Toyota Cleared of Electronic Flaws
By Michelle Krebs February 8, 2011
Electronic flaws were not the cause of unintended acceleration in Toyotas, according to a U.S. government report released today. The U.S.Department of Transportation's 10-month study, which involved NASA engineers, concluded no electronic issue caused the acceleration problems and that the only known cause of the problems were mechanical defects that were covered by Toyota in the recall of millions of vehicles last year.
The mechanical defects were identified by DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration more than a year ago were sticky accelerator pedals and a design flaw that allowed accelerator pedals to become trapped by floor mats. Those flaws prompted Toyota to recall nearly 8 million vehicles in the U.S.
"We enlisted the best and the brightest engineers to study Toyota's electronic systems, and the verdict is in. There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement today.
LEAVE A COMMENT