Tundra Owner Crashes Truck Into Dealer Showroom, Claims Unintended Acceleration
Jason Lancaster | Feb 01, 2010 | Comments 40
Here’s an odd note from the weekend reported by Baton Rouge, LA TV station WAFB:
A Toyota Tundra crashed into the showroom at All Star Toyota in Baton Rouge on Saturday morning. Officers said a customer tried to return his truck following a recent recall on the accelerator. According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, the general manager offered to fix the truck and repeatedly offered to give the customer a loaner in the meantime, but the customer declined and left the building. Police reported the man then drove his Toyota into the side of the dealership, causing major damage to the truck and the building. The customer claimed his accelerator became stuck, causing the crash. All Star said the truck was purchased last March [emphasis added] and did not have any records of mechanical problems.
Police added the accelerator was not stuck when they examined the truck after the crash, but they could not find any evidence that the crash was intentional. The driver was not ticketed.
Here’s a picture of the showroom at All Star Toyota:
Tundra crashes into showroom, driver claims "unintended acceleration."
Anyone else’s BS meter going off here? Here’s why this crash looks intentional:
1.The timing is entirely too convenient. According to Toyota, the odds that a vehicle exhibits unintended acceleration are low. Consumer Reports found that claims were around 1 in 20,000. What are the odds that a truck has this problem immediately following a confrontation between the dealership and the customer? Astronomical.
2. How could the truck being going fast enough to do any damage? The fastest a driver could go in a dealership parking lot is what, 15-20 mph? If the accelerator was somehow stuck or caught on the floormat, it’s hard to imagine how this would be anything other than a low-speed crash.
3. Why not steer away from the showroom? I think most drivers would rather hit another car than a building.
4. The driver never once complained of mechanical problems prior to this incident. If you have a problem that’s ongoing, you owe it to yourself, the dealership, and the manufacturer to try and get the problem fixed. If this truck was really that dangerous, the service department should have been given an opportunity to do their job.
5. Who does this guy think he is? It’s one thing if you bought a truck last week and you want to return it now because of this recall. It will never happen, but it’s a fair question to ask if your brand-new pickup was just recalled. However, trying to return a truck after one year of use is ridiculous.
6. Did we mention the timing?
The bottom line is that this guy is a hot-head, and the police who didn’t ticket him deserve a reprimand. The problem is, this won’t be the last time some Toyota driver claims unintended acceleration after causing an accident…and that’s bad news for everyone.
Filed Under: Tundra News
I would say that this crash was intentional. Big time!
The guy probably thought he had a “case” on his hand, a chance to have someone else pay for a truck he cannot afford. This sort of action is shameful as well as absolutely wrong as legitimate cases of acceleration may get pushed to the side.
I think the Tundra driver needs to have his head examined.
This is one of the ripple effects. Next, the driver will sue Toyota cause the runaway truck got him into an accident. People will blame Toyota for their accidents. Toyota needs to hurry up and get this thing fixed.
No ticket!!! What big DUH on the police dept. I can see this person being charged in the near future. As soon as they examine the pedal and find no problem, this guy will have a problem.
Has anyone thought of the speeding excuse? “I’m sorry I was driving 95, officer, but my accelerator stuck!”
Me too, next time which will be the first by the way in 25 years of driving, I get a speeding ticket on either my 09 coroll or 2010 tundra, I will see if this excuse works for me as well. Oh officer, my pedal got stuck due to the recall and I could not slow the vehicle down. It might work coming into town from say 55 mph to 25 mph, you never know until you try? From what I have been reading up on (correct me if I am wrong), it seems most stuck accelerator pedals (not many really at all) are due to condensation in a spring becoming stuck or more likely a slower spring release due to age and use more so on vehicles older than 1-2 years old. People should notice, according to other readings, a slower rate of release of the gas pedal spring instead of an instant sticking of the pedal. Agree?
Oh boy, here is that ‘spring’ issue coming up again. First on the sticking pedal on 7-8 toyota models and more recently on the incorrect spring installed inside the VVTi engine on new 2010 tundras. A 1 dollar part in the form of a spring causing millions of dollars of toyota’s profits. Unreal.
