Sarah Connor warned us that one day the machines would rise up. Maybe they have.

Autoblog reports, “Not one day after a high-profile incident involving a Prius taking off on its owner in Southern California, we’re hearing reports that another one of Toyota’s popular hybrids has suffered unintended acceleration in New York.”

According to the Detroit Free Press, “A woman smashed into a stone wall this morning because of a stuck accelerator on a Toyota Prius, Harrison police said. The 56-year-old driver suffered non-life threatening injuries, acting Chief Anthony Marraccini said. The woman was pulling out of the driveway at 3700 Purchase St. facing forward when the accelerator stuck, police said. The car ’shot’ across the street smashing into a stone wall, Marraccini said.”

Kicking Tires writes, “Police there said they’ve almost ruled out the floormat as the cause of the accident because it was tied to the seat base with plastic ties. That was an early fix that Toyota dealers installed while they waited for a more permanent solution to the problem.” Kicking Tires adds, “That permanent solution still seems to be in the works for the Prius models. Other models such as the Camry have already received extensive retrofits, including shortening the accelerator pedal and adding a brake override system. Toyota says its solutions for the floormat recall — initiated last fall — are rolling in nature, meaning that some models, like the Prius, still don’t have fixes in place.” Still, Kicking Tires comments, “with all the scrutiny involving congressional hearings, it’s a bit of a shock that so much work remains to be done.”

Not everyone is convinced that the case of the California Prius is all its cracked up to be, however. Inside Line has tackled the question in their “Was This Prius Really ‘Out of Control’?” feature.

In it, Inside Line goes straight through the report from James Sikes, the driver of the Prius. According to Inside Line, Sikes “basically claimed that he pressed the gas to pass someone and ‘then the thing just jumped and kept going.’” Inside Line then says, “For one, anybody that has ever driven a Prius knows that it never ‘jumps’ forward no matter how hard you press the pedal. It ability to accelerate is so modest that we find it hard to believe that anyone would be startled by its thrust.”

They also point out, “This driver not only had time to call the police after it ‘ran out of control,’ he managed to drive the car for another 20 minutes until the police showed up. How out of control could the car have been if he was driving on a busy highway for nearly half an hour?” Inside Line also notes that the California Highway Patrol never used a patrol car to slow the Prius down, as reports had indicated (instead, the Patrol Officer used a loudspeaker to direct Sikes to use the brakes and the emergency brake). Inside Line also disputed Sikes’ claim that he couldn’t shift the Prius into neutral, providing a video that shows putting a Prius into neutral at high speeds is not only possible, but easy (provided, of course, you aren’t panicking).

Inside Line’s piece raises interesting questions about the recent incidents involving the Prius. In both cases, Toyota has dispatched personnel to investigate the matter.

Check out the latest Toyota recall news and information, including how the company’s recent troubles affect our rankings. If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

Have your say: share your thoughts and opinions

(flag abuse)Posted: 2010-03-11 10:58:02Tom B writes:

As a Prius owner myself, someone not knowing the timing requirement to get it to shift into neutral when in drive may think they can’t do it. You have to hold the lever in the neutral position for at least 3/8’s of a second; otherwise it will not shift into neutral. Most Prius drivers do not know this. A friend who is also a long time Prius owner tried as an experiment (he did this multiple times) to shift into neutral when in drive and reported that he could not. I had to educate him on there being a timing requirement for this task. While not as bad as the 3 seconds needed on the power switch to shut the car down when moving, built in lags can easily fake people out even when they are not in panic mode!

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Maybe the Ford Transit Connect winning the North American Truck of the Year award at this year’s Detroit Auto Show signaled to the world that vans are cool again. Or maybe businesses are looking for the right vehicle to jumpstart the economy. Either way, Nissan has decided to jump into the work van pool.

Left Lane News reports, “Japanese automaker Nissan has officially entered the large commercial van market with its new lineup of NV vans. Available in three model levels, two roof heights and with a pair of V6 and V8 gasoline engines, the NV vans clearly target traditional large vans like the Ford E-Series and Chevrolet Express – even if they borrow some tricks from more contemporary competition.”

Autoblog adds,”‘NV’ rather unimaginatively stands for Nissan Van, for what it’s worth – relies on three different designations, NV1500, 2500 HD and 3500 HD, and two different roof heights (the High Roof is only available on the NV2500 HD and NV3500 HD models) to provide a platform for every conceivable need.”

Pickuptrucks.com says, “Instead of a conventional short-nose configuration, where part of the engine sits in the cab next to the driver, the NV has a long-nose front end, like a full-size pickup truck. Nissan has positioned the engine ahead of the A-pillar and firewall. That’s not surprising, since the NV is based on a modified version of the Nissan Titan half-ton pickup’s F-Alpha body-on-frame platform. The long-nose layout also makes maintenance easier because most of the powertrain can be accessed under the van’s hood.”

Inside Line writes, “No diesel-powered version or extended wheelbase variant have been announced. At 240.9 inches in overall length, the NV is about the same size as the smallest Dodge Sprinter was and a little more than five feet longer than the wee little Transit Connect. A Standard Roof version will hold ‘220+’ cubic feet of stuff. The High Roof will swallow ‘300+’ cubic feet of goods.”

Jalopnik thinks the NV has a market waiting for it: “It’s kind of ugly and pretty awkward, but dag-gummit it’s the perfect size for a good small taco truck.” If you’ve got a craving for tacos, the NV hits the market in fall 2010.

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

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One of the biggest hits at this year’s Geneva Motor Show was the Porsche 918 concept. The super-slick plug-in hybrid surprised the automotive press with its good looks and green-monster powertrain. Now, Porsche wants to actually build the thing.

