mean the e-brake, which will almost certainly result in the car fishtailing at a minimum, and almost as certainly rolling over at highway speeds. I wouldn't recommend trying this one out for yourself.
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http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-deal-with-unintended-acceleration

Wrong.

With the Camry’s throttle pinned while going 70 mph, the brakes easily overcame all 268 horsepower straining against them and stopped the car in 190 feet—that’s a foot shorter than the performance of a Ford Taurus without any gas-pedal problems and just 16 feet longer than with the Camry’s throttle closed. From 100 mph, the stopping-distance differential was 88 feet—noticeable to be sure, but the car still slowed enthusiastically enough to impart a feeling of confidence. We also tried one go-for-broke run at 120 mph, and, even then, the car quickly decelerated to about 10 mph before the brakes got excessively hot and the car refused to decelerate any further. So even in the most extreme case, it should be possible to get a car’s speed down to a point where a resulting accident should be a low-speed and relatively minor event.
 
Intel1317 said:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-deal-with-unintended-acceleration

Wrong.

With the Camry’s throttle pinned while going 70 mph, the brakes easily overcame all 268 horsepower straining against them and stopped the car in 190 feet—that’s a foot shorter than the performance of a Ford Taurus without any gas-pedal problems and just 16 feet longer than with the Camry’s throttle closed. From 100 mph, the stopping-distance differential was 88 feet—noticeable to be sure, but the car still slowed enthusiastically enough to impart a feeling of confidence. We also tried one go-for-broke run at 120 mph, and, even then, the car quickly decelerated to about 10 mph before the brakes got excessively hot and the car refused to decelerate any further. So even in the most extreme case, it should be possible to get a car’s speed down to a point where a resulting accident should be a low-speed and relatively minor event.
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I stand corrected.
 
My last vehicle was a Toyota Truck and before that a Lexus IS350. Both cars were impeccable with no issues whatsoever.
 
What kind of engineer would place electronics below a drip pan? These drains have been stopping up forever. Ask any mechanic. Another case of designers not knowing a lot about what they are designing.
 
I can't imagine this is a problem in all places, I'm pretty sure those spiders are too big for colder climates. They look like the type that freeze to death easily.
 
bobf0648 said:
Even if the brakes were half of what they are, just kill the ignition or put the damn thing in neutral!
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You can't downshift most cars with electronic automatic transmissions while accelerating. I'm pretty sure that Toyota is one of the brands with this quirk. It prevents blowing the engine. Killing the ignition would instantly disable the power brakes and steering. If the driver is not prepared for what that does to the car it could cause a serious accident.

Even saying that it's probably the best plan unless you're not strong enough to steer the car without power steering which can be a serious issue with weaker drivers and larger cars. I've been in a situation where the power steering cut out in my Mazda 3, which is not a big car and let me tell you it's difficult to steer a car with power-assisted steering with the pump off. I'm a large young man so I can imagine that there are probably some people who would have a serious problem with their vehicles in this situation.
 
Methadras said:
Catastrophic transmission failures aren't a safety issue?
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Not nearly as much as an airbag exploding in your face, no.

I googled "toyota transmission failure" and all I can see are faults that are annoying more than genuinely dangerous.
 
bobf0648 said:
What kind of engineer would place electronics below a drip pan? These drains have been stopping up forever. Ask any mechanic. Another case of designers not knowing a lot about what they are designing.
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Yeah these issues are probably classic cases of the fight i've been fighting for years in Computer Aided Design/Drafting world. I see it so many times and i'm not even at the "deep" end of the pool. Where newcomers show pretty pictures to the bosses about what they can do, only to have them not know $hit from clay when it comes time to actually doing the job. Just because you can draw pretty pictures doesn't using CAD software doesn't make you an engineer or draftsman.

But it seems thats how we are headed. The more BS you speak the higher regard you're held in. No room for actual skills or honesty.
 
