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Lawmakers Want More Toyota Acceleration Details
By Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer
Manufacturing.Net - March 05, 2010

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- A House committee on Friday questioned how rigorously Toyota has tested its vehicles for sudden acceleration, and asked the Japanese automaker for more records on the safety issues.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee told Toyota executive Jim Lentz in a letter that there is "an absence of documents" to show whether the company thoroughly investigated the possibility of unintended acceleration. The committee demanded to know who is involved with the testing and receive quarterly reports detailing allegations of the unwanted acceleration.

"We do not understand the basis for Toyota's repeated assertions that it is 'confident' there are no electronic defects contributing to incidents of sudden unintended acceleration," wrote Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich.

Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide to address gas pedals that can become sticky or trapped under floor mats, prompting scrutiny from Congress. The world's No. 1 automaker has said it is investigating reports of sudden acceleration but remains confident there are no problems with Toyota's electronic throttle control systems.

Adding to the doubts, the government has received more than 60 complaints from Toyota owners who had their vehicles fixed following the recalls but say they've had more problems with their vehicles surging forward unintentionally. Toyota dealers have been fixing the accelerator pedals but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that if the remedy provided by Toyota is not addressing the issue, the government could order the company to provide a different solution.

Toyota did not immediately respond to the committee's letter on Friday.

Toyota hired a consulting firm to study whether electronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The firm, Exponent Inc., released an interim report that has found no link between the two. But committee investigators have said the Exponent test was flawed because it studied only a small number of Toyota vehicles.

In the letter, Waxman and Stupak also request more details on brake override systems and "black box" information in Toyota vehicles.

Toyota plans to install brakes that can override the gas pedal in future models and many vehicles already on the road. The safety measure is meant to prevent the unintended acceleration that has caused some Toyota drivers to speed out of control.

The committee also wants to know what information is available in Toyota electronic data recorders. The "black box" information could help investigators learn more about what is happening in the vehicles before crashes. A review by the Associated Press found that Toyota has been inconsistent -- and sometimes even contradictory -- in revealing what the devices record and don't record, such as critical data about whether brake or accelerator pedals were depressed at the time of a crash.

NHTSA has linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by Toyota's acceleration problems.


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Toyota  3/5/2010 4:17:00 PM
It's bizarre that Toyota's senior management doesn't recognize that they're building up considerable negative legal and regulatory momentum, and they need to stop making things worse. Not being proactively open about their proprietary-format EDRs (electronic data recorders) when this problem first arose, is an amazingly dumb move. It might have proven that all the accidents were due to driver error, and they'd have all of this behind them now. Or, it might have shown that their electronics *are* at fault, and they would have avoided the horrible PR disaster that now awaits them if that is shown to be the case and the public draws the conclusion that they've been lying all along and regard saving $$ as more important than their customers' lives.
test vehicles  3/5/2010 4:26:00 PM
Maybe the firm Toyota hired could give the 60 people with complaints loaners vehicles (or new ones)while they actually tested cars that by testimony have had surges before and after the repair. Surely 1 of those 60 cars would act up again and maybe clear up the issues.
Toyota's problem  3/5/2010 4:49:00 PM
I think this oversite at a federal level is a new experience for this manufacturer since in Japan the relationship between goverment, and industry is a blended line without a seam. If they are foolish enough to think they can keep their data from review, and not be subject to independent findings then they are heading for a very bad place
Toyota  3/5/2010 4:54:00 PM
I don't like that they are adding a break pedal that will over ride the issue with the gas pedal. I won't buy a car that will inadvertantly speed up and I have to suddenly hit the breaks that does not sound like a fix to me. All I know is that I will never buy a Toyota now, ever for as long as I live.
Third party consultants  3/5/2010 5:20:00 PM
Let us also note that any consulting firm will investigate whatever parameters are given them, and normally will make tests within the procedure dictated by the customer's requirents. I see it as telling that the consultants did not have access to Toyota's "magic laptop" with the proprietary software and interface. This would greatly limit what information they could glean from the EDRs. What commands my attention is that Toyota is going to great lengths to not disclose the firmware they use in their products. I'm sure they have a reason for this but it remains to be seen why!
Toyota's problem  3/6/2010 4:36:00 AM
It has been known for a long time that high voltages in autos ignition and other radio emissions can interfere with computers. Such problems between the two are expected. Designing and installing such systems (which I have done) are doomed to occasional failure.


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