The U.K.’s Autocar says, “Porsche boss Michael Macht says that staff in the firm are fully committed to building the 918 Spyder, the biggest shock - and hit - of the Geneva motor show. Taken from drawing to show car in under five months, the 918 mixes a 500bhp petrol V8 with two electric motors for a combined 718bhp. Porsche has calculated that it could be quicker than the old Carrera GT around the Nordschleife.”

Autoblog Green says, “The key is that the car has to be profitable. Porsche won’t build the 918 as a loss leader just to get it out there.”

As a result, Left Lane News reports, “Porsche now says it is looking for letters of intent from possible buyers to determine if the car has production potential.” Before you stick your letter of intent in the mail, Left Lane News says you should know that while the concept came together in a matter of months, “buyers will reportedly wait closer to five years, according to company insiders estimating time to get the car to production.”

That just gives you more time to save up enough money to actually afford one.

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

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If you’re a current Toyota owner, GM would like to offer you some cash to switch brands.

Not surprisingly, some people have a problem with that.

The U.K.’s Financial Times reports, “Toyota’s US dealers launched a broadside against General Motors on Tuesday, accusing the Detroit carmaker of using taxpayers’ money to counter generous incentives that Toyota has offered to win back buyers.”

General Motors, along with other car brands like Ford and Hyundai, began offering incentives to Toyota owners soon after Toyota’s sticking accelerator recall began. While this type of incentive isn’t unheard of, the federal government using incentives to persuade car owners to change brands is. And since the federal government currently owns 60 percent of GM, that’s exactly what the Toyota dealers say is happening.

Autoblog explains: “The Toyota National Dealer Council, which represents approximately 1,250 Toyota dealers across the United States, claims that using taxpayer dollars for this purpose is ‘reckless, unfair and detrimental to the entire auto industry.’”

Paul Atkinson, the head of the council, told USA Today, “It is outrageous that GM is using our taxpayer dollars against us.”

Autoblog comments, “While we believe it’s a potentially rational argument for the TNDC to make, we must remember that no specific evidence has been presented to completely prove their point. GM may be mostly owned by the U.S. government, but it’s still an autonomous company, and no one can say for sure if its marketing decisions are, in any way, influenced by the officials in Washington, D.C.”

The Financial Times points out that this complaint may be just one in a series of tit-for-tat arguments between Japanese and U.S. car makers. The Times says that American car makers have “long accused Japan of favouring Toyota by, for instance, helping to fund Toyota’s financing arm, keeping foreign vehicles out of the Japanese market and manipulating the exchange rate of the yen.”

Check out the latest Toyota recall news and information, including how the company’s recent troubles affect our rankings. If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

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Just yesterday we gave you a rundown of reviewer impressions of the 2011 Ford Super Duty pickup trucks. With a giant diesel engine that makes 390 horsepower and 735 pound feet of torque, it looked like Ford was going to stay on top of the heavy duty pickup heap. At least, it looked that way until GM released its new HD pickup engine numbers.

Pickuptrucks.com reports, “GM announced that the updated 6.6-liter Duramax V-8 diesel for the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HD pickups will make 397 hp (at 3,000 rpm) and a mind-blowing 765 pounds-feet of torque (at 1,600 rpm). That’s 105 more pounds-feet of twist than the 2010 Duramax V-8. We just warped our keyboard writing that.”

Still, Autoblog points out that engine power doesn’t always translate into utility. “A closer look at the numbers does reveal some give-and-take, however. The Ford’s maximum tow rating is 24,000 pounds, while GM’s is 20,000 pounds. And while not exactly engine related, the Ford truck also has a higher max payload than the GM twins.”

Pickuptrucks.com says “The Duramax V-8, dubbed ‘LML’ internally, is the latest generation of GM’s HD diesel since it was introduced in 2001. Sixty percent of its parts are new, and Duramax chief engineer Gary Arvan said it will be 11 percent more fuel efficient than the previous LMM Duramax.”

The updated 2011 Silverado HD was displayed at the Chicago auto show, and reviewers were mostly pleased with what they saw. However, first drives of the Super Duty trucks were extremely positive — so the GM trucks may need all that power to crawl to the top of the class.

What might help is that GM is offering the luxurious Denali trim on GMC Sierra HD trucks for the first time. Motor Trend says “GMC has always been about “Professional Grade” trucks, but the Denali trim level takes it up a notch or two — it’s the package for people who work hard but like to do it in style, too.” The 2011 GMC Sierra Denali HD is currently on display at the National Truck Equipment Association Work Truck Show. Both the 2011 Silverado and Sierra HD trucks are expected to hit dealerships in early summer.

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

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The Associated Press reports, “Toyota says it will expand a recall announced last year to fix Tundra pickup trucks with frames that could rust..

USA Today adds, “Toyota is going to expand its recall of the 2000 to 2003 Tundra pickup to include the entire country — not just 20 cold-weather states.”

Pickuptrucks.com says, “Owners of Tundras originally sold or currently registered in the remaining 30 states will be notified by Toyota in the coming weeks. In the original recall, corrosion could lead to spare tires falling from the vehicle’s underside, as well as excessive corrosion affecting brake lines and fuel tank straps.”

The Detroit News points out that the Tundra has been an expensive and problematic model for Toyota. “Toyota spent more than a decade edging into the market with two smaller pickups before the 2007 Tundra, only to have its self-proclaimed most important vehicle ever for the U.S. run headlong into stronger competitors, a stumbling economy, a market shift away from pickups and now the company’s own quality problems.” The News adds, “With around $6 billion spent on the Tundra and more than 8 million vehicles now recalled for a variety of defects, it’s worth asking whether Toyota’s big pickup was a considered strategic move or a costly detour.”

If you own Tundra and have questions about the recall, contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.

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