I also saw on the news last night a retired doctor who owned a 2005 highlander not going to drive his vehicle ever again and has complained to his dealer several times about a sticking accelerator pedal with no remedy or solution from dealer after several attempts to come in and complain. Dealer brushed him off stating ‘normal operation and works as is suppose to-no problems found at this time’. Now, the retired doctor got on the news stating he may sue Toyota since he was correct and refused to drive his 2005 highlander. What I find puzzling and confused about is I think (correct me if I am wrong), that the 2005 highlander is NOT involved in this sticking pedal recall – agree??????
Could this be the tip of the iceberg and break the camels back (or toyota’s in this case) involving older model cars with the same problem???? Oh boy, this would be terrible for both owners and toyota.
Matt – It’s just obvious this was intentional…what were the cops on this one thinking?
art64 – Yep – no doubt. This is a dream scenario for all the insurance scammers…
Frenchy – The cops need to be disciplined I think. Do your job, right?
Kurt – Good idea! 🙂 But it won’t work for me…nothing works for me.
mk – That’s what some people think. My personal opinion is that Toyota’s are more prone to unintended acceleration because Toyota sells a lot of cars to a lot of old folks who probably shouldn’t be driving. Prior to all of this business, the L.A. Times (L.A. Slimes) quoted an auto safety expert who said that more than 90% of unintended acceleration events are driver error. I’ve seen this first-hand on more than one occasion – an older person who isn’t as aware as they should be hits the gas instead of the brakes. It’s hard to imagine that so many people hit the wrong pedal, but again it’s coming from a 3rd party.
I think if Toyota would have handled this better they wouldnt have as many poblems. They just changed their minds and decided that they should take care of the customers first. They were going to fix the assembly line first. They have known of the problem for a long time. The floormat thing was cover up in my mind, (I mean come on). As far as the comment about a lowspeed crash goes. If floor a big V8 and hold it wide open you could drive through alot.
Jason – I agree. It’s actually happened about 10 times in 5 years in the town I grew up in. Every so often I’d see an article in the paper about a driver stepping on the accelerator thinking it was the gas inadvertently slamming into the front of a convenience store. Not only are the elderly prone to it, I’ve seen it happen to a lot of novice teenage drivers as well.
From an engineering, can’t this happen to just about any manufacture? Do a lot of companies use this similar design? Or is it just unique to Toyota’s?
but you cant really blame the cop, even though i think it intentional also but you gave to be able to prove it in court to give a ticket.
I saw a Prius on the freeway today and the accelerator must have been stuck wide open … he was doing 75MPH! This guy that crashed into the dealership is obviously a mental midget. The police probably did not write a ticket because the “accident” was on private property.
What a butthole. Very intended. Just goes to show you we have people on the road that doesn’t need to be there. The news media needs to put a stop on what they are putting out. Toyota can’t do damage control when the media is putting out that just tell Toyota your gas pedal stuck and they will fix your truck first and you won’t have to wait till you get your recall letter. With that being put out idiots like the above is taking this to the extreme. When these clowns lose in court the lawyers plus these idiots should pay bounty to the rest of us for causing this issue to be blown out of proportion.
This dude’s actions are merely suspect. No need to lynch him for your personal feelings. Toyota has always brushed off customers for years like all large corps. This problem probably goes beyond a gas pedal, probably ECU issues. Remember the acceleration lag problem? What’s to say that it can’t be the opposite problem? Electronic throttles you know. Part of Toyota’s training for the service department is to tell the customer they are all like that as per a friend who owned a dealership. I am sure Toyota has screwed a lot more people than the the number who tried to screw them.
Whatever Nman……
Poor excuse for a stupid action.
Bac – Good point about novice drivers. I think Toyota’s pedals might be too close together…but I don’t know for sure. Just a guess. I’ve seen it happen in every make and model, so I definitely don’t think it’s unique to Toyota.
Mamba – Good point – guess I was too hard on the cops. Just irritates me when I get a ticket for going 10 over the speed limit on a (mostly) deserted highway, and this jackass gets to ram into a dealership without a penalty. No justice in the world.
