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By LARRY MARGASAK and KEN THOMAS+ o9 y/ C. i0 X! \2 B) i( k0 q
Washington (AP) -- The president of Toyota's U.S.( E3 \4 n' s Q9 W+ O
operations acknowledged to skeptical lawmakers on Tuesday that% w" `* o: ~* U% b7 p# g2 z
the company's recalls of millions of its cars may "not totally"- Q+ _( D" @9 e6 b+ @6 \1 {
solve the problem of sudden and dangerous acceleration.
" M2 v9 v, e" e, d. ]"We are vigilant and we continue to look for potential! r% a) B" d, q! q
causes," Toyota's James Lentz told a congressional panel.
% k3 _0 h1 f& A4 MHowever, he repeated his company's position that unexpected
1 @4 r0 g3 V. }$ Y1 ^acceleration in some of the company's most popular cars and
# a& x" C3 H' O& ^0 ltrucks was caused by one of two problems -- misplaced floor) E7 r7 {* X3 d6 q, S3 J1 V2 t5 k
mats and sticking accelerator pedals.
" v0 t% C, M2 b! ~) yHe insisted electronic systems connected to the gas pedal
; C; A% @, M6 J$ `and fuel line did not contribute to the problem, drawing sharp
. n! n3 |$ @5 c! xcriticism from lawmakers who said such a possibility should be
& o- s/ e2 I8 {& y F2 P: b7 Pfurther explored -- and from a tearful woman driver who could
) Q) z. K2 H1 onot stop her runaway Lexus.. U) f* F M2 D
"Shame on you, Toyota," Rhonda Smith, of Sevierville,0 S9 n3 t: s* s
Tenn., said at a congressional hearing. Then she added a second
, m! L0 F/ k0 O+ r2 y# f"shame on you" directed at federal highway safety regulators.! o# L( }8 ^9 y
Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton cautioned his colleagues+ g8 l8 ?( m% a* A& b# C1 |2 F0 B
early in the hearing against conducting a "witch hunt" and said
! I8 K, C7 c. |/ v& {"We don't want to just assume automatically that Toyota has
& ] t' ?( r" C; adone something wrong and has tried to cover it up." But midway
! m9 L9 T8 t8 M8 b7 K. Xthrough Lentz's testimony, Barton said of Toyota's
, e$ I5 @# ?) r/ f% P8 j! n& Hinvestigation of the problems: "In my opinion, it's a sham."
# `) T3 _6 v; V; GLentz said the company had not completely ruled out an
: \3 e9 y/ r8 n1 r- Pelectronics malfunction and was still investigating causes of
' X) P! j1 q) M( p5 t5 g7 Mthe sudden acceleration. Still, "We have not found a# m. q! [' o4 [2 K
malfunction" in the electronics of any of the cars at issue, he" t( M; p: H6 f+ n9 E, h
said.9 {9 M9 O) v# }$ E+ G/ U5 I
As to Smith's harrowing story, "I'm embarrassed for what
2 c; B/ M) w% A! Z7 w1 ^happened," Lentz said. "I want her and her husband to feel safe
0 T6 m2 L; h- Dabout driving our products," Lentz said.
- u F/ O% |8 e2 _9 b8 QThree congressional panels are investigating Toyota's! |' Z9 h$ ~6 ?
problems, which affect a huge number of Americans. Toyota has
' `& k! [/ q8 [0 G/ u6 c: i3 ^$ v Qrecalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide -- more than 66 D( W& ^) B7 b2 C8 _
million in the United States -- since last fall because of* g1 A% S9 K( @+ I. r$ S q$ D5 ~+ @; U
unintended acceleration problems in multiple models and braking
# K, }8 j4 n9 i. l5 Kissues in the Prius hybrid. It is also investigating steering
/ r V2 Z5 K+ econcerns in Corollas. People with Toyotas have complained of
. t: y, g H2 Ktheir vehicles speeding out of control despite efforts to slow
5 Z# a/ U' v0 j" _' A- k' zdown, sometimes resulting in deadly crashes. The government has
7 M! y6 c" ?( Treceived complaints of 34 deaths linked to sudden acceleration
5 e+ H& `! r! Y" c, ]+ `1 A7 L N2 Iof Toyota vehicles since 2000.
