NHTSA probes sticky pedal problem in Dodge Caliber

[tenderloin]

NHTSA probes sticky pedal problem in Dodge Caliber

By TOM KRISHER
DETROIT

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating a problem with sticky gas pedals in 2007 Dodge Caliber small sport utility vehicles.

The company said Monday there have been only five complaints, and it is unaware of any crashes, injuries or property damage linked to the problem. No recall has been issued.

Chrysler and NHTSA said the pedals were made by CTS Corp. of Elkhart, Indiana, the same company that manufactured pedals involved in a Toyota Motor Corp. recall earlier this year.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9FFI89O0.htm

 

[d00df00d]

Didn't Ford take some preemptive action on Transit vans for exactly the same reason (they had the defective pedal from CTS)? Chrysler should have done the same...


This caught my eye though:
Quote:
The Caliber, Chrysler said, is equipped with a safety system that would cut engine power if the brake and gas pedals are pressed at the same time.

Even the Caliber had this? C'mon now, Toyota...

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Didn't Ford take some preemptive action on Transit vans for exactly the same reason (they had the defective pedal from CTS)? Chrysler should have done the same...


They were Chinese built Transits for the Chinese market. The ones for the US market are built in Turkey.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d

Even the Caliber had this? C'mon now, Toyota...


They didn't want complaints from two-footed drivers.

 

[sbergman27]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Even the Caliber had this? C'mon now, Toyota...

Toyota's do have that safety feature. It's one of the things that makes the "balloon-boy" hoaxes like James Sikes' "runaway Prius" so unbelievable. Not all current Toyota drive-by-wire throttle controls have it. e.g. the Yaris does not. (Much to the delight of Yaris owners on the track.) But then again, no Yarises have the pedal model which is under suspicion, either.

Even so. Pretty much any car's braking system is so much more capable than its power train, that even the most frail great-grandmother would have no problem keeping an engine locked at full throttle in check, using the brakes. (C&D studied this, although I don't believe they used any great-grandmothers in their testing.) And there is always the transmission shifter. Even ECU controlled transmissions have a direct physical link from the shift lever for controlling neutral.

Don't get me wrong. There *is* a real safety issue here. But it's been blown so far out of proportion by hoaxsters and hyperbolic reporting by the news media, that it's not even funny.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

Don't get me wrong. There *is* a real safety issue here. But it's been blown so far out of proportion by hoaxsters and hyperbolic reporting by the news media, that it's not even funny.


amen.

 

[bluestream]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Quote:

Don't get me wrong. There *is* a real safety issue here. But it's been blown so far out of proportion by hoaxsters and hyperbolic reporting by the news media, that it's not even funny.


amen.

 

[L_Sludger]

ITS AN OUTRAGE

 

[sbergman27]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream

Why is that smiley face repeatedly striking that horse who looks like he's curled up trying to get a decent night's sleep? Or is this just some sort of LSD flashback on my part?

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: sbergman27
Originally Posted By: Bluestream

Why is that smiley face repeatedly striking that horse who looks like he's curled up trying to get a decent night's sleep? Or is this just some sort of LSD flashback on my part?


roflmao

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: sbergman27
Toyota's do have that safety feature. It's one of the things that makes the "balloon-boy" hoaxes like James Sikes' "runaway Prius" so unbelievable. Not all current Toyota drive-by-wire throttle controls have it. e.g. the Yaris does not. (Much to the delight of Yaris owners on the track.) But then again, no Yarises have the pedal model which is under suspicion, either.

I know.

I also know Toyota implemented it on several models that did not have it prior to the UA hysteria. The point is, ALL of them with DBW and non-manual transmissions should have had it all along, and they didn't/don't.


Originally Posted By: sbergman27
Don't get me wrong. There *is* a real safety issue here. But it's been blown so far out of proportion by hoaxsters and hyperbolic reporting by the news media, that it's not even funny.

I see your hoaxsters and hyperbolic media, and raise you an uninformed, uncritical, and incurious audience.

 

[bluestream]

Originally Posted By: sbergman27
Originally Posted By: Bluestream

Why is that smiley face repeatedly striking that horse who looks like he's curled up trying to get a decent night's sleep? Or is this just some sort of LSD flashback on my part?


It's not smiling...LOL