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Subscribe to this pageNHTSA Crash Findings Suggest Driver Error
07/22/2010
Fort Myers Toyota The Family Store is sharing the most recent findings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that suggest driver error in some of the recent Toyota accelerator accidents.
The Wall Street Journal published the story that the U.S. Department of Transportation has analyzed dozens of data recorders from Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles involved in accidents blamed on sudden acceleration and found that the throttles were wide open and the brakes were not engaged at the time of the crash, people familiar with the findings said. The early results suggest that some drivers who said their Toyotas and Lexus vehicles surged out of control were mistakenly flooring the accelerator when they intended to jam on the brakes.
The findings by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration involve a sample of the reports in which a driver of a Toyota vehicle said the brakes were depressed but failed to stop the car from accelerating and ultimately crashing. The data recorders analyzed by NHTSA were selected by the agency, not Toyota, based on complaints the drivers had filed with the government. Toyota hasn't been involved in interpreting the data.
The initial findings are consistent with a 1989 government-sponsored study that blamed similar driver mistakes for a rash of sudden-acceleration reports involving Audi 5000 sedans.
The Toyota findings appear to support Toyota's position that sudden-acceleration reports involving its vehicles were not caused by electronic glitches in computer-controlled throttle systems, as some safety advocates and plaintiffs' attorneys have alleged. More than 100 people have sued the carmaker over crashes they claim were the result of faulty electronics. Daniel Smith, NHTSA’s associate administrator for enforcement, told a panel of the National Academy of Sciences last month that the agency’s sudden-acceleration probe had yet to find any car defects beyond those identified by the company; pedals entrapped by floor mats and accelerator pedals that are slow to return to idle.
The Wall Street Journal article also included a quote from Mr. Smith that stated, “In spite of our investigations, we have not actually been able yet to find a defect.”
Fort Myers Toyota is dedicated to the safety and well-being of their clientele and is pleased to provide up-to-date information about the safety of Toyota vehicles. The new 2011 Toyota vehicles, such as the Toyota Camry, are the first Toyotas to feature a new brake override system, which ensures that the engine can’t cause the car to accelerate while the brake pedal is being pressed.
Read the full Wall Street Journal article
Fort Myers Toyota shoppers and area residents are encouraged to learn more about new 2011 Toyota models online with Ft Myers Toyota