 鲜花( 1)  鸡蛋( 0)
|

楼主 |
发表于 2010-2-24 01:19
|
显示全部楼层
丰田承认换踏板不一定能全部解决加速问题 N8 ^* Q& @. R0 n1 V. h# J+ q( g- B$ j
By LARRY MARGASAK and KEN THOMAS! S) x+ P9 D: m8 w4 X0 H
Washington (AP) -- The president of Toyota's U.S.5 h! ^& }# O9 S
operations acknowledged to skeptical lawmakers on Tuesday that
) U4 ]1 D5 S2 x Jthe company's recalls of millions of its cars may "not totally" G5 p5 d3 f0 x
solve the problem of sudden and dangerous acceleration.( }' F( E! @; d' O2 ^ p
"We are vigilant and we continue to look for potential
0 n' G U& m2 }. b! m- Vcauses," Toyota's James Lentz told a congressional panel.
$ l" v k+ C9 ]7 XHowever, he repeated his company's position that unexpected
: x; k0 D- u6 M, |: P8 _) Q# dacceleration in some of the company's most popular cars and
3 K& I1 y- _4 _2 `4 B" v6 R: k2 Rtrucks was caused by one of two problems -- misplaced floor
; R. z0 D! D! v" U; G- f3 p. Nmats and sticking accelerator pedals.. a& ?" I [" [
He insisted electronic systems connected to the gas pedal
* f* \8 x4 i0 a4 |9 p) Fand fuel line did not contribute to the problem, drawing sharp. S6 l1 }0 `0 C7 v8 d; F
criticism from lawmakers who said such a possibility should be
$ W1 m+ T2 P# F' C- yfurther explored -- and from a tearful woman driver who could+ S% x3 ~4 r4 j: d
not stop her runaway Lexus.
p$ y$ ~" c$ J"Shame on you, Toyota," Rhonda Smith, of Sevierville,
, H/ G2 H }$ k `/ X2 T8 b/ cTenn., said at a congressional hearing. Then she added a second5 x5 D/ ~1 m) ?
"shame on you" directed at federal highway safety regulators.1 B' f$ V+ }3 \0 g
Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton cautioned his colleagues
+ S/ [) ?0 t1 Nearly in the hearing against conducting a "witch hunt" and said
. \# g/ X- Q4 H, `, l"We don't want to just assume automatically that Toyota has- q& {, ?, s* @0 @
done something wrong and has tried to cover it up." But midway2 z8 @3 ]" i, j* V* Z
through Lentz's testimony, Barton said of Toyota's
& Q3 C- O% j* w$ ]- L4 m$ Q4 yinvestigation of the problems: "In my opinion, it's a sham."
) ]/ \; `" @6 L- d" Q) @( uLentz said the company had not completely ruled out an
- @: a% r- f1 p4 [& k0 eelectronics malfunction and was still investigating causes of
- F! P6 p) E* F% F% \6 L2 u9 f! s- xthe sudden acceleration. Still, "We have not found a
* b) T# y% }, w* X. [" rmalfunction" in the electronics of any of the cars at issue, he! ?9 \( ^. Z9 r
said.2 Q( Q& b6 n' w l
As to Smith's harrowing story, "I'm embarrassed for what
" z' m* J6 N& {( V$ }happened," Lentz said. "I want her and her husband to feel safe
8 \! Z! U" C. cabout driving our products," Lentz said.
8 Q% V9 z# @2 P+ \+ SThree congressional panels are investigating Toyota's7 x: u! Q" k8 ~3 O U
problems, which affect a huge number of Americans. Toyota has1 t+ u: M8 f- G
recalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide -- more than 6
# l Q6 X! Q0 nmillion in the United States -- since last fall because of' K9 ]' t! b( }) G# g8 E, A8 S
unintended acceleration problems in multiple models and braking
0 N% z! H/ a) V# X3 Q, R3 h& r* uissues in the Prius hybrid. It is also investigating steering
q7 L" z. b+ w& |concerns in Corollas. People with Toyotas have complained of' Q2 T/ \: v4 d' Z5 ~
their vehicles speeding out of control despite efforts to slow* y" R. x- E) f8 U* ?
down, sometimes resulting in deadly crashes. The government has
8 `- Q( _7 M0 @1 e0 Jreceived complaints of 34 deaths linked to sudden acceleration
4 [8 d2 V8 u* h& rof Toyota vehicles since 2000.
