I’m a little uncomfortable with the tone of Keith’s article at:
http://www.nutwooduk.co.uk/downloads/Toyota.doc True, he’s expounding on life-and-death reliability, but I get a feeling that he is getting a bit alarmist. I also find it interesting that the USA NHTSB is seeking out a UK engineer, and that they have a “non-disclosure” agreement covering their interactions. That’s not the kind of government that I want to pay for! Nonetheless, his article is worth reading just to remind us how difficult it is to achieve the electronic reliability that we have come to expect of mechanical systems. I can’t comment on Toyotas in general (my last Toyota was a 1983 Celica that I owned from 1983 to 2008, so it was mostly mechanical), and my ride is now a German car. However, I have been following the Mark Saylor incident rather closely, since it happened on a stretch of road that I drive quite often. The Saylor vehicle was Northbound on CA 125, a typical multi-lane restricted access California freeway, unusual only in that its traffic density is usually much lighter than other freeways. The incident began with the Saylor vehicle at a road altitude of about 800 feet. As the emergency call was being placed, the vehicle began descending into a broad valley. In slightly less than 2 miles, the vehicle descended 500 feet; about a 5% grade. This steep descent would have considerably aided the acceleration of runaway engine. Just before the crash site, Mr. Saylor was presented with a lane choice; the two right lanes sweep upward and go left over the two left lanes, actually continuing the freeway onto CA 52 West. Inexplicably, the driver chose the straight path (festooned with huge “freeway ends” signs and lighted warnings), essentially a short exit ramp to a busy “T” intersection. Had the driver chosen the continuation of the freeway, he would have had several miles of uphill travel, with mostly flat, open shoulders. He could have even laid the vehicle up against the long curving right guardrail, grinding his vehicle to a halt. However, by choosing the exit ramp, the driver made the worst possible choice; no time, entry into a busy & blind intersection, and then entry into a partial construction zone / wooded marsh. The impact into this area caused a fatal vehicle fire. Locals find the experienced CHP officer’s lane choice impossible to understand or explain; in the case of a runaway vehicle, it almost guaranteed a quick and violent result. Ed Price [email protected] <blocked::mailto:[email protected]> WB6WSN NARTE Certified EMC Engineer Electromagnetic Compatibility Lab Cubic Defense Applications San Diego, CA USA 858-505-2780 Military & Avionics EMC Is Our Specialty From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Pettit, Ghery Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 8:44 AM To: Pettit, Ghery; Grasso, Charles; 'Andrew McCallum'; '[email protected]' Subject: RE: Toyota Correction – Keith is the one potentially jumping to conclusions, not John. Sorry for any confusion (certainly a moment of such on my part). Ghery S. Pettit From: Pettit, Ghery Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 8:27 AM To: 'Grasso, Charles'; 'Andrew McCallum'; '[email protected]' Subject: RE: Toyota I recall having a car go WOT while driving when I was in high school. Long (looooooong) before electronic throttle control. As in a 1963 Rambler. The throttle return spring had broken when I stepped on the gas while accelerating. Turning off the ignition was the simple immediate action. Reconnected what was left of the spring and away we went. Fortunately, no bent metal or hurt people. John is potentially jumping to conclusions. Ghery S. Pettit From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Grasso, Charles Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 7:28 AM To: 'Andrew McCallum'; '[email protected]' Subject: RE: Toyota I agree with Johns comments. Looking at the title its my impression that Keith is forcibly making the case that EMI and/or manufacturing practices caused this crash. This is a dangerous case to make considering that there is no evidence of what caused the crash. As John points out – one can get mechanical “latch-up” too. Best Regards Charles Grasso ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Andrew McCallum Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 1:48 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Toyota See link for Keith Armstrongs view: http://www.nutwooduk.co.uk/downloads/Toyota.doc quick link : Full article here... <http //www.nutwooduk.co.uk/downloads/Toyota.doc> Andrew McCallum Senior EMC Engineer DeltaRail Group Plc - This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <[email protected]> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc Graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. can be posted to that URL. 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