Nice New Toyotas

For 2010, the Toyota Corolla adds electronic stability control to its list of standard safety features; it was previously optional.

All 2010 Corollas have front and side airbags, along with curtain side airbags designed to provide head protection for both front- and rear-seat passengers. Also standard are height-adjustable front shoulder harnesses, seat belt pretensioners, and a seat belt force-limiting system that reduces the chances of the belts themselves causing injury.

The Corolla’s accident-avoidance equipment includes daytime running lights and the electronic stability control system, which varies engine power and selectively applies the brakes to reduce the risk of skidding in tight turns. All Corollas have ABS, with a brake-assist system that fully applies the brakes in a panic stop.

Despite its safety equipment, some reviewers have sharply criticized the Corolla’s emergency handling, saying that its electric power steering is numb and imprecise. Some Corolla buyers have filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the steering, claiming that it can overreact to small corrections. The NHTSA has not yet announced any investigation of the steering complaints. Toyota has issued a recall on some 2009-2010 Corollas to correct a problem that can cause a loss of power brake assist in cold weather.

The NHTSA has awarded the Toyota Corolla a four-star rating (out of a possible five) for driver and passenger protection in front impacts. Side impact protection rated five stars for front-seat occupants and four stars for rear-seat passengers. Rollover protection rated four stars. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates the 2010 Corolla’s crash protection Good (its highest rating) in all areas except head/neck injury, where it received an Acceptable rating.

Ronnie writes extensively about Toyota Corolla Parts and other related topics

I turn on the news, and if I didn’t know any better, I would think Hollywood has launched a brilliant viral marketing campaign for its newest recycled horror film: The villain, a seemingly typical hybrid that refuses to listen to its driver or its own brake pads, a metaphor for our blind faith in the hybrid automotive industry; the victims, more than 8.5 million Toyota owners of such demonized machines worldwide, four of whom tragically meet their demise. Hey, it worked with a cell phone, right?

But reports from several independent agencies, as well as Toyota’s own investigation, seem to tell a strikingly different tale, one with all the embellishment, absurdity, and public interest of a prime-time reality show. More often than not, these reports find in such allegedly runaway Priuses – by far the most numerous of all runaways reported – that accidents were caused by human error, not faulty brakes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which reports on vehicle safety issues, recalls and defects, found in one such accident in New York City on March 9, 2010, that “information retrieved from the vehicle’s onboard computer systems indicated there was no application of the brakes and the throttle was fully open” when the vehicle crashed into a stone wall, alleging that the driver was, in fact, at fault.

And the southern Californian who claimed his Prius reached speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour on a crowded freeway the day before? Toyota’s report – confirmed by a congressional committee – finds that his brake pedal and accelerator were repeatedly depressed upwards of 250 times, which can cause the safety feature designed to stop unintended acceleration to fail, among other inconsistencies with his story.

So what, if anything, would cause drivers to create their own chapters in The Case of the Runaway Prius? Well, for one, we are social creatures and crave attention in any form. It is also natural for humans to want to blame an accident of any kind on something – or someone – else. Once an alibi is created, or a loophole produced, especially one with such media attention as the Runaway Prius, it is also natural for such alibis to be repeated. Compound these with the potential for monetary gain through class-action lawsuit, and any such event can be blown out of proportion. As with every story, it is critical to read the facts from reputable sources, lest we begin to believe the works of fiction.