Autoblog's Sam Abuelsamid video explaining Toyota's sticky pedal - with actual PEDAL!

[sekker]

Sorry to hear about any avoidable safety issues in cars. We depend on them for so much of our lives here in the US.

I have a Honda Civic Hybrid - it's not perfect, but neither is our Dodge Caravan, or our now totalled Saturn L series, let alone the Mercury Topaz we suffered with for years.

My main issues with my civic hybrid has nothing to do with the hybrid part - it's that it was designed to be a CA car, and I live in MN. The winter weather - especially roads with mixes of snow and salt - make the brakes difficult. Basically, the slush will freeze on the discs and make braking, well, an experience if you do not clear the discs first.

But I do not experience any acceleration issue like seen with the Prius - this is still a gas car with an electric assist, not an electric car with a gasoline assist like the Prius.

[Doc]

Grateful11 wrote: Prius was about $3K more than the xB, rode better, much quieter, nearly double the gas mileage...

I think you must have been comparing different packages. Maybe you mis-remembered the prices?

Outfit the $17k (base) Scion with decent trim options and the price might hit $21k. Outfit the $23k (base) Prius with a decent trim package and you're at $26k. There's at least $5k difference at roughly the same trim levels.

Did that Scion have the $2,000 GPS option?

I'm not disagreeing with your assertion that the Prius is better. It's just that I did a lot of car shopping recently so I'm very aware of the prices.

[Grateful11]

Doc wrote:
[quote=Grateful11]Prius was about $3K more than the xB, rode better, much quieter, nearly double the gas mileage...

I think you must have been comparing different packages. Maybe you mis-remembered the prices?

Outfit the $17k (base) Scion with decent trim options and the price might hit $21k. Outfit the $23k (base) Prius with a decent trim package and you're at $26k. There's at least $5k difference at roughly the same trim levels.

Did that Scion have the $2,000 GPS option?

I'm not disagreeing with your assertion that the Prius is better. It's just that I did a lot of car shopping recently so I'm very aware of the prices.
I'm quite aware of the prices of the 3 vehicles we drove and the xB had a upgraded Stereo but
no Navi. and it had Toyotas 17 or 18" wheels and tires which is about $2K and with the
dealers $1K add-on crap it was right at $21K

We bought a Gen III packaged Prius which is a basic Prius with JBL Stereo upgrade, which
had a selling price $23,800 plus dealer prep brings it to $24,800.

So I stand corrected there was about a $3800 difference.

I'd say they were pretty close on options both had upgraded stereo, no sunroof, no Navi., the
I think the xB did have foglights, biggest difference was the wheels on the Scion but guess
what I've got a great looking set of Alloys underneath those cheap plastic wheel covers that
Toyota seems hell bent on putting on every Prius but I think a Gen V. Wheel covers removed
and $70 worth of center caps and away we go. A Gen V has 17" alloys and they're very hard
to find.

A $26K Gen III has a Navigation. None the vehicles we compared had that option, personally
I wouldn't have built-in navigation.

[MikeF]

Back to the original posting, I'd have to agree with macphanatic -- it sure seems that it's something more than just a mechanical pivot contamination issue...

[Grateful11]

Our guy at the Toyota dealer we frequent told us they were being told it's a moisture problem
in the CTS made sensor.