Toyota sudden acceleration report finds no electronic flaws - Feb.

8, 2011 Page 1 of 4

NHTSA enlisted the help of NASA scientists

Pedals, drivers and engineers. The agency said their
expertise in areas such as computer
blamed for out of controlled electronic systems,
electromagnetic interference and software
control Toyotas integrity would be a big help.

Despite a string of recalls for other

problems, Toyota has long insisted that the
electronic controls in its cars are safe.

"We believe this rigorous scientific analysis

by some of America's foremost engineers
should further reinforce confidence in the
safety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles,"
Toyota's chief quality officer Steve St. Angelo
said in a company statement.

Toyota recalled nearly 8 million vehicles

in 2008 and 2009 for defects related to gas
pedals -- including sticky pedals and floor
By Peter Valdes-Dapena, senior writer mat obstruction -- as a result of complaints
February 8, 2011: 10:09 PM ET of unwanted acceleration.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- An intensive 10 So far, those two problems remain the only
month investigation into possible causes of known causes of unintended acceleration in
unintended acceleration in Toyota cars Toyota vehicles, NHTSA said.
found no fault with the automaker's
electronic throttle control systems, the Advertisement
Department of Transportation announced
Tuesday.

So far there are three known causes of

unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles:
improperly installed floor mats, sticky
pedals, and driver error.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood

said, "We enlisted the best and brightest
engineers to study Toyota's electronics
systems, and the verdict is in. There is no
electronic-based cause for unintended
high-speed acceleration in Toyotas."

http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/08/autos/nhtsa_nasa_toyota_final_report/index.htm 03/05/2011
Toyota sudden acceleration report finds no electronic flaws - Feb. 8, 2011
But NHTSA also mentioned another possible
cause: drivers pushing the gas instead of the
brakes.
Many drivers may have confused the gas and
brake pedals a problem that may account for
"the vast majority" of the unintended
acceleration incidents the agency
investigated, NHTSA deputy administrator
Ron Medford said at Tuesday's NHTSA press
briefing.
"What mostly happened was pedal
misapplication where the driver stepped on
the gas instead of the brake or in addition to
the brake," Medford said.
"Unintended acceleration is not exclusive to
Toyotas," Medford said, pointing out that
two-thirds of the unintended acceleration
reports the agency has received in recent
years involved vehicles by other automakers.
"I think this is good news for people who
own Toyotas," said David Champion, head of a
uto testing for Consumer Reports
magazine, "They can breathe a sigh of relief."
Toyota has paid $48.8 million in civil fines to
settle accusations by NHTSA that the
automaker did not respond in a timely
manner to report and correct defects for
which it ultimately recalled cars.
Some critics of the automaker at the time
were not satisfied that those two problems
were the only ones to blame for for the
growing number of reports that Toyotas
were accelerating out of control. They
pointed to the electronic throttle control
system as another possible culprit.
A common feature in newer vehicles,
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electronic throttle control uses sensors and
computer chips to pass commands between
the vehicles' gas pedal and the engine to
control a car's speed instead of the simple
mechanical connection used in older cars.
While some safety advocates have pointed to
an increase in reports of unintended
acceleration after Toyota switched to using
electronic throttle control, NASA said in its
report that it found no such correlation.
Reports of sudden acceleration in Toyota
cars did spike whenever there was national
publicity focused on the issue, however,
NASA said.
With the completion of the Toyota
investigation, NHTSA said it would begin a
broader look at the reliability and safety of
electronics systems in modern automobiles.
Congress ordered the DOT to investigate
whether there might be a problem with those
electronic controls. The study was launched
last spring.
As part of the study, the agencies ran tests
at a Chrysler Group LLC testing facility in
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Toyota sudden acceleration report finds no electronic flaws - Feb. 8, 2011
Auburn Hills, Mich. headquarters in which
researchers bombarded Toyota vehicles with
electromagnetic radiation to see if they
could cause any malfunctions that might
lead to unintended acceleration.
Toyota Motor Co. has also provided NASA
software engineers with "unrestricted
access" to the computer code used to
control the electronic throttle control
systems. The software engineers have been
combing through the code looking for
anything that might cause a car to accelerate
out of control under any circumstances,
NHTSA said.
Also, scientists at NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center and NHTSA East Liberty, Ohio,
research center have been examining cars
and Toyota throttle systems, searching for
any defects that might cause unwanted
acceleration.
This summer, NHTSA released the results
of some investigations into Toyota sudden
acceleration incidents. Those investigations
specifically looked into 58 alleged
unintended acceleration cases. These
investigations suggested that drivers
themselves may have been partly at fault. At
that time the agency stressed that the
results were preliminary.
Although Toyota sales have suffered, much
of the automaker's sales decline is due to an
aging model line-up more than concerns
over safety problems, analysts say.
Toyota now includes "brake override" on
all its new vehicles. This system
automatically cuts engine power as soon as
the brake pedal is pressed in order to
prevent unwanted acceleration.
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NHTSA said that, by the end of this year, it
would propose a rule requiring brake
override on all new vehicles.
NHTSA also said it plans to propose
requirements for standardized operation of
push-button keyless ignition systems in
cars and to require the installation of Event
Data Recorders, devices that record various
data including gas pedal and brake usage
immediately before and after a major crash.
NHTSA will also research the design and
placement of gas and brake pedals in cars to
help reduce the possibility of drivers
mistakenly pressing the wrong pedal.
Also NASA says that while, in most cars,
brake problems result in an unmistakable
red dashboard warning light, problems with
the gas pedal or throttle result only in a
"check engine" light that could indicate any
number of other, less urgent problems.
NASA scientists recommended that
automakers provide clearer warning lights.
The National Academy of Sciences has its
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Toyota sudden acceleration report finds no electronic flaws - Feb. 8, 2011 Page 4 of 4

own on-going investigation into the issue of

unintended acceleration in all cars across
the auto industry. The results of that study
are expected later this year.

Toyota is currently facing hundreds of

lawsuits over alleged unintended
acceleration, most of which have been
grouped together in a single California
court. Decisions in those cases are not
expected for years.

Steve Berman, an attorney leading many of

the lawsuits against Toyota, expressed
doubts about the report's findings.

"There are too many reports, from too many

people," he said in a statement, "to not have
a basis in fact."

Joan Claybrook, former head of NHTSA and

president emeritus of Public Citizens, a
consumer advocate group, also lacked
confidence in the government's findings.

"There are hundreds of witnesses that say

they had this runaway Toyota problem
without floor mats and accelerator
problems, and they've been ignored," she Advertisement
said.

But expressing his confidence in the safety

of Toyota cars, Transportation Secretary
LaHood said that he had recently
recommended a Toyota vehicle, a Sienna
minivan, to his own daughter.

"We feel that Toyota vehicles are safe to

drive," he said.

-CNN's Deb Feyerick contributed to this

report.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/08/autos/nhtsa_nasa_toyota_final_report/index.htm 03/05/2011