Does all of this seem confusing? Opinions everywhere, pieces of facts here and there. Even suggestions of possible fraud in some cases have now surfaced in regards to some of the crashes. From a technicians viewpoint, I have to draw the line at personal experience with these cars and this problem. I have not observed a throttle sticking on one, so therefore I have not had the chance to actually search for the cause on my own. All I can do is rely on the information that basically everyone is getting to hear both from on the news and snippets from techs around the country. Remember all of these are also going to dealers to be fixed under warranty, the aftermarket (independent technicians) are not involved at all with this. One Toyota tech even did a video of how the repair is done and you can find it on YouTube which essentially amounts to removing the pedal assembly. The tech then measures a gap between two portions of the pedal assembly, and then he/she installs a shim to take up that space and that causes more spring return pressure in the pedal assembly. The push for years has always been to have techs that would robotic-ally simply identify a failed (failing) part, remove it and replace it. Remember its all about price, no matter how expensive one may think auto repair labor fee's are, I've said it many times it's under priced by a significant margin. Six months ago, the repair would again have been to replace the part if they found one sticking, and this may well have happened many times. I have never seen information to support or deny how often that may have occurred if it did much at all. The diagnosis and replacement of the pedal assembly likely paid a technician about 1/2 an hour's time for the job. I could very well imagine someone else at another time looking at that pedal assembly, and if they could not prove that it was faulty, they would back flag the dealership for the repair, who would in turn take back the pay that the technician got for doing the repair back off of him/her. Many people would take the position that the tech ultimately not being paid for that repair isn't their problem, and in a direct fashion that would be true on that day. But eventually these actions erode the technician talent pool, and is the fundamental cause of many of the anecdotal stories of poor service you have ever heard of, read or told. Lastly, there have been many times that I have seen people condemn American car manufacturers about quality, and they point to recalls as their proof. It really was just a numbers game before one of the imports suffered a big issue, Toyota's quality hasn't changed because engineering underestimated what appears to be the spring tension required on one specific part. GM and Ford especially were never as bad as consumer reports wanted to make them look. JMHO. Now the Prius brakes issue where there can be a delay under certain circumstances due to a rough road? I can picture what is occurring, the rough road bounces a wheel up and and immediately locks with almost no braking pressure. That would look like a need to begin an anti-lock function to the computer. This isn't something that a dealer technician could fix on his/her own. The fix would have to come in the form of software for the HV, and ABS computers. They could in some cases require a redesign of, or potentially add a yaw sensor if the car didn't come with one. They could even incorporate suspension height sensors to help detect road surface conditions. The wheel speed sensors alone do allow for detection of rough road conditions. There is a resonance to the lock-up that is occurring the system will recognize as not matching the anti-lock systems function, and be scored as road surface, which results in less ABS activation. In Toyota's case that time period must be significantly long which is allowing the drivers to observe it.

To those searching for more on the Toyota engine oil sludge or gel matter, please see the following links: http://www.toyotaoilgel.com http://www.uc2.blogspot.com http://www.autosafety.org Follow "toyotasludge" on Twitter.com Watch the Toyota Sludge video on YouTube.com at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs7WI2s-CVw If you have blue/white smoke from the exhaust, especially on start up; check engine light on; excess oil consumption or sudden disappearance of engine oil; failed emissions control components such as the oxygen sensor or catalytic converter; a thrown engine piston rod; or complete engine failure, then be on alert! Notify Toyota via CERTIFED letter with return receipt requested about your problem and ask for full repair coverage under Toyotas Customer Support Program for Engine Oil Gelation. Speak up loudly online if Toyota refuses to honor this program or continues to blame you in the wake of proper vehicle maintenance. If Toyota is totally unresponsive in the wake of a failed engine due to engine oil sludge build up, consider going to the following web sites to voice your concern: http://www.ConsumerAffairs.com http://www.RipOffReport.com Regardless of the Toyota response, be sure to file online vehicle owner complaints at: http://www.autosafety.org The Center for Auto Safety http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Just to make it clear, the Toyota engine oil sludge problemthe one that has attracted so many defamers to follow me around the internetis STILL a problem. There are many later model Toyota models showing signs of the same problem. What is worse, Toyota owners are reporting continued deception at Toyota and Toyota dealerships. Far too many Toyota owners are being told they do not qualify for the CSP repair cost coverage for one reason or another. Still other Toyota model owners who have sludged engines are being asked to pay thousands in repair costs despite proper vehicle maintenance. This is wrong! Toyota Owners Unite for Resolution Charlene Blake cblake@erols.com charleneblake@cox.net

Yes---and I just did yesterday. Mike and I own a Toyota Tacoma (2005) and we love it. We have no issues, no recalls on it, except the floor mat thing, but we had already put in all weather mats, so the issue was not one. I had a 2005 Subaru Outback Limited and with the new baby coming, we found that car to be very tight. I purchased a 2008 Toyota Highlander yesterday. It's a smoother ride than my Outback, tons of room, and even for a base model, it has tons of features (heated seats, sun roof, 3rd row seating). My parents own a 1990 Celica with 150K miles on it. All they've ever had to do is an oil change. With that being said, Toyota is offering tons of incentives on new cars right now, but I recommend buying a 2008 model if you want. Most of the body styles changed in 2008 and are still what they are making in the 2010 model. Teresa---I'm coming to Lorton next Saturday if you want to check out our Highlander. It's perfect for a family of 4 (and our 2 big dogs). :)

I first bought a Toyota Camry 1990 brand new. Then I sold it for top dollar and bought a 2001 brand new. I just sold it (top dollar) and bought a new 2009 Toyota Highlander Limited. I love it!! My credit union as a rep that does all the leg work for you, finds you what you want/color/additions/everything! I gave him 3 choices, (Lexus/Toyota Sport SUV/Highlander SUV) and he came back with 2 deals, they couldn't find a 2009 Lexus like I wanted because the 2010 just came out and were quite a bit more money, so people were snapping up the 09's. Because I hate going from dealer to dealer talking and haggling and most of the time being hustled I loved that I could have someone else do the work for me. He got me a good deal, it was fair and I told him I would not spend the first amount the dealer offered. I wanted to stay in my budget. He called the dealer and they came down! But then again the credit union and those dealers want to have a good relationship for everyone's benefit. The credit union has the "buying power" and I don't think I would purchase any other way now that I've experienced what this purchase was like...awesome! If I were you I would do a little homework from the internet and see what the average price of the car is, then make copies of exactly what you want. And if you don't like what you're hearing (the usual "blah,blah,blah") tell them thanks and start walking away. See what happens. And there are companies out there that has reps that do what my credit union does. Costco is one of them. They have a "buying service" for cars! I think "Cars Direct" does the same thing...at least you could get some prices. Sorry to be so long winded. I am and hope to continue being a Toyota person. All my cars have been outstanding performers, very low repair costs (if any) and they run like a champ! Susan