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丰田承认换踏板不一定能全部解决加速问题3 {8 X' [. F @; X9 U. F
By LARRY MARGASAK and KEN THOMAS. M5 K: ?* |1 m% | V
Washington (AP) -- The president of Toyota's U.S.
+ I, R5 L9 y/ x- p" Qoperations acknowledged to skeptical lawmakers on Tuesday that
$ e$ K* ~% G" X, Lthe company's recalls of millions of its cars may "not totally"
, l7 I" D4 g3 a$ w7 N$ Isolve the problem of sudden and dangerous acceleration.' G5 a; j$ n6 ~9 f7 O
"We are vigilant and we continue to look for potential
- j& ] ^. T% H/ z: j. dcauses," Toyota's James Lentz told a congressional panel.
0 h0 x X5 H% a% w& IHowever, he repeated his company's position that unexpected
4 H. M4 Y7 y5 ^! _+ C" dacceleration in some of the company's most popular cars and% K3 F: \" }+ Z6 J5 U9 E- O
trucks was caused by one of two problems -- misplaced floor; N( \* J* d) k5 @ E6 ^
mats and sticking accelerator pedals.5 P0 ^9 g& _5 E8 q5 `# c5 p! J
He insisted electronic systems connected to the gas pedal
% m! B( T, `% a9 `( }+ {+ H7 B: |and fuel line did not contribute to the problem, drawing sharp
6 n7 n' y9 |% o1 Q+ }criticism from lawmakers who said such a possibility should be
( D7 k/ R0 W+ d4 x5 O6 afurther explored -- and from a tearful woman driver who could R6 k) E. `' w8 P/ H# a) S
not stop her runaway Lexus.0 j9 O6 B. W9 I- _3 a6 z
"Shame on you, Toyota," Rhonda Smith, of Sevierville,
3 v. f7 b' s6 LTenn., said at a congressional hearing. Then she added a second
% N( h9 L, ?$ Y! `"shame on you" directed at federal highway safety regulators.+ l# W' Y" e/ j5 M6 X
Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton cautioned his colleagues% J* ^; ?9 b6 I
early in the hearing against conducting a "witch hunt" and said
" ?1 K& N) K0 H* B9 X* i; n"We don't want to just assume automatically that Toyota has/ z7 B/ s' u0 w2 j9 f& |9 Z
done something wrong and has tried to cover it up." But midway
( P' s2 R+ `2 D1 b2 fthrough Lentz's testimony, Barton said of Toyota's, d3 U; U1 `1 F( d
investigation of the problems: "In my opinion, it's a sham."+ q$ j! {% |' D! \- E$ J
Lentz said the company had not completely ruled out an/ ?. x) B F0 O/ D; Z/ R! p0 d
electronics malfunction and was still investigating causes of! k0 T9 k3 Y: P
the sudden acceleration. Still, "We have not found a" Y, E0 k1 I: Y: k, \
malfunction" in the electronics of any of the cars at issue, he; J3 {2 u' |7 R/ }% l. b# h
said.- Z5 e8 ?+ T- c
As to Smith's harrowing story, "I'm embarrassed for what
X3 F' @- ?' x! I: nhappened," Lentz said. "I want her and her husband to feel safe( [4 |& h) F& a ?' a$ p
about driving our products," Lentz said., d3 |, B. {2 Y2 a4 D: K
Three congressional panels are investigating Toyota's: }1 h: A2 C3 e j- \
problems, which affect a huge number of Americans. Toyota has5 ] `/ s' U% K' x" w' |) _& C
recalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide -- more than 6. ~. v: h. j) p: F
million in the United States -- since last fall because of
8 U& T, }: x: S5 A) \, Y1 M2 Sunintended acceleration problems in multiple models and braking0 t2 S' d# d0 R1 l" R9 q0 |0 d
issues in the Prius hybrid. It is also investigating steering r* p: N/ @. G3 ^4 H
concerns in Corollas. People with Toyotas have complained of3 v, E5 w$ f" X9 C; T, r
their vehicles speeding out of control despite efforts to slow
% } k, x: q3 G% pdown, sometimes resulting in deadly crashes. The government has! v( J* |) i8 s; n# Z* F4 K
received complaints of 34 deaths linked to sudden acceleration
- u0 X! m3 A; Bof Toyota vehicles since 2000.- C* S& _+ ]4 k' t! V
Lentz, who choked up while discussing the death of his own/ S- g: x/ p1 f% D3 V
brother more than 20 years ago in a car accident, said he
& z9 R5 C6 {/ x* Zunderstood the pain.
