In this morning's editions, The Los Angeles Times says its review of safety records shows complaints about various electrical components in the Toyota Prius including engine shutdowns while at speed and dual headlamp failures dating back to 2001.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Akio Toyoda Apologizes
5:27 AM
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Toyoda also said the automaker is still deciding what to do to fix braking problems with the 2010 Prius. Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported yesterday that officials had told them there would be a recall in Japan and the U.S. of more than a quarter-million vehicles.
Porsche Cayenne GTS Review
4:24 AM
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Purists howled at the thought of a Porsche SUV, but Porsche built it anyway.
That was 2003, and people bought 'em...enough to make Porsche the world's most profitable car company (at least until the whole economy went sideways).
That's right. There are now seven model years' worth of the Porsche Cayenne in various trim and power levels on the streets. The GTS is the latest.
The story has pretty much been one of refinement over that time. The basics are the same...this is essentially the same basic vehicle as the Volkswagen Touraeg and Audi Q7...just Porsche-ized.
And the Porsche bits definitely transform this machine...which is heavy and can be ponderous in VW and Audi versions (especially the ones with the big engines)...into a very fast, reasonably good handling vehicle.
Fast first. The GTS has a 405 horsepower 4.8 liter V8. That actually is in the middle of the available power for the Cayenne (the base version has 290 horsepower, the S 385, the S Transsyberia the same 405 as the GTS, the Turbo 500 and the Turbo S 550). That's good for 0-60 times of 5.7 seconds.
This, by the way, is a Porsche engine...not shared with the Touraeg or the Q7. It's an aluminum alloy block and cylinder heads with a resonance induction intake manifold, 4 overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, variable valve inlet timing and an integrated dry sump lubrication system.
The wheels are 21 inches. The brakes (works of art themselves) are 13.8.
Our version had the 6-speed Tiptronic S (an automatic that can be shifted manually by buttons on the steering wheel).
The interior is a pleasant place to do business...with high quality materials, supportive seats and the usual Porsche layout (ignition to the left of the steering wheel).
So what's it cost? Well, a lot. Base price for the GTS Tiptronic is $74,600. The tester I drove for a week added a black leather interior with alcantra inserts ($3,170), Bi-Xenon headlamps with washers ($1,560) PCM with navigation ($3,300), heated front seats ($690), a Light Comfort Package with memory ($610), XM Satellite Radio ($750), Universal Audio Interface ($440), floor mats ($140), a trailer hitch with wiring harness ($630), a moonroof ($1,190), Bose Surround Sound ($1,690) and a Bluetooth interface ($695).
Add on the $975 delivery charge and you have:
$91,150.
Hey, these were never for everybody, anyway. And in this economy, you can't make a value argument for a 3-ton SUV with a top speed of 157 miles per hour and an EPA estimated mileage of 13 city/18 highway (and I averaged out at 11.5 for the week). At these prices, at this point in history, it comes down to this: If you have the money and you want one, you can buy it.
And you may want to hustle a bit...we're approaching the end of generation one...a new Cayenne is set to debut in May.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
NHTSA: Watchdog Or Lapdog?
9:03 PM
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As the heat gets turned up on Toyota, The Washington Post in its Friday editions reports growing criticism that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is partly to blame for essentially rubber-stamping whatever it's told by manufacturers, rather than acting as an independent overseer of....um...highway transportation safety. An interesting read.
2010 Prius: 2X More Complaints to NHTSA Than All Other '10 Toyotas Combined
6:28 PM
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On the heels of word that Toyota will be recalling the 2010 Prius for the brake design problem Toyota admitted to earlier today, this unhelpful (for Toyota) statistic:
The 2010 Prius has been the subject of more complaints to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration than all other 2010 Toyotas combined. Twice as many, in fact. And five times the second highest, the Corolla.
NHTSA says of the 171 complaints they've recieved about the new Prius, 124 were specifically about braking problems.
Teething issues with a new model? Not likely. NHTSA recieved 2,310 driver complaints about the previous-generation Prius between 2004 and 2009...only 30 fewer than for all Toyota models in the same five-year period.
Japanese Newspaper: Prius Recall A Go
5:57 PM
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The Nikkei newspaper is reporting that Toyota will recall 276,000 2010 Toyota Priuses in both Japan and the U.S. to fix a brake problem the company disclosed earlier today.
The paper says it will be about 176,000 Japanese units and 100,000 American, sold between May and December of 2009.
Toyota's North American representatives could not be reached for comment.
Ford Admits Hybrid Brake Troubles; Launches Customer Satisfaction Program
5:38 PM
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Consumer Reports magazine has issued a safety alert for the Ford Focus Fusion Hybrid and its corporate twin, the Mercury Milan Hybrid, citing poor transitions between regenerative and conventional braking.
Ford, insisting that this problem is totally unrelated to brake problems with the Toyota Prius, is not launching a recall, but rather a "Customer Satisfaction Program" for vehicles built on or before October 17, 2009.
Here's the offical Ford press release:
Ford is proactively announcing a customer satisfaction program to update the software of the regenerative brake system of some 2010-model Ford Fusion Hybrids and Mercury Milan Hybrids.
Dearborn, Mich., Feb. 4, 2010 – Today, we are announcing a customer satisfaction program to update the software of the regenerative brake system of some 2010-model Ford Fusion Hybrids and Mercury Milan Hybrids.
We have received reports that some drivers have experienced a different brake feel when the hybrid’s unique regenerative brakes switch to conventional hydraulic braking. While the vehicles maintain full braking capability, customers may initially perceive the condition as loss of brakes.
To be clear, the Fusion and Milan Hybrids’ brake system maintains full conventional brakes and full ABS function even as the customer sees visual indicators and hears a chime. The software threshold to transition from regenerative brakes to conventional brakes can cause the system to transition to conventional brakes unnecessarily.
The software upgrade will reduce unnecessary occurrences of the vehicle switching from regenerative braking to conventional hydraulic brakes.
Customers with affected vehicles will receive a notice in the mail. We are asking owners of affected vehicles to have vehicle software reprogrammed at dealers at no charge.
There have been no injuries related to this condition.
