Toyota Black Boxes May Hold Accident Clues

As much as the Toyota Motor Corporation desires to move beyond its recall issues, the Japanese automaker finds that there are enough hurdles in front of it to slow down its efforts.

Sales are down, customers are worried, and a recording device found in most Toyota, Lexus, and Scion models may hold important clues as to how these accidents happened. Unfortunately, Toyota has not been willing to share data found in these so-called “black boxes” mini and simpler versions of technology found in today’s jet airliners.

Black Boxes

Black box data is important because it often sheds light on what happened just before a car got into an accident. In this case, all of the runaway Toyota problems can be examined closer if Toyota would make its data available to federal regulators or law enforcement personnel.

General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have black boxes too, but their data can be read by third party sources including via a tool developed by the Robert Bosch Corporation.

Those tools are used by the police, accident attorneys, and investigators to help determine why a car crashed. Ford, GM, and Chrysler provide licensing to third parties such as Bosch which increases transparency. Toyota, however, uses a proprietary system which means that their data can only be shared and analyzed with their permission or by court mandate.

Event Data Recorders

In the Aug. 23, 2006 issue of “CNN Money,” Peter Valdes-Dapena explained that black boxes, which are also called event data recorders (EDR), can be found in most new cars. In fact, the NHTSA requires that car manufacturers tell owners in their manuals if an EDR is present.

Unlike an airliner black box an EDR does not record voices, but it does record what was going on with a car the few seconds before and after an accident. That information may be just enough to help investigators determine exactly what caused an accident.

New York Accident

In the Jan. 27, 2010 issue of the Syracuse “Post-Standard,” accident investigators were eager to get at one particular black box as a result of a fatal November 2009 accident in Auburn, N.Y. That car, a 2010 Toyota Camry, raced out of control injuring the Toyota’s driver, while killing a driver who was hit by the runaway Toyota.

That investigation has been delayed because NHTSA intervention is necessary to get Toyota to release its black box data.

Resources

The Wall Street Journal: Toyota Woes Put Focus on Black Box

In An Unusual Move, Toyota Offers Big Incentives To New Car Buyers

When it comes to automakers and incentives, names such as Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, and Volkswagen are frequently mentioned, car companies who typically need some help moving their many different models. Honda and Toyota are at the opposite side of the spectrum, offering few if any discounts or financing incentives to clear inventory. Until now.

Incentives On Eleven Models

In a break with past practice, Toyota is now offering financing incentives on eleven different models, vehicles which all sport the Toyota badge. Not included in the mix were the company’s Scion and Lexus models, at least for now. Also absent from the offer were a pair of hot sellers: the subcompact Yaris and the hybrid Prius.

The financing incentives being offered by Toyota is for loan terms ranging from 36 to 60 months with zero percent interest. The Toyota models qualifying for this offer are: Matrix, Corolla, Camry, RAV4, Highlander, FJ Cruiser, 4Runner, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra. Put into place earlier this month, the financing deal runs through November 3rd.

Clearing Inventory and New Vehicle Financing

“Not only do we have the inventory of today’s sought after fuel-efficient models, but we have the capacity through Toyota Financial Services to finance or lease them,” said Toyota Division General Manager Bob Carter.

And, it is the financial arm of the automaker that is being tapped to provide the deal to Toyota customers. As other automakers struggle to hold onto market share and provide the funds necessary to hold loans or offer leases, Toyota Financial finds itself sitting on a heap of cash, ready to step in to make this unprecedented offer.

Other Manufacturers Are Joining In

Toyota isn’t alone feeling the frigid breeze of a sales slump. Across the board average sales slumped by 26.6% in September 2008 over the same period a year earlier, with most manufacturers experiencing a double digit sales decline year to date. Just recently, GM ended its “employee pricing” initiative, but has replaced it with cash back and/or zero percent financing on a number of its own models too.

Chrysler recently raised prices for 2009 models, but discounts on most vehicles will cancel out those gains. Ford, Volkswagen, Suzuki, Mazda, Kia, and Nissan have each been offering incentives lately, offers which will only continue to grow as the year comes to a close.

So, although the Toyota move is certainly an unusual one, business certainly isn’t necessitating strong action on the part of the world’s top volume automaker.

Has Scion Lost Its Mojo?

The Scion tC has the biggest youth appeal of any of the brand's three vehicles, with an average buyer's age of just 24. Overall, the Scion brand has been attracting more mature drivers of late, pushing the average Scion owner's age to 42. The Toyota Motor Corporation wants to reverse that trend.

Has Scion Lost Its Youth Appeal?

When Toyota launched its Scion brand five years ago, it was received with critical acclaim. Geared toward serving the youth market, the boxy and compact Scions were an instant hit, attracting a fresh group of buyers for the ever expanding Toyota Motor Corporation.

Scion Sales Are Down

Fast forward five years and the Scion picture has changed dramatically. A temporary spike in May and June sales followed a seventeen-month dip, but when July 2008 rolled around sales began to drop yet again. With a fleet full of economical, low cost models the question to be asked is this: what is dragging down Scion?

Well, in a recent interview that appeared in Automotive News, featuring Scion’s former corporate manager, Brian Bolain, several missteps over the past few years have conspired to sully the Scion image. Namely, Bolain shared a few clues:

• Scion was marketed as a youth brand, aimed at 18-24 year old drivers. Youth trends change almost over night, making it difficult for Scion to keep up with what the current crop of young motorists prefers to drive.

• Young people aren’t the only ones attracted to the Scion brand including members of the senior set who like the size and standard equipment offered on the various Scion models. Nothing is more of a turn off for young drivers to see their grandparents enjoying the same rides that appeal to them. Over a three month period earlier this year the average age of the Scion xD buyer increased from 37 to 42, likely as a result of higher gas prices driving older drivers to smaller, more economical cars.

• The latest models are bigger. The last few years has seen the release of somewhat bigger and heavier Scions, not the types of vehicles youth want. On the other hand, the sporty tC still interests young people with the average buyer’s age being just 24.

Toyota Is Considering A Fourth Scion Model

In response to the brand’s slow ebb, Toyota is considering building a fourth model, perhaps a hybrid or small SUV. Interestingly, the Toyota brand is about to introduce a five-door version of its subcompact Yaris, a car that will appeal to the Scion set and shift buyers from Scion to Toyota.

Regardless of what path Toyota chooses for Scion, the brand’s setback is a startling reminder that even the world’s largest volume automaker can also stumble especially when it seeks to balance multiple brands. Could this be shades of General Motors?

Author Information

Copyright 2008-2012 — Matthew C. Keegan is the owner of a successful article writing, web design, and marketing business based in North Carolina, USA. He manages several sites and is also a contributing writer for Andy’s Auto Sports where he invites you to check out their supply of automotive body kits.