; N! B) q4 h/ ^* H9 HLentz, who choked up while discussing the death of his own
7 E4 w; o. s- hbrother more than 20 years ago in a car accident, said he+ j& d9 m$ b2 |4 P* c# {% [
understood the pain.; F1 b6 m, G5 o h) V# c
"I know what those families go through," he said.( _4 ]2 d) E! r/ \$ K$ [
Lentz has said in the past that he was confident Toyota's
; Q/ D, E* ]( p4 }" afixes on the recalled vehicles would correct the problems.
5 ]! f* [8 t, H0 W9 F W& h$ _ w+ tBut when pressed by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman
8 I% Q& ~/ {9 WHenry Waxman, D-Calif., on whether the two recalls Toyota put
5 ]7 K. X. \" ]in place to deal with the issue would completely solve it,, S7 E+ N6 s5 h* G+ I3 V
Lentz replied: "Not totally."( J4 Z$ w+ ^. |# H. i
Still, he said chances of unintended accelerations were
5 Q, F9 z( Z' m/ `/ j"very, very slim" once the recall was complete. Lentz also said/ G7 }; y7 C2 g7 L' m9 c
Toyota was putting in new brakes that can override the gas- S% x: U- Z6 S4 E7 a* w" w! z
pedal on almost all of its new vehicles and a majority of its$ i* a2 E! K$ ~+ I- Q
vehicles already on the road.0 R6 V" ?1 j& X2 O
Meanwhile, Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who will testify6 S$ u r$ ~+ l1 F
before a separate panel on Wednesday, said he took "full% c! w) d+ M2 e, b% h, L! Z
responsibility" for the uncertainty felt by Toyota owners and" b! q5 F/ u3 ?$ w' `' h
offered his condolences to a San Diego, Calif., family who were
0 ?. S" I. ^" v3 L! Rkilled in late August, reigniting interest in the problems.% ?* m2 X0 _. ?4 u1 I# P3 E4 O
"I will do everything in my power to ensure that such a# M3 t; x9 F" w4 O% _5 [
tragedy never happens again," Toyoda said in prepared testimony: A& F. o' U9 A& e+ M/ M. O0 f, P
for Wednesday's hearing to the House Government Oversight1 a% O4 k4 h7 p& m1 C
Committee. "My name is on every car. You have my personal
8 p8 }2 i4 ]3 Qcommitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to
" K6 c4 O, \/ x4 o* V( xrestore the trust of our customers."( r* R! x: o2 W' e p$ R
Lawmakers heard a brief, but riveting, deion from" ~6 H6 N# W( r8 Y" P
Smith, the Tennessee woman whose Toyota-made Lexus suddenly
- e- T3 k4 i$ l# F$ ]zoomed to 100 miles per hour as she tried to get it to stop --
, h N; B% P# O6 Y; W/ p* dshifting to neutral, trying to throw the car into reverse and
0 j5 d6 Z5 n7 d$ [+ E7 o5 Phitting the emergency brake. Finally, her car slowed enough
* `5 b: t9 @( `8 n2 {. Ethat she was able to pull it off the road onto the median and
: o$ F% O5 K. _turn off the engine.: i7 M+ }; I- a' d9 r9 J$ t: z
Fighting back tears, she described her nightmare ride of
0 v' l e, x+ `' k$ |October 2006, calling it "a near death experience."; r$ M6 y. l% g
"After six miles, God intervened" and slowed the car, she8 `9 C1 Y- A: Z) w3 @' I: f a
said. She added that it took a long time for Toyota to respond: O' u( M& w' @8 [9 W8 [
to her complaints.
- n" R4 `+ ^, g! u( m6 TIn an often contentious full day of testimony, lawmakers/ t1 _# N3 C# w0 x6 K* |
returned again and again to the question of whether electronic
5 [7 d) `8 V t+ V' K0 k3 Amalfunctions may have contributed to the speeding cars.( t* }- `! U+ X$ I
"We are confident that no problems exist with the electric0 _, V. {/ d8 ?8 R0 ^/ E
throttle control system in our vehicles," Lentz said. He cited# K: ~% @. r# G! ]
"fail-safe mechanisms" in the cars that were designed to shut8 r0 T& u* ]2 ?- ?
off or reduce engine power "in the event of a system failure."
" a) F' t- R9 oTransportation Secretary Ray LaHood told the panel in D- y" v4 B7 |) K. _
prepared testimony that possible electronics problems were, t6 K+ N; z. }: }
being looked into by his agency. He said the company's recalls! G* f) @4 e" P4 U
were important steps but "we don't maintain that they answer8 K% P7 L" m' s7 w. \1 G
every question."
