Recent Vehicle Recalls - Too many electronics?

[sunburned]

So the two latest auto recalls have been Toyota with failing brakes and accelerators and GM with failing power steering units. Both seem to stem from electrical issues in the failed components.

Is this just a small slice of things to come? Cars are replacing more and more mechanical and hydraulic linkages with electronic actuators and computers these days. Is this necessarily a step in the right direction? Everything now is becoming drive by wire, brake by wire and even steer by wire. Every input that you do in your modern car is only sending a signal to a CPU somewhere. No more hydraulic brakes, hydraulic steering and cable throttle bodies and clutches.

When a throttle cable stretches or breaks, you know about it almost immediately. You can feel it. If your brakes go out, your pedal sinks down and you can downshift or pull the e-brake to stop. If your computer system goes haywire in your accelerator pedal or brake system or steering, and you can't stop or it just accelerates for no reason, you are pretty much screwed. The GM issue just happens to be a failed power steering pump, but maybe it could have been averted by just using a normal hydraulic pump instead of electric.

Is this really what we want in cars? Even without these problems, do we want to be that disconnected from the road? Car magazines talk about how cars are losing their sporty feel because you are losing all connection with the road. I love being able to feel every little crack and bump in the road through the steering wheel, brake and even gas pedal and I don't think I'd quite like the feeling of everything electronic. The gas pedal on my dad's F150 is drive-by-wire and it's horrible, the response is just not there like it would be with a cable.

 

[thomas91169]

i thought the part in the GM recall was sort of like a mechanical accumulator, that increases flow through the PS pump at lower speeds to help steering control, and reduces at higher speeds since less steering input is needed :shrug:

EDIT:

nm, read up on the issue. electric pumps ftl.

 

[ender.]

I have to agree. I wonder what the reasoning is they have to add all the unnecessary electronics to cars today?

 

[GloomySVT]

Skynet is making your Toyota want to kill you.

 

[swoosh_stang]

You can add this one:

Honda Recalls 646,000 Cars For Switch Problem

 

[sunburned]

I have to agree. I wonder what the reasoning is they have to add all the unnecessary electronics to cars today?

Well for one, I guess they are trying to reduce the parasitic losses on the motor with electric power steering pumps. Better mileage and such.

There are way more techno gadgets and gizmos on cars today that have to do with the throttle, brake and steering. Adaptive cruise control, brakes that can activate when you aren't paying attention, variable rate steering ratios, etc. I guess the only way to implement these things is to make it all electronic and computer controlled. Maybe they think computers are more reliable than mechanical linkages, I don't know.

 

[Vigilante]

Well for one, I guess they are trying to reduce the parasitic losses on the motor with electric power steering pumps. Better mileage and such.

There are way more techno gadgets and gizmos on cars today that have to do with the throttle, brake and steering. Adaptive cruise control, brakes that can activate when you aren't paying attention, variable rate steering ratios, etc. I guess the only way to implement these things is to make it all electronic and computer controlled. Maybe they think computers are more reliable than mechanical linkages, I don't know.

+1 its for the future of safety. Its easier to allow the vehicle to control itself in emergency situations(where the general population's IQ suddenly drops by 50%) if everything is run through the computer.

You are losing road feel, so the car can share some of that ability to keep you safe. Do I agree with it? No, driving is a privaledge, not a right. Therefore reliability and the driving experience should come first, but we are a dying breed(enthusists).

If we increased driver training and made mandatory hours behind a wheel and such. We wouldn't have these issues. Over safing ourselves is the main reason why most of my favorite cars are from the 90's.

 

[Fugazied]

There is usually a technical reason for adding the electronics, better fuel efficiency, safety and so on. But quite often they stuff it up.

 

[KILRSVT]

i agree cars are getting too gizmo lately...its like a swiss army knife on wheels

 

[LOVESBOOST]

if you think those cars have alot of electronics work on a benz or bimmer, they are insane, we have control modules for control modules. We also have safety back ups, and plausibility signals that can handle the load untill the main signal wire or component gets repaired. i.e.drive by wire throttle, eletronic braking and steering.