Michael – Another good point. Didn’t think of that. I officially apologize to the officers who oversaw this incident! 🙂
Mickey – I hear ya.
Nman – I suppose you’re right in that, because we weren’t their, we don’t know. Still, I’m going with my gut: the guy driving this Tundra got away with a crime. As for the galactic balance of who screwed who more, my experience tells me it’s very close to even.
Frenchy – Word.
Hey Jason, just like the banks and their still decent profits asking for bailouts. Yah, we are even. Wait till those dudes start their post Xmas foreclosures.
Dont all modern cars have a car version of a “Black Box”? I could swear i read this as a notice in the front of my owners manual. Something along the lines of: ” in the event of a collision, there is a data collecting device installed on this vehicle and it will measure the depression of the accelerator/brake peddles upon collision”
Unless this really WAS a low speed crash that didnt cause it to record any data?
Oh and about the Prius doing 75MPH…One of my friends jokingly told me that Toyota has a really funny sense of humor in putting a “PWR MODE” Button in the Gen III Prius. 😛
Jr it’s true about the PWR MODE button in the gen III Prius. Looked at one just over a week ago. Nman yes I call for a lynching for that clown. If you read the article closely you would have notice he had a passanger in his truck. He could have injured that person as well as any bystander just for his cause. It’s the mentality of Amercians today. It’s the what about me crowd. The idea of a family could have been there for this idiot to prove a point. Also how many people try and rippoff a dealership there Nman? You have just as much doing that as well as the dealership trying to ripp the customer off.
Did I mention that a large group of idiots moved from New Orleans to Baton Rouge after Katrina? We have a strick No Moron policy where I am living. This idiot is not representitive of Louisiana. HE probably came in from Mississippi.
And I have been to that dealership. Staff was less than warm to me. I understand why the guy did it.
Mickey, the article posted here does not mention a passenger. Yes, the American mentality of shoot first, ask questions later. Always assume the worst case scenario. Cannot understand what the hell you are trying to say after. You probably work for a dealership but can’t see or does not want to see what is happening. I’ve been there and I am disgusted with it.
Nman – Fair enough on the galactic balance – I’m a glass half-full kind of guy. Call me an optimist, but I don’t get too upset either way. BTW, Mickey doesn’t work for a dealership.
Jr. – Good point – there is a data device. However, I doubt it could be used to “prove” that the accelerator wasn’t stuck. Still, it might show whether or not the guy hit the brakes…I like it.
JD – Funny! I love that state and local rivalry. In Denver, we say that stuff about people from Boulder all the time. Boulder – 20 square miles surrounded by reality.
This is an award winner for lack of civility, selfishness, brazen reckless behavior and manical thinking. I hope this is not a person who is responsible for the care and nurture of another being. I may be cynical but this is not even a possibility in the realm of the randomness of the universe…….
Serves them all right for buying a junk Toyota in the first place. Stupid is ..stupid does. Gotta give the guy an A+ for originality. The police can’t arrest unless they can prove it…something about Constitutional Rights or something silly like that…
Looks like we have another real mature, intelligent, and well informed opinion expressed!
Thank js. newk.
we own 3 toyotas. 2010 Tundra, 2009 Camry and a 2009 Highlander. no matter how you look at it, we are concerned. The original text stated incidence odds are 1 in 20,000. Those aren’t good odds. That’s about as likely of hitting a flush in 5 card draw poker, i think. I have been looking for actual accounts of “unintended acceleration” on the web and really haven’t found any real information that pertains to how it happened, conditions it happened, etc etc…. wikipedia defines “unintended acceleration” basically as a vehicle that takes off on its own accord or…. a vehicle that fails to return to its failsafe or idle position. So, what are we really addressing. Are these people flooring it to pass someone or something and it just keeps accelerating or are they saying they were just driving along and bammmmm, it just takes off???? The 1st option could easily be a stuck gas pedal but the 2nd one is something totally different. I traded in a 2008 Tundra and it once resumed its cruise control set speed by 10 mph. I had it set at 65 and when i pushed the resume lever to re-engage the cruise control, it went to 75 and leveled off. We have been bombarded with so many stories but none give real details. Do you guys and gals have any real details? Please don’t think i’m bashing Toyota. I’ve had a GMC, Buick and Chevy Vette all recalled for potential “unintended acceleration too.