$ C' S- C- Z& Y/ Z' n, T* v6 ~Toyota hired a consulting firm to analyze whether9 a, e) \! g$ b; o
electronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The5 _) N2 F0 Q, L9 R
firm, Exponent Inc., found no link between the two. But
+ K3 B6 g6 m W/ ?' [! O5 C* kcommittee investigators said the testing studied only a small/ K! p3 y0 C+ G N5 ~
number of vehicles
* X. |3 a$ G* V- O- T/ ~Tracking down an electrical problem can be far more7 i7 o9 d4 a% C" o T2 k/ u+ [0 n
difficult, expensive and time-consuming than finding a! W! [; n; ~3 ^: \, a y6 @
mechanical problem. Electrical problems can have more than one
0 {6 h& c* d8 P! Zsource, and they can come from inside or outside the car.' Y. _! X n, Y; Q% |
Mechanical problems often leave clues such as physical damage,
5 t8 G5 K3 m5 @( x2 iwhere electronic troubles can be hidden in software or leave no
. o( l! R* R- B% d1 |3 b5 s; Itrace at all.
" ~, T7 D. N1 M2 d0 l' BHouse investigators who reviewed Toyota's customer call$ u$ \* X' ^% l$ h, ~# u
database found that 70 percent of the complaints of sudden
- h: t( P3 L! v, h7 I* C7 y% lacceleration were for vehicles that are not subject to the5 o @1 i' h0 G* D3 i/ Q m7 K
recalls over floor mats or sticky pedals.
1 `3 ~8 |6 ], f, i+ J, BRep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the subcommittee,8 ?5 I; g0 D' w. |
said Toyota "misled the American public by saying that they and
* d( z! G3 V3 t9 wother independent sources had thoroughly analyzed the
) r4 @: N7 M* c5 E+ i) Velectronics systems and eliminated electronics as a possible. {0 q; x K ?5 b5 k: ?
cause of sudden unintended acceleration when, in fact, the only
8 f4 Z* o q; P; J {; z, jsuch review was a flawed study conducted by a company retained
" |+ a; |! L+ H5 m, F# h* o8 aby Toyota's lawyers."/ W0 u& L7 _8 p- m X3 F" I& K
Lentz apologized anew for the company's slow handling of
! P" K t5 V2 d0 z- B9 Wproblems. "We have not lived up to the high standards our
# @+ J% N. ~# u% o# v* xcustomers and the public have come to expect from Toyota," he/ v# {( ?& T" c' ?
said.
- Q" p' {/ b: y"Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with3 T4 S1 C/ S% R9 A( @
a rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our# P! _ a+ f& a" b
good faith efforts," said Lentz, president and chief operating
8 {5 j. V L, i. t9 g' Zofficer of Toyota Motor Sales USA. Inc.
+ z6 a7 t. |- u4 eSeparately, among hundreds of Toyota dealers lobbying2 q* d& k+ B% u8 J. b, L2 H) _
members of Congress Tuesday, there seemed to be widespread
4 \) x. l1 l) zrancor toward a federal government they view as picking on the
, @! V. A) _2 z W2 q# Kautomaker, at least in part because of the government's
8 z( l4 p( z* c; l2 d! e3 Tinvestment of billions of dollars in General Motors and
; p: h) ~( u' Q' b( {/ q6 CChrysler.
7 C4 m# s$ A9 c K* ^4 X/ i4 J. _"That's hard for me as a citizen to understand why my tax
w1 M! \' j7 Z0 Zdollars are going in that direction," Paul Atkinson, a
9 X$ p! G6 U- q$ S# h w/ S r/ u& AHouston-area Toyota dealer, said at a news conference that also& c% d( K; n) o; q% q
served as a pep rally for the visiting dealers. "To compete, C7 v5 y) h* F6 v
with the government as an individual entrepreneur is pretty
, U3 v. ?; U h3 }4 qtough."
7 _% v5 N8 q0 @- {---
8 D% g& N& F- z/ F8 G- V! gAssociated Press writers Alan Fram, Stephen Manning and Tom
9 }7 y0 K& j: \Raum in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to
+ {7 n0 _, K; B2 o2 fthis story.
" J% E- e: D, c r1 q" V% c' o; R+ c+ k1 _- `! i1 D
-0- Feb/23/2010 21:04 GMT |
|