Dozens of deaths and many serious personal injuries have been linked to Toyota’s sudden acceleration problems. The company has recalled nearly 10 million vehicles worldwide and the issue has cost the company customers and called into question the company’s safety practices and attitudes toward consumers.
But now a new issue is calling into question the remedy that Toyota has chosen to address the unintentional acceleration issues in its vehicles. According to the AP and other media reports, NHTSA has received over 60 reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles after the problem was supposedly fixed.
Toyota Accelerator Recall Repair Kit
The agency has stated that it is taking this issue very seriously and is reportedly contacting every owner to learn more about the reported problem.
This issue raises the very serious question of whether Toyota has properly identified the root-cause of the sudden acceleration problems. And at a minimum, should these consumer complaints turn out to be accurate, this issue calls into question whether the “fix” or remedy Toyota has chosen is appropriate.
NHTSA has indicated that if the remedy chosen by Toyota turns out not to be addressing the problem that it was intended to address, then the agency may order Toyota to provide a different and more appropriate remedy.
The company, the world’s largest automaker, has recalled about 8 million cars and trucks worldwide for defects that may cause sudden acceleration. It is reshaping and replacing pedals and utilizing pedal repair kits like the one illustrated above and to the right.
Many experts and consumer advocates have asserted that Toyota turned a deaf ear to safety issues and is continuing to do so in the company’s insistence that the problem is not a “sticky” pedal but the electronic throttle system.
For instance, Rep. Bart Stupak stated that consumers should not feel very safe driving a Toyota. The Congressman stated, “‘You really don’t know when it’s going to occur and that’s the uncertainty which should cause safety concerns[.]” Rep.Stupak, is a Michigan Democrat and chairman of a House subcommittee probing Toyota.
The Congressman also stated in an interview on Bloomberg Television, “…I don’t think yet they have an answer[.]“ Stupak further stated that Toyota had a glitch in their vehicles’ computers – residing either in the software or electronic system but that he did not believe the company really knew which.
NHTSA is considering an industry wide solution to address the problem. For instance, if all new vehicles were required to have an overriding braking system as some car manufacturers currently do, the problem could be averted.