& X1 h- n1 r4 z4 X! [& A"I know what those families go through," he said.
+ ~0 N/ q6 c! LLentz has said in the past that he was confident Toyota's# a+ e V5 j1 H
fixes on the recalled vehicles would correct the problems.
" s9 |0 V& R; ?# }7 {But when pressed by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman# L Y6 c- @) U) s
Henry Waxman, D-Calif., on whether the two recalls Toyota put( }0 ^ R: D+ J1 U- k1 p
in place to deal with the issue would completely solve it,
& D* m; s) F, I( x1 BLentz replied: "Not totally.". g7 \9 C# Y# r% ^. ~+ {' ~( K
Still, he said chances of unintended accelerations were; L# _! m( P& x" }3 Y* X! |
"very, very slim" once the recall was complete. Lentz also said
3 u: I3 Q+ G9 h+ G( n& Z) @+ N! qToyota was putting in new brakes that can override the gas
' A! H+ `2 I/ b- P, I7 Z3 rpedal on almost all of its new vehicles and a majority of its
, D8 O( E# z6 C) K( s vvehicles already on the road.
$ k2 P) h1 t2 s$ E$ A iMeanwhile, Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who will testify
* U% K- a. L+ ~$ ^- ibefore a separate panel on Wednesday, said he took "full: Y" z- W4 _ n$ G7 z% e$ u" w
responsibility" for the uncertainty felt by Toyota owners and
7 O; t4 V$ a8 v4 M" z. Xoffered his condolences to a San Diego, Calif., family who were
8 r" u: M" N( v" Gkilled in late August, reigniting interest in the problems.2 P2 l3 @+ {' F/ ~8 q5 @ t
"I will do everything in my power to ensure that such a6 R! m2 O7 v: ]6 N, |" o( t3 B* N( P" \
tragedy never happens again," Toyoda said in prepared testimony3 {! V9 j+ q! s
for Wednesday's hearing to the House Government Oversight) P- c; d0 V( B3 F* V4 X8 p
Committee. "My name is on every car. You have my personal, O; U4 P; \& Y; d# ^0 X* H+ N3 J
commitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to
, b0 `) Z/ \) w7 g' t& t3 |2 Orestore the trust of our customers."
3 u& j2 P/ k% n& Y7 h' FLawmakers heard a brief, but riveting, deion from
K" X2 ~. n% ~& F' FSmith, the Tennessee woman whose Toyota-made Lexus suddenly6 E; W( V& p b$ ^1 k/ V+ z+ z6 p( j
zoomed to 100 miles per hour as she tried to get it to stop --
4 Z" @, j3 j& _; l% ? z9 j3 z" Tshifting to neutral, trying to throw the car into reverse and5 t4 \' X( r, l2 i g& x& J% ~) ?
hitting the emergency brake. Finally, her car slowed enough! Y" i, V! B/ `% I8 t, ]* p
that she was able to pull it off the road onto the median and
" j& c7 ~7 W+ n+ \ kturn off the engine.
# U+ n1 @, \% v7 L+ r" {Fighting back tears, she described her nightmare ride of: `, D0 p4 w1 L) B
October 2006, calling it "a near death experience."
. q( {( c; I% D% L: x+ X"After six miles, God intervened" and slowed the car, she- S/ o9 ^- [ x, T+ k, f; R4 h
said. She added that it took a long time for Toyota to respond
* q6 ?& A' \3 H! U9 Rto her complaints.6 m D$ t- @% p7 r/ u: O$ K
In an often contentious full day of testimony, lawmakers
7 P3 o( X, G: Z9 l3 H( Z; v+ freturned again and again to the question of whether electronic
6 \# @+ x2 P) g: j0 y, Imalfunctions may have contributed to the speeding cars.
/ E5 {) C/ o$ \4 O4 g* x"We are confident that no problems exist with the electric
% @, |" [, ?$ F6 h5 qthrottle control system in our vehicles," Lentz said. He cited
# E# ` b C4 w5 ]+ m"fail-safe mechanisms" in the cars that were designed to shut& p9 s, G0 N# s* D6 e3 ~6 F. Y
off or reduce engine power "in the event of a system failure."
& p$ O! D! n* v+ V8 sTransportation Secretary Ray LaHood told the panel in y& @* P0 n# R1 u+ _7 e+ ?
prepared testimony that possible electronics problems were; k' j1 V. {" i0 X; |/ f/ ?
being looked into by his agency. He said the company's recalls
/ {: m$ B* a! j8 ~4 [were important steps but "we don't maintain that they answer0 |# d C( K& W/ n* t& P
every question."
