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WASHINGTON (Bloomberg)—Unintended acceleration in Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles was rooted in mechanical flaws rather than electronic defects, a U.S. investigation found.
NASA, the U.S. space agency, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday said a 10-month probe of defects that led to recalls of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide found no electronic causes. Safety advocates and some lawmakers had pointed to electrical faults as a reason for the reports about the world’s largest automaker.
“Our conclusion, that Toyota’s problems were mechanical, not electrical, comes after one of the most exhaustive, thorough and intensive research efforts ever undertaken,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in prepared remarks.
The review may put to rest questions about quality at Toyota, the only major carmaker to post a decline in U.S. sales last year as the overall market gained 11%. Toyota sales fell 0.4% to 1.76 million vehicles as the company paid $48.8 million in fines to U.S. regulators over the way some of the recalls, the largest by an automaker, were conducted.
Interbrand, a London-based market research firm, estimated this month that the cumulative impact of the recalls cut the value of Toyota’s brand image by 16%, to $25.7 billion. It remains the most highly valued Japanese brand.
The U.S. report, which was released Tuesday in Washington, found no causes for the unintended acceleration incidents other than sticking accelerator pedals and floor mats that jammed the pedals down. Those were the causes Toyota, based in Toyota City, Japan, had identified for the incidents.
NASA, at the request of NHTSA, which regulates auto safety, began a review in March of electronic throttle control systems in Toyota cars and trucks. The company underwent a series of U.S. congressional hearings, which included testimony from President Akio Toyoda. on how the flaws occurred.
Copyright 2011 Bloomberg
LOS ANGELES (Reuters)—Toyota has agreed to pay $10 million to settle the lawsuit brought by the family of a California state trooper and three relatives whose fatal car wreck helped spark the automaker's wide-ranging safety recall.