Car Recalls Cause Investigation of Toyota Electronic Throttle System: Toyota Cleared of Accusations

Feb. 15, 2011 - PRLog -- DETROIT, M.I. – Car recalls that had a devastating effect on Toyota and consumers began in 2009 after multiple accidents occurred with consumers complaining that the acceleration pedals were either slow in returning to their normal position after acceleration or were getting caught on the floor mats.
Some believed the cause was Toyota’s electronic system and others thought it could have just been driver error.  strategy
[Rewind: Toyota Michigan Drivers: Need We Say More than Recall?]
The vehicles that had been recalled due to the possible issues included:
•   2009-2010 RAV4
•   2009-2010 Corolla
•   2009-2010 Matrix
•   2005-2010 Avalon
•   2007-2010 Camry
•   2010 Highlander
•   2007-2010 Tundra
•   2008-2010 Sequoia
The U.S. Department of Transportation wanted to ensure that there was no “ghost” in the systems of Toyota’s vehicles. The main question that needed answering was: Could electronic systems or electromagnetic interference cause unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles?
Since there were such severe consequences that prompted the car recalls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wanted to bring NASA on board as an expert in computer controlled electronic systems, electromagnetic interference and software integrity. It took the NHTSA and NASA 10 months to complete the investigation into the electronic systems.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, NASA engineers “poured over more than 280,000 lines of software code looking for potential flaws that could initiate an unintended acceleration incident.” It also added that the two groups, “bombarded vehicles with electro-magnetic radiation to see whether it could make electronics systems cause the cars they control to gain speed.”
In the end, the NHSTA and NASA found no electronic flaws in the systems of Toyota vehicles. Toyota was officially redeemed as their systems were shown to be well-designed without flaw.
“The findings validate what we've been saying all along about the precise nature of our electronic throttle control systems," said Curt McAllister, Midwest Public Relations Manager for Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. "We will continue to incorporate the latest safety systems and technologies into all of our vehicles to ensure our customers' well being and peace of mind.”
Toyota Motor Corp may have more consumers they may need to gain back loyalty from due to so many car recalls, but with new programs such as Toyota Care, Toyota seems to be on the right track.
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