4 `) F8 G# ^$ |' E$ RLentz, who choked up while discussing the death of his own! ~( q( }4 E1 D6 z. t
brother more than 20 years ago in a car accident, said he6 o8 K% u0 B& q- Q% @& f+ i. V
understood the pain.2 t5 `4 J" O, Q- b0 N! T0 |+ t
"I know what those families go through," he said.0 Y2 H) G0 ~ a/ [( t( j0 M0 a
Lentz has said in the past that he was confident Toyota's; c' s2 ^+ q. u: W% w! x% R
fixes on the recalled vehicles would correct the problems.
6 z" m) p! l5 k P, e9 O; HBut when pressed by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman' X+ {- Q( e% y9 ^
Henry Waxman, D-Calif., on whether the two recalls Toyota put1 q% Y/ w; n% K' o* L- s7 E
in place to deal with the issue would completely solve it,
- r0 E& c+ W" y" J6 ]Lentz replied: "Not totally."1 c ~7 C2 N; r6 }
Still, he said chances of unintended accelerations were% N( [, }6 W3 f4 o; z8 p
"very, very slim" once the recall was complete. Lentz also said
3 E6 `/ _3 N1 ] t) i) fToyota was putting in new brakes that can override the gas3 @ h- S9 y. `- k6 E5 o
pedal on almost all of its new vehicles and a majority of its: W9 g* D* N7 J" s& y
vehicles already on the road.; q) F$ M; b$ Y" M. a" |4 z
Meanwhile, Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who will testify
8 F& J, c1 p0 ^! U0 Y. kbefore a separate panel on Wednesday, said he took "full
0 l! H8 T3 E6 z, Bresponsibility" for the uncertainty felt by Toyota owners and
) ~! a$ a! X, Z) k/ q! d0 }4 `offered his condolences to a San Diego, Calif., family who were E; H# C' Z1 a9 N! C5 Y
killed in late August, reigniting interest in the problems.
0 {0 e7 ?6 ?1 q) t. Q"I will do everything in my power to ensure that such a' ]5 k- w5 T: b) I2 l w
tragedy never happens again," Toyoda said in prepared testimony
' i. M6 q! U7 z) Q5 qfor Wednesday's hearing to the House Government Oversight
! Q) m$ V4 L) [8 z# B V$ CCommittee. "My name is on every car. You have my personal+ E" E4 @/ b* B) e* G0 t
commitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to I, Z7 ~* h) t) [$ P
restore the trust of our customers."
5 k7 E/ q/ V5 j( q; F# @Lawmakers heard a brief, but riveting, deion from
3 [2 j* r- `/ WSmith, the Tennessee woman whose Toyota-made Lexus suddenly) R+ h3 L7 X/ l, l! j4 C& ~7 @) [
zoomed to 100 miles per hour as she tried to get it to stop --* e( P/ B! k$ a
shifting to neutral, trying to throw the car into reverse and7 D; B2 F* e" i- I( B2 M
hitting the emergency brake. Finally, her car slowed enough5 P5 Q' B" s$ D5 x* w
that she was able to pull it off the road onto the median and
$ S4 u( h& D5 ]; Hturn off the engine.
3 {) ?5 T5 E/ k0 p2 V+ [Fighting back tears, she described her nightmare ride of
+ P! v4 K P- D' A4 @5 Q# }October 2006, calling it "a near death experience."
# A' S$ Q2 @8 W"After six miles, God intervened" and slowed the car, she+ Q1 v4 a3 q! S5 v& X7 X
said. She added that it took a long time for Toyota to respond% J3 S, K/ W, \
to her complaints.
5 U5 c0 T4 {/ p% F5 `' wIn an often contentious full day of testimony, lawmakers
0 R6 x! l; x# N( hreturned again and again to the question of whether electronic) c5 H* q% K) u
malfunctions may have contributed to the speeding cars.
3 C3 f; E3 d3 \6 ^/ j" \"We are confident that no problems exist with the electric- `* V) y) U! I9 K% [/ Z$ G
throttle control system in our vehicles," Lentz said. He cited
; A% p" E0 [; ^+ L. w% Q"fail-safe mechanisms" in the cars that were designed to shut
( v W' L4 _9 s) i8 Woff or reduce engine power "in the event of a system failure."
