Toyota sends US more devices to read black boxes

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

DETROIT (AP) -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it now has 150 devices in North America that can read event data recorders to aid in crash investigations.

Event data recorders are similar to black boxes on airplanes. They can record speed, braking, acceleration and other data to help determine the cause of crashes.

Earlier this year, the automaker had only one laptop with the software available to read the recorders in the U.S. The company was criticized during congressional hearings on its problems with unintended acceleration for not making more devices available.

An Associated Press investigation in March found that Toyota for years blocked access to data stored in event data recorders. The investigation found that Toyota has been inconsistent - and sometimes contradictory - in revealing exactly what the devices record and don't record, including critical data about whether the brake or accelerator pedals were depressed at the time of a crash.


Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TOYOTA_BLACK_BOXES?SITE=SCGRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. Consider this.... 14 years ago, two 650 meg cd's held a set of encyclopedia

with simulations, video clips etc... now you can get a 32 meg flash memory, imagine what a car can recollect going by that comparison.

[dsn]

2. I wonder...just how complex is the interface to the EDR?

The hardware interface might be the only thing keeping every Toyota dealer in America from having an EDR reader, because the stores are full of the Windows laptops that run the software and they SHOULD be able to either put the software plus a training module on a CD and mail it out, or put it on the "dealer only" part of Toyota's website. So...what's the interface? Every Toyota dealer SHOULD have an EDR reader, and there's no real reason they shouldn't have them.

[IDemo]

3. OBD-ll to serial (or USB) cable

http://www.thinkythings.org/obdii/

[Omaha Steve]

4. Toyota has a proprietary code they refuse to make available

All other car makers are open source. Toyota has refused info from the black boxes even when ordered to do so in court btw. I've posted about that several times on the DU.

[dsn]

6. The code's not the problem in this case...

I would think every Toyota dealer in America should have an EDR reader. I know you can get OBD II interfaces for PCs. Laptops are really easy to get--take $700 to any Walmart in America and you'll leave with a box under your arm. So if Toyota would just mail the damn software to its dealers they could all have EDR readers. It's not like it would COST them more than a couple bucks per dealer for a CD and mailing costs.

That only 150 EDR readers are in the US after all this tragedy, is an atrocity.

[RantinRavin]

5. How many of these devices are pre-programmed

To say exactly what Toyota wants them to say. Such as NO BRAKING condition. Is there any way to verify the device is saying truthfilly what the black box recorded ?

[Omaha Steve]

7. No way to verify is correct

We have to trust Toyota is telling the truth. But then they haven't exactly been doing that for some time. Even the power of a judge with a subpoena has been denied in lawsuits!