$ R( I* m) f3 @2 O# P5 p! n3 lToyota hired a consulting firm to analyze whether
6 Y* O, Z% u+ x2 g) x; }0 H4 Relectronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The' R4 B2 q! i& N" ^, v4 O
firm, Exponent Inc., found no link between the two. But/ Z* }3 p; t1 b; k0 H1 a
committee investigators said the testing studied only a small
$ o8 A: p. D4 O6 S& Knumber of vehicles) \' b1 K+ @* a& |2 G6 |9 W8 V, C- O
Tracking down an electrical problem can be far more
2 d2 W' q6 W' Y/ Q/ U+ T: Xdifficult, expensive and time-consuming than finding a
+ |* u9 F5 F% f3 `mechanical problem. Electrical problems can have more than one. y* g: ?1 R6 ~" x* d
source, and they can come from inside or outside the car. O. T n+ }; |: V7 ?
Mechanical problems often leave clues such as physical damage,% c& L1 `" X7 w: k. Z
where electronic troubles can be hidden in software or leave no
4 q. D+ M7 h2 rtrace at all.+ g2 c* v9 C! W6 T0 `
House investigators who reviewed Toyota's customer call% F7 }: k. b; [0 l1 J
database found that 70 percent of the complaints of sudden2 j) V8 D' J6 t! N; X4 M
acceleration were for vehicles that are not subject to the
" x. H! y y6 D! u& E- Vrecalls over floor mats or sticky pedals. n' i" |9 N% V! f+ E2 F) s' |
Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the subcommittee,
3 h! h g2 W: B! ]) Osaid Toyota "misled the American public by saying that they and: N( t# y) Y: k7 }4 ~
other independent sources had thoroughly analyzed the
6 | o" |% ^- k. K, D2 relectronics systems and eliminated electronics as a possible
: r3 j5 }% S/ S4 _0 M& {2 Ecause of sudden unintended acceleration when, in fact, the only# S" R, B- D# n1 c& k5 y7 I3 O/ @
such review was a flawed study conducted by a company retained
+ K' T7 [+ a9 \' i7 t. _' s! K2 J. k( Mby Toyota's lawyers."& _ M# Y* f1 C" r
Lentz apologized anew for the company's slow handling of. r7 ? m) a. p3 J' T/ k
problems. "We have not lived up to the high standards our$ H0 {) a, G. p! R, t4 w3 M9 e9 o
customers and the public have come to expect from Toyota," he6 u+ y/ ]% W' e% a, s0 ~- e
said.
- k/ X2 b/ }( K* o" P2 j"Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with
" k6 U9 {, r' U% D, xa rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our" N' a; I1 E) m0 ~7 r+ b- r
good faith efforts," said Lentz, president and chief operating- {) D" j: m3 n* J
officer of Toyota Motor Sales USA. Inc.
( o& M) t( ]1 f1 C. x6 r" ~/ ^Separately, among hundreds of Toyota dealers lobbying
. N& Z! G( A" ~. }members of Congress Tuesday, there seemed to be widespread
h8 N/ K$ ?8 k( [! @4 v5 ]rancor toward a federal government they view as picking on the
9 F* O7 h& e0 z a* A C7 Uautomaker, at least in part because of the government's
& G/ A8 Y: j9 Rinvestment of billions of dollars in General Motors and; e& e0 b, F6 ]; r" Z3 q3 r D
Chrysler.
' m: g1 u# M" r: V2 w' ^"That's hard for me as a citizen to understand why my tax
4 U8 F) s# V+ g+ ^. Q( M. t' Odollars are going in that direction," Paul Atkinson, a
|" L* X8 ^# L9 a+ j5 k& f, C& pHouston-area Toyota dealer, said at a news conference that also" d4 S& }, z4 b$ [5 V6 ?- B
served as a pep rally for the visiting dealers. "To compete# Q) S; }5 }9 M0 D- ^1 l
with the government as an individual entrepreneur is pretty; ?% ~; Q1 B8 |- ^; \
tough."
3 g- I' z, Y5 C; E/ P& g2 Q---) ?$ ^8 W' ?6 q, ~6 q' ~" v4 F
Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Stephen Manning and Tom% M- _4 }$ E' ~( K; D% k
Raum in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to
" o6 [/ F6 G5 O# Y: I M0 N3 {this story.* P4 B+ X2 E+ J+ e% a! M, l, R" j
5 ?" D4 N! y- s; v$ Q-0- Feb/23/2010 21:04 GMT |
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