The problem that is raising concern is that Toyota and Lexus cars are accelerating all by themselves. Toyota claims that the problem is due to ill fitting floor mats, carpet covers or detached trim wedging the gas pedal. But it seems that government regulators and consumers are not buying it.
Now comes word that Toyota and officials with U.S. safety agencies are discussing a change to the gas pedal and adjustments that would make it easier for a driver to stop a car that is accelerating. Anti-acceleration technology already exists and is being used by German automakers. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said that there has been 15 deaths and hundreds of reports on unintended accelerations of Toyotas since 2002.
The situation has stained Toyota’s reputation and leaves it open to lawsuits. And pundits say that the whole affair could be costly. Toyota is not the first to suffer through this. Volkswagen’s Audi brand suffered tumbling U.S. sales from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s because of reports of an unintended acceleration problem. But finding a fix for these types of problems is difficult. In the case of VW, investigations took place in several countries but no defect was found. Since 2003, Audi cars have been programmed to stop accelerating when there is pressure on the brake. This is one possible solution being discussed by Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Sean Kane, founder of Safety Research & Strategies, Rehoboth, Massachusetts, claims to have identified as many as 2,000 events of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles since 1998. He said that some drivers report seeing dashboard lights flashing, which could suggest an electronics problem. It so happens that Toyota vehicles feature a drive-by-wire technology and in 2002 the company issued a technical service bulletin to its dealers’ service departments to recalibrate the engine control module to prevent the vehicle from surging at certain speeds. So Kane asserts that the problem could be electronics related. However, Toyota said that it has not found such a problem.
The recalls have involved Camrys, Avalons, Priuses, Tacomas, Tundras, and Lexus ES 350s, IS 250s and IS 350s.