Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, is caught up in Toyota's unintended acceleration problems. Wozniak's 2010 Toyota Prius unintentionally accelerates to as much as 97 mph when using automatic cruise control, he says. Wozniak told Bloomberg News that Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration haven't responded to his complaints submitted over the past two months. (Maybe his iPhone wasn't in a 3G coverage area?)
If Wozniak is correct that it's related to the cruise control system, perhaps a software glitch - and would you want to bet against Wozniak when it comes to understanding software? - then Toyota has yet another aspect of its acceleration problem. To date, Toyota's woes covering eight models (RAV4, Corolla, Matrix, Avalon, Camry, Highland, Tundra, and Sequoia) but not Prius include:
Slippery floor mats. This was the original problem and, Toyota initially said, the only one. The mat slid forward against the accelerator pedal. Floor mats that move around and can bind the throttle are by no means exclusive to Toyota. But at least one Toyota fatal accident linked to unintended acceleration happened with the floor mats in the trunk.
Sticking throttle linkage. The mechanical linkage binds and sometimes doesn't override the spring or lever that returns the pedal to idle when your foot's off the gas. This is the fix that Toyota is implementing now for 2.6 million Toyotas in the U.S. and Canada.
Electronics? Some critics say there may be a problem with the electronics module controlling the throttle. Toyota and an increasing number of automakers have shifted to throttle-by-wire systems, as have aircraft manufacturers. Statistically, they're far more reliable than mechanical linkages. But there's the concern that a failure could be significant and catasrophic, not linear, meaning with a mechanical throttle you might notice it binding a little today and a little bit more next week. Toyota's U.S. sales president, Jim Lentz, this week said at a news conference, "[Electronics] are not part of the issue." Toyota's credibility problem is that initially it said floor mats were the sole problem, then it agreed the accelerator pedal was involved, too.
Cruise control? A Toyota spokesperson said the company hasn't heard of cruise control problems with Priuses that would make them take off. Plus, the Prius isn't part of the recall list. The Prius actually has two kinds of cruise control: traditional cruise control where you set the speed and the car maintains it, and active cruise control, where you set the speed but the car uses radar to keep pace with the car in front, never exceeding the set speed, and slowing if the car ahead slows. It wasn't clear which cruise control sytem was on Wozniak's Prius.
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February 3, 2010 10:06 AM
This idiot needs to learn how to read an owner's manual. He described the car accelerating after he tapped up the cruise control. Its supposed to!! All cruise controls have a resume feature that takes it back to the speed it was previously set.
February 3, 2010 10:29 AM
@Justin, if you read Woz's description of the problem at Slashdot, it is clear that there is a problem with the cruise control. Basically, by tapping the acceleration button several times causes the car to rapidly accelerate, although stepping on the brake stops it.
February 3, 2010 10:32 AM
The cruise control should return the Prius to 97 mph if it was set to 97. If it's set to 65 and goes past that, then there's a problem. I'm not sure critics will get much mileage out of suggesting a person with Wozniak's technical genius lacks familiarity with a car's basic functions. - Bill Howard, gearlog
February 3, 2010 11:00 AM
The dude is a tech icon and a billionaire. Why is he driving a Prius? Get a real freaking car like a Rolls or a Maybach. Sheeze.
The Prius God's are angry that a rich guy like him mocking the hippy serfs ride.
February 3, 2010 11:27 AM
It's not just Woz--I'm dying to see what comes of the government's insistence than there could be an electronics component to the unintended acceleration.
Toyota seemed quite sure it was a mechanical issue over the past several days, but this just re-opened the whole saga (CNN link): http://bit.ly/cU6fjL
February 3, 2010 11:50 AM
Oops -- somehow I missed the entire Electronics paragraph when I read the story the first time. Time for more coffee. Anyway, that CNN link is a "breaking news" story that now owners should stop driving their Toyotas altogether. Oy.
February 14, 2010 10:36 AM
2010 Prius has adaptive cruise control feature, not a simple cruise control. With adaptive cruise control feature, car tries to control the distance between your car and the car in front of your car. So if the car in front of your car disappears due to lane change or taking exit on a highway cause your car accelerate to keep distance between your car and the new car in front of your car. This feature can be canceled by braking. On the contrary if the distance between your car and the car in front of your car is too small, automatic brake will apply.
So if Woz is talking this feature, it is natural and Toyota will say nothing is wrong with the car.
March 8, 2010 8:00 PM
Nobody mentions turning off the engine ignition.
The vehicle would stop itself, manual braking would be invoked.
Presuming it is available.;
Would not surprise me if there wasn't any.
March 15, 2010 11:14 AM
Prius acceleration answer 1. have desire to create crazy jokes 2.cancell cruise, hold gas to the floor with one foot 3. push brake pedal down with other foot 4. be prepared to make lying statements like "I was going along and, all at once it started by its'self---as long as the pedals are held fairly hard, the brake lights will come on, the brakes will over heat, the panic safety condition will not kick in automaticly, then you say with a smile "thats the truth I swear on my mothers grave"