D.C., Washington, United States (AHN) – Sticking accelerator pedals in some Toyota vehicles were caused by mechanical problems, not an electronic flaw, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which released its findings Tuesday.
The NHTSA came to that conclusion after studying for 10 months Toyota’s engine control software and subjecting the vehicle’s microchips to every type of radiation.
According to an engineer from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration tapped to help the investigation, the electronic system for throttle controls in Toyotas need two separate sensors to fail simultaneously. However, based on tests, the two sensors did not trigger an error code in the car’s onboard computer.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood instead hinted that the accidents attributed to the sticking accelerators to driver error, in particular motorists stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake.
Because of complaints over the sticky accelerator and floor mats, which include a quadruple fatality in California, Toyota recalled over 11 million vehicles globally. The Japanese carmaker also paid a total of $48.3 million fines due to Toyota’s delayed recall.
The Center for Auto Safety criticized the report because the NHTSA tested only nine vehicles, which reduces the chances of finding the real cause behind unintended acceleration.
LaHood said the government is considering conducting a new research on the placement and design of accelerator and brake pedals, including driver use of pedals, to find out of design and placement could be improved to cut pedal errors.
Following the release of the report, Toyota shares rose 4 percent and closed at $88.57. Steve St. Angelo, chief quality officer of Toyota for North America, said the carmaker hopes the study would end questions about the reliability of Toyota’s electronic systems.
View full post on Economy, Business And Finance Stories
February 11th, 2011 
davidguide 
Posted in 
Tags: 