Quix said:
You can't downshift most cars with electronic automatic transmissions while accelerating. I'm pretty sure that Toyota is one of the brands with this quirk. It prevents blowing the engine. Killing the ignition would instantly disable the power brakes and steering. If the driver is not prepared for what that does to the car it could cause a serious accident.

Even saying that it's probably the best plan unless you're not strong enough to steer the car without power steering which can be a serious issue with weaker drivers and larger cars. I've been in a situation where the power steering cut out in my Mazda 3, which is not a big car and let me tell you it's difficult to steer a car with power-assisted steering with the pump off. I'm a large young man so I can imagine that there are probably some people who would have a serious problem with their vehicles in this situation.
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It scares me that some drivers might be incompetent enough or physically incapable to not be able to deal with the engine cutting out.
 
Quix said:
You can't downshift most cars with electronic automatic transmissions while accelerating. I'm pretty sure that Toyota is one of the brands with this quirk. It prevents blowing the engine. Killing the ignition would instantly disable the power brakes and steering. If the driver is not prepared for what that does to the car it could cause a serious accident.

Even saying that it's probably the best plan unless you're not strong enough to steer the car without power steering which can be a serious issue with weaker drivers and larger cars. I've been in a situation where the power steering cut out in my Mazda 3, which is not a big car and let me tell you it's difficult to steer a car with power-assisted steering with the pump off. I'm a large young man so I can imagine that there are probably some people who would have a serious problem with their vehicles in this situation.
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The steering system on that Mazda must totally suck then.

Ever 6k+ pound vehicles are generally not hard to steer if the power steering goes out or the engine dies, at least not while the vehicle is moving.

Sure, it is a little more difficult, but nothing that should cause you to lose control at all.

The vehicles I am referencing are a 1967 Buick Electra 225, and a 1984 Chevy 3/4 ton Van.

Slightly lighter and not hard to steer with no power steering is a 1979 GMC 1/2 ton pickup.

Actually, I know of no vehicles that are hard to steer while moving if the power steering is out.

Maybe it is because I have had a number of vehicles that didn't even have power steering.
 
Tudz said:
It scares me that some drivers might be incompetent enough or physically incapable to not be able to deal with the engine cutting out.
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People think I'm a little nuts when I suggest requiring more than just knowing how to follow the road rules to get a driver's license, but also requiring actually knowing how to control a car in unusual circumstances (understeer / oversteer / engine cutout / throttle errors, etc). :p
 
Tudz said:
It scares me that some drivers might be incompetent enough or physically incapable to not be able to deal with the engine cutting out.
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Considering the engine cutting out disables power assist to the steering and brakes, no, I'm not surprised people end up not knowing to deal with this. A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it.
 
shade91 said:
Considering the engine cutting out disables power assist to the steering and brakes, no, I'm not surprised people end up not knowing to deal with this. A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it.
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I never said it surprised me... I said it scares me. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest, however it's a scary thought that one of these crazy people on the road might run out of gas or have a failure that causes the engine to stop firing and crash in to me because they are incapable of controlling their vehicle with the engine off.

Also, the second part of your post makes no sense... a person is smart and people are dumb? A "person" is driving a car, not "people".
 
Just goes to show that every company has issues and none is really worse than the rest except Ford, Fuck Ford is junk. ;)
 
RealityCrunch said:
People think I'm a little nuts when I suggest requiring more than just knowing how to follow the road rules to get a driver's license, but also requiring actually knowing how to control a car in unusual circumstances (understeer / oversteer / engine cutout / throttle errors, etc). :p
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Or maybe a capitalistic approach of a significant insurance deduction should you complete certain course work. I am not sure I would trust most dmvs to handle such a thing. The other option is require a training course to be paid by the potential driver before getting a license.

Maybe both:)
 
bloodypulp said:
i have spiders in my Tundra. they crawl into the air vents behind the hood and get into the cabin. about once a week, i snag a web between the dash vent and door.
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Love my old Tundra. Still going strong with 160K. Love the legendary 4.7!
 
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