By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com
July 14, 2010
After reviewing nearly 2,000 cases of sudden, uncontrolled acceleration events reported by drivers of its cars, Toyota says it has found no problem in the vehicle electronics that control the throttle.
In some of the cases, the carmaker said, it has evidence that the driver mistook the accelerator for the brake.
Toyota elaborated on a subject raised Wednesday when The Wall Street Journal reported U.S. safety investigators had reached a similar conclusion.
The newspaper quoted sources within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as saying that, in a few of the reported cases of sudden acceleration, a review of the electronic event recorder showed the car's throttle was wide open while there was no pressure applied to the brakes.
Since the incidents of uncontrolled acceleration began to occur, Toyota attributed many to driver error. When Audi vehicles were investigated two decades ago for similar reasons, safety investigators concluded that drivers, in most case, slammed on the accelerator when they believed they were applying the brakes.
NHTSA
After launching an investigation of reports of sudden acceleration in Toyotas during the early 2000s, NHTSA reported in 2004 that it was unable to find a cause for the problem. The agency said it analyzed many of the cars involved in the mishaps and found nothing abnormal with the throttle controls.
Once again NHTSA pointed to the driver. The agency said sudden surges are sometimes caused by drivers who are unfamiliar with their new vehicles.
The Transportation Department declined to comment on the subject, noting that a NHTSA probe of Toyota's electronics system is still underway and will not be completed for several months. The agency is conducting an investigation to determine if electronics played any role in hundreds of reported incidents.
The reports of uncontrolled acceleration resulted in a massive recall of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in late 2009 and early 2010. Toyota has steadfastly maintained the problem does not lie in the electronics, but rather in the design of the accelerator pedal. The recall removed floor mats and modified the pedals in affected cars and trucks.
