by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Toyota Tundra is a dinosaur…and not a cool one. The Tundra is a relic of the past that desperately needs a makeover. The full-size pickup truck is due for a redesign soon. Here’s everything Toyota needs to change about the Tundra to make the 2022 Toyota Tundra competitive.

The Toyota Tundra’s redesign is overdue

According to The Drive, the Toyota Tundra has kept the same design from 2007 for 14 years. Today, nameplates are redesigned every few model years to keep customers interested. The Toyota Tundra has made little to no changes for over a decade.

A lot has happened in the automotive industry in the past decade. Full-size pickup trucks have made dramatic improvements. The Toyota Tundra has remained in the midsection of top truck rankings because it has failed to improve year after year.

One of the few selling points of the Toyota Tundra is its powerful V8 engine. Many consumers and auto enthusiasts argue that the V8 engine is no longer necessary. Everything about the Tundra could benefit from a complete redesign. If Toyota wants to sell more Tundra models the redesign must include major changes to keep up with the latest industry trends as other automakers do.

The 2022 Toyota Tundra’s powertrain needs to get with the times

Toyota is a pioneer in hybrid vehicle production. Ironically, the Toyota Tundra and its V8 engine have remained consistent throughout many Tundra model years. The other vehicles in Toyota’s extensive lineup have all received hybrid options for the most part. Toyota has become an industry leader in fuel economy. So why is the Tundra’s fuel economy so poor?

The Toyota Tundra’s fuel economy isn’t just poor for a Tundra, it even sucks for a full-size truck. Trucks like the Ram 1500 and Ford F-150 get better gas mileage. In order to compete the Tundra needs different powertrain options so it could create less carbon emissions and guzzle less gas.

Competitors like the Ford F-150 are getting electrified. If the Toyota Tundra doesn’t enter the electric pickup truck race soon, the brand could lose out on plenty of potential sales. In order for the Tundra to survive the coming years and the rise of the electric truck, it must offer more powertrain options to keep up with the evolving vehicle class.

The Toyota Tundra’s cabin needs a complete refresh

Toyota models don’t normally use the most refined cabin materials. The Toyota Tundra and its plastic components however are drab, even by Toyota’s standards. The 2022 Toyota Tundra needs to either use better materials or rethink how space and arrangement come into play in the vehicle’s cabin. The Tundra could benefit from a completely new design language.

The 2022 Toyota Tundra most evolve and become more than a work truck. Even more high-tech trucks like the Ford F-150 Lightning can be work trucks. The Tundra must adapt and offer capability beyond raw power to really compete with today’s truck advancements and technology.

Toyota’s newest Tundra can make or break the nameplate

The 2022 Toyota Tundra will either be a hit or will flop and continue to disappoint fans of the truck. This redesign has been long-awaited. If Toyota doesn’t deliver and bring something new to the table, people will lose interest in the Tundra.

Automakers like Ford understand that consumers have changed with the times. The modern-day work truck looks much different than it did just a few years ago. The 2022 Toyota Tundra will either reinvigorate the nameplate or doom it to be a relic of the past, eclipsed by trucks like the Ford F-150 Lightning.

RELATED: How Many Miles Will a Toyota Tundra Last?

The post Here’s What the 2022 Toyota Tundra Should Look Like to Be Competitive appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Cars can be a lot of fun to drive in addition to being a necessity in our everyday lives. However, that pleasure can turn into a nightmare in an instant. That’s what nearly 150 families experience every year whenever an unfortunate rollaway accident occurs.

What happens in a rollaway car accident?

A rollaway car accident happens when a vehicle starts moving and the driver is unable to control it. There are a few different ways that a rollaway accident can occur, according to Duane King Law. Most newer vehicles are equipped with a brake transmission safety interlock (BTSI), which prevents the car from slipping out of park without the brake pedal depressed. However, this safety system isn’t 100-percent safe.

Here are other ways that rollaway car accidents occur:

• If the vehicle’s transmission is worn, it can slip into a forward or reverse gear
• The BTSI system could have a defective solenoid pin, which keeps the vehicle in “park”
• The transmission system could have a design flaw
• Unattended children can shift the car out of “park”

Rollaway accidents are more common than you might think

A story released by NBC News4 in Washington reported about a couple – Debra and Alan Moses — that was planning a trip to a water park. According to the police report and the attorney involved, the car rolled over Debra when her husband got out of the driver’s seat to help her with opening the trunk. The vehicle rolled back and ended up crushing her.

It’s such an unfortunate accident, but apparently, these types of accidents are more common than you might think. News4 did some digging and found many different stories and accompanying security camera footage of people getting run over by their own cars all over the country.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) keeps track of these rollaway incidents. So far, it estimates that there are around 142 deaths and 2,000 injuries each year resulting from rollaway accidents. Although, that statistic could only be a fraction of the total number of rollaway accidents since not all of them are reported to the police.

Fortunately, one auto manufacturer is tracking these rollaway incidents. Toyota collects data from its vehicles’ control history, which is similar to a black box. In fact, Debra’s Moses’ accident was recorded on her vehicle’s log. The entry on August 22, 2020, states “Driver exited the vehicle when shift position wasn’t in P.”  You might be thinking, “what’s the point of tracking the incident if they aren’t going to do anything about it?”

Actually, Toyota did do something about it. In a press release from 2019, Toyota announced that it would phase in an Automatic Park feature in its 2020 model year vehicles and going forward. This feature will automatically put the vehicle in park or activate the parking brake in the event the driver exits the vehicle without shifting it into “park.”  

How to prevent a rollaway accident

Most rollaway accidents are avoidable. The following tips can assist in preventing one from occurring:

• Turn the engine of before leaving the car
• Always use the emergency brake when parking
• When parking on a hill, turn the front wheels toward the curb
• Never leave children unattended when they are in the car
• Never leave the keys in the vehicle

While rollaway accidents are serious and life-threatening, they can be easily avoided. Cars are a necessity in our everyday lives, but we must remember that they can take away lives in an instant as well.

RELATED: 10 Things You Should Always Do After a Car Accident

The post Rollaway Car Accidents Claim Nearly 150 Lives Every Year appeared first on MotorBiscuit.