The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration received more than 3,000 complaints of sudden acceleration in several models produced by Toyota Motors (TM). Of the reported problems, 75 resulted in fatal accidents and claimed 93 lives. Toyota recalled more than 8 million cars world-wide to fix the interfering floor mats and sticking accelerator pedals that are believed to be responsible for the complaints.
The NHTSA has now reviewed data from “black box” recording devices in Toyota cars, and the records analyzed so far match results from a 1989 study of Audi models also accused of have sticky accelerators. Drivers mistakenly stepped on the accelerator when they intended instead to step on the brakes, at least in many cases. The data recorders from Toyota show that throttles were fully opened and brakes were not engaged when the accidents happened.
Toyota is still not off the hook however. Government tests have so far found no defects in the cars’ electronic-throttle control systems. The sticking accelerators and interfering floor mats are still issues that Toyota must resolve.
The data recorders reviewed by the NHTSA were selected by the agency, not Toyota, from among those removed from cars involved in recent accidents. The recorders’ memory can be lost if disconnected from the cars’ electrical supply, and Toyota has pointed out that the data in the recorders may be unreliable.
The black boxes were not designed to determine the cause of an accident, according to the company. They only indicate if the electronic systems in the car are operating properly.
To date, only one fatal accident has been definitively linked to the interfering floor mat, and none to the sticking accelerator.
Toyota has already paid a fine of $16.4 million for failing to disclose the information it had on the sticking accelerator pedal. But the company did not admit doing anything w! rong.
In some ways, that fine and Toyota’s tactic to dodge responsibility seem about right. The fine was levied for not disclosing the fact that there were thousands of reports of accelerator problems with Toyota’s cars. The company recalled a massive number of cars and fixed the problem. Perhaps the company should have paid a much larger fine, but the amount was capped by Congress.
And on the evidence so far at least, the electronics appear to have been working properly and operator error is the most likely cause of these accidents. There’s no reason Toyota should accept guilt for those.
Toyota’s dim-witted response to these issues when they were raised earlier this year makes it difficult to give them the benefit of the doubt now. But that does seem like the fair thing to do.
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