# Z: |# }* c7 o: ATransportation Secretary Ray LaHood told the panel in; h4 n+ _ x& Z
prepared testimony that possible electronics problems were
- y/ X' N' @6 w/ Wbeing looked into by his agency. He said the company's recalls$ e& _: c/ Q+ E* U: i
were important steps but "we don't maintain that they answer& j8 y) P2 G/ a) T6 K
every question."% }3 U% y& Q; L) `/ W7 a! ~
Toyota hired a consulting firm to analyze whether
. T- j0 [9 I1 ^& X5 z4 m* C3 telectronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The
: h) \; C9 C1 A. _0 u6 b$ vfirm, Exponent Inc., found no link between the two. But( Y4 u& Y7 `3 t; i$ A
committee investigators said the testing studied only a small' J$ p; v: h/ T) m/ ]2 m( ]
number of vehicles. W+ P* t6 ?# D9 \& l
Tracking down an electrical problem can be far more
) e) G, v2 M) R0 ]; qdifficult, expensive and time-consuming than finding a
/ H5 `" c: S/ A* U% q2 C3 Emechanical problem. Electrical problems can have more than one* v( o* u0 J& r
source, and they can come from inside or outside the car., X* s5 I5 u# Z8 Q
Mechanical problems often leave clues such as physical damage,1 Q& D3 P! Z6 R3 X; v# a
where electronic troubles can be hidden in software or leave no
( P5 ?+ v; {- v" A6 |, @/ s! gtrace at all.9 d4 Q K/ D# [' o
House investigators who reviewed Toyota's customer call
2 N8 r- M6 z0 q, R! D' G% qdatabase found that 70 percent of the complaints of sudden, w& }2 n: z- {7 ^' X
acceleration were for vehicles that are not subject to the/ l4 r+ s$ z7 l: J$ p
recalls over floor mats or sticky pedals.% a# S, {- H2 X
Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the subcommittee,
/ h0 n ?7 s# r$ P4 e! F& u/ rsaid Toyota "misled the American public by saying that they and- m$ c& A# h* e. v
other independent sources had thoroughly analyzed the% i( N. Y% s9 F K. i- e/ U
electronics systems and eliminated electronics as a possible7 S0 B( }# }" E" F- K3 O/ [
cause of sudden unintended acceleration when, in fact, the only
7 S3 F: ]; s9 u" osuch review was a flawed study conducted by a company retained
, k# Z/ X& P6 T$ R/ O" s6 M _5 Fby Toyota's lawyers."
' E& S( ?. q5 ULentz apologized anew for the company's slow handling of7 G1 ]: Y0 h u5 Y1 H1 x2 Z% t
problems. "We have not lived up to the high standards our
4 ?. B: p6 D: ^7 I xcustomers and the public have come to expect from Toyota," he
& d6 @% f6 A2 P) Tsaid.
! T4 Z5 U, E& Y"Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with
, t1 ~% `; m1 [( e4 Ya rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our
. ^: r# W7 j1 S& z. xgood faith efforts," said Lentz, president and chief operating
2 l, Q) D$ n3 Z5 B9 `, I3 Bofficer of Toyota Motor Sales USA. Inc.& P% E$ A7 U$ D5 U" C- }) I
Separately, among hundreds of Toyota dealers lobbying) b& B7 e) ~, ]1 a/ h
members of Congress Tuesday, there seemed to be widespread
/ ]- F2 F2 J+ y1 mrancor toward a federal government they view as picking on the& q& ?$ F' z( ]( }# {* k; v
automaker, at least in part because of the government's- G) R: V2 _: |
investment of billions of dollars in General Motors and
1 p+ y2 z' O% x6 \3 HChrysler.
8 R% Q$ p9 [3 L5 ]"That's hard for me as a citizen to understand why my tax
; P6 Z! X1 e2 ]- Udollars are going in that direction," Paul Atkinson, a
}1 G4 c; |3 n- V# I( X* `Houston-area Toyota dealer, said at a news conference that also
- z, C0 w* l# @" B, vserved as a pep rally for the visiting dealers. "To compete7 y0 o" K0 g; l( I* m
with the government as an individual entrepreneur is pretty0 m# e; L) r) Z. F; T
tough."
& t7 D: I7 B; i; B3 o---7 r: v& o v" [+ W: m; l: Y
Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Stephen Manning and Tom
7 C$ ^% O' ^5 v) h, bRaum in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to& U, E7 m; l' V `7 z
this story.
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0 }- Z# E: b- W V7 q( z9 o V-0- Feb/23/2010 21:04 GMT |
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