Danny – I know of one factual and documented occurrence of the stuck accelerator pedal, but I’ve never seen anything similar for unintended acceleration. All of the accounts I’ve read are first-person, and they are all somewhat suspect as a result. Keep in mind that auto safety experts say that 90% of all unintended acceleration claims are a result of people putting their foot on the wrong pedal (it just happens). I think you and your family are perfectly safe when it comes to these acceleration problems, just like everyone else driving a Toyota.
This DUMB-ASS was looking for attention and Money (lawsuit) just like a spoiled brat..Idiot screams at the dealer and then like clock work crashes through..lol
Sorry about that Nman. The article here doesn’t have that but the article I read on another forum had it. The article I got off google had it. What I was stating Nman was those kinds of people only think of themselves and don’t worry about their consequences of thier actions. No I don’t work for a dealership but this maybe close but in 1976-77 I went through 6 months of General Motors school for mechanics and then worked at the local Chevy dealership. I left working in the trim dept simply for a job which paid more and definitely the benefits which medical covered everything, and dental covered everything except half of the braces cost. Back in that time frame that was great. You maybe disgusted about it what happen there, and it may have happen to you, but that doesn’t give you the right to act the way he did. I understand what you’re saying and I have definitely been there twice on two seperate vehicles I own. If you searched these threads you will see what I wrote about the 03 F-150 and the 06 Silverado LT3. I don’t like being accused 3x of doing something to a new truck that I didn’t do. Yes I almost hit the factory rep but It didn’t happened. You have to use common sense and not let your temper take you totally out of the situation. I do and say I again I do feel for the guy about the truck and this recall but I won’t and don’t condone his actions period. There’s no excuse for what happened.
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JD, I’m from New Orleans. About 7 miles east of it or what is Orleans parish. For those who don’t know “parish” is county for the rest of the regular states in the US. But I do understand what you’re saying. I personally don’t like the city at all. I just visit family only.
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Anonymous I agree with you….
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Frenchy just read what he wrote “Stupid is what Stupid does”.
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js.newk who’s the fool? The one who leads or the one who follows?
Ditto Icerunner……
This guy is a fool who thinks people are not smart enough to notice his little trick at the dealer… and guess what, most people know the truth, what a foolish Dumb ass!
He’s one of more than 20,000 people who have visited their toyota dealership due to this problem, and is the only one to have crashed into the dealership, so the odds argument is irrelevant.
Now here’s some real evidence that points that this was intentional; he put racing stripes on a Tundra! No clear thinking person would put racing stripes on a Tundra; Angry Person + Comfirmed Idiot = Suspicious Crash is Intentional.
As for the police, give them a break. They deal with enough bull as it is. They know like the rest of us that toyota has been dragging it’s feet regarding this issue, and that some people (less intelligent people who failed to shift into neutral, darwinism at work), have died as a result. The police kept a pointless case out of court, saving tax dollars. Desperate issues call for desperate measures. All that being said, the guy is still a dbag.
This “D-Bag” thinks he is smarter than everyone else ..he-he so very obvious…The E.D.R. Event data recorder that IS installed in his truck would tell the truth of what really went down..I don’t care, this because this guy is a D-BAG..anyway haha
Mark – Ya I feel bad about throwing the cops under the bus. Evidently, they don’t need to issue a ticket on private property…
We have a 2005 Highlander and it was recalled in 2006 for acceleration problems. At the time Toyota was blaming loose retaining clips for its pedal sticking. I am still uneasy about driving this car on the highway and I think we’ll soon see that many more older models should be included in this new recall.
Aww man I have Firestone tires…… Okay Bridgestone/Firestone tires. I guess I will rollover soon I better not go on the interstate and drive. Gimme a break….
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It is the brakes end of story!!!