Oh Ford. How can you possibly build a light-duty truck that gets worse gas mileage than the Hummer H2? Well, that’s precisely the case for the 2010 Ford F-250 Lariat which was recently credited by Consumer Reports for getting the worst mileage of all 2010 vehicles with a shocking 10 mpg in real world tests.
That’s right, 10 miles per gallon. Amazingly, it seems like the Ford F-250 Lariat engine is operating like an ancient dinosaur. Sure, you’re getting plenty of power, but at what cost? With current gas prizes and regular driving, it won’t take long for a Ford F-250 owner to have paid for the vehicle twice, not to mention the amount of greenhouse gases they will have pumped into the air.
The most fuel efficient vehicles in CR’s real world tests were the Toyota Prius at 44 mpg, the Smart Fortwo at 39 mpg and the Honda Insight EX at 38 mpg.
Bart Stupak, House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, sent an 11-page letter to James E. Lentz III, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A, that slammed Toyota for their response to the sticking Toyota accelerator problem.
The letter sates that Toyota was too quick to dismiss the possibility of their vehicles computer’s being the problem, that they made their conclusion based on flawed study, and then went on to mislead the public by stating that the fixes they were making would alleviate the pedal sticking problem.
Toyota has recalled more than eight million vehicles since late last year, with more than six million in the US alone.
A European patent filed by Toyota was recently uncovered by L’Automobile out of France.
The small engine compartment along with Toyota’s success in the realm of hybrid vehicles leads one to assume this concept is for a new Toyota hybrid. The lack of tailpipe and gas cap could be an indication of how rough the sketch is or that it’s for a previously unheard of electric Toyota.
L’Automobile speculates that this will be a new Lexus to be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. Is this the design
As the public magnifying glass zooms in on all the issues surrounding the Toyota recalls all Car manufacturers are probably getting nervous. As the amount of Toyota recalls rises, it’s becoming clear that the problem lies with the US Department of Transportation as much as anywhere else. Clearly there is a disconnect between consumer complaints and action from the government.
Hot on the heels of the Toyota Prius hybrid recalls due to brake problems, the Ford Fusion hybrid and the Milan hybrid are getting updates to their software to address a braking problem of their own.
Ford has started a repair program which will alert all known owners of Ford Fusions or Milan hybrids built before October 17, 2009. They will be directed to their nearest dealer regarding, their “Customer Satisfaction Program 10B13.”
In the meantime, the Toyota recall story continues to make headlines as it has now been revealed that Toyota has known for years that the Prius had break issues.
Stay tuned to Eco Auto Ninja for the latest on the Toyota recalls and breaking news on issues with the Ford Fusion.
US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood confused millions of American Toyota ownsers when he stated that the recalled Toyota vehicles should not be driven and then came out the next day and instructed Toyota owners to drive them their dealerships where they can be checked out.
What a PR nightmare for Toyota who now has the American public looking at their cars like they are some kind of time bombs ready to accelerate them into oblivion at any second.
Two U.S. law firms have teamed up to issue a class action lawsuit against Toyota for their vehicle with defective gas pedals, on behalf of several consumers.
The bizarre thing about the lawsuit is that it doesn’t seek to have Toyota recall and fix any of its cars that suffer from the defective pedals. No, Toyota is already doing that with eight million cars. What does it seek then?
The lawsuit “asks the Court to enjoin Toyota from implementing any fixes in the accelerator pedals of the subject vehicles without approval from the NHTSA.”
What that means is that they are asking the court to prevent Toyota from fixing any vehicles without the express permission from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The problem with this is that the NHTSA does not provide official approval for recall remedies. Therefore, if the court does find in favor of the plaintiffs Toyota cars being recalled, will never get fixed.
You’ve just got to love red tape, don’t you?
Want to see if your car is on it? Follow this link to see the complete Toyota recall car list.
The Toyota Prius absolutely crushed the Honda Insight in sales during 2009 and it was probably for a number of reasons, one of which is likely the superior gas mileage that the Prius gets.
The Prius, which boasts 51 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway, sold nearly 140,000 cars in 2009. In an interview with Auto News, Honda CEO Takanobu Ito, stated that Honda was planning on amping up their mpg rating on future Insight models to surpass the Toyota Prius.
In 2009, despite going for $2,500 less than a Prius, a mere 20,572 Honda Insight’s were sold with US mpg rating of 40/43. Clearly Honda will have to make some dramatic changes to add another 11 mpg to the Insight’s performance.
Will Honda be able to compete in the hybrid car market in coming years? Let us know what you think.
The Detroit News is reporting that Toyota will be revealing a new hybrid vehicle, smaller than the Prius, at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show on January 11, the first day of the show.
Although Toyota is remaining tight-lipped about details, rumors persist that the new Toyota Hybrid will be a subcompact that will see production in 2011 and will be available for purchase in the US in 2012.
While Toyota is the largest producer of hybrid vehicles in the world, even they had a rough year in 2009. This was the first year they have ever had more recalls than any other automaker with a grand total of four million vehicles recalled. While the primary culprit of the recalls was a floormat that would jam the accelerator, the popular Prius is also currently facing a US probe over faulty brakes.
Considering Toyota’s success despite the recall setbacks, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they are moving forward with subcompact hybrid. The Detroit Press’ inside source said that Toyota is confident in the new model and will start by producing 150,000 annually to begin with.
Toyota is reportedly looking to parlay the popularity of the Prius into a whole new line of vehicles under a possible Toyota sub-brand. This sub-brand would be made up of a line of hybrid vehicles including a Hybrid SUV and a Hybrid Station Wagon (pictured above).
With hybrid vehicles gaining popularity in the U.S., larger hybrid versions of the popular Prius might satisfy that American need to size and storage capacity. Soccer mom’s alone could justify a Toyota Hybrid Station Wagon.
According to a Japanese newspaper, Toyota executives are looking at using lithium-ion battery packs for the upcoming line of hybrid vehicles, even though Toyota has in the past stated that they felt lithium-ion batteries were too expensive.
There is still a great deal of speculation surrounding this possible new line of eco-friendly vehicles, so stay tuned as more details come forth.
Toyota has just issued a massive recall of 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles due to potentially lethal floor mats.
An advisory has been issued that strongly suggests that drivers of the recalled vehicles remove the mats until they can be replaced.
The mats apparently led to the Toyota recall because of their propensity to force the gas pedal down.
The year and make of the vehicles being recalled include: the 2004-2009 Prius (pictured above), 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2005-2010 Tacoma and 2007-2010 Tundra. The Lexus models include the 2007-2010 ES 350, and the 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS 350.
While a similar recall in 2007 did bring in some faulty mats, it seems that reports of unwanted acceleration of cars due to mats is continuing.
A preliminary investigation into a fatal crash in San Diego involving a family in a rented 2009 Lexus ES350 indicates that faulty mats may have been the cause.
This all follows on the heals of another Toyota Recall that in which approximately 100,000 vehicles were recalled for having breaks which were impeded by icy conditions.
