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By LARRY MARGASAK and KEN THOMAS4 b5 k2 t/ i f) O0 {
Washington (AP) -- The president of Toyota's U.S.& b; Z$ [2 n) K& z
operations acknowledged to skeptical lawmakers on Tuesday that2 I7 s2 p. Z) V U! K5 j
the company's recalls of millions of its cars may "not totally"
, z `4 ]$ q5 ]6 _' [& k% j# h2 K! Rsolve the problem of sudden and dangerous acceleration.
0 Y- H1 X" D- e# {! y# |8 |"We are vigilant and we continue to look for potential6 R' v2 P5 T' Y3 m' }5 T x
causes," Toyota's James Lentz told a congressional panel.
9 g8 G- R4 e! ^, f5 K; E7 h% iHowever, he repeated his company's position that unexpected
: K9 i! c1 U% B$ ~% ~; g3 kacceleration in some of the company's most popular cars and
2 J& G& R- @8 S8 o! ?, Dtrucks was caused by one of two problems -- misplaced floor- C8 W4 }' D4 U v
mats and sticking accelerator pedals.
" r$ s M0 m, f( `, v2 m: ? tHe insisted electronic systems connected to the gas pedal1 W0 ~1 W/ n! \0 r/ q# r4 ~ Y
and fuel line did not contribute to the problem, drawing sharp( |% j( N+ c" d' r- _* z
criticism from lawmakers who said such a possibility should be7 w7 g v: M3 ^+ h
further explored -- and from a tearful woman driver who could
4 l0 Y4 J1 n. K/ D5 mnot stop her runaway Lexus.
9 d2 _; O3 L0 H$ b. C) R"Shame on you, Toyota," Rhonda Smith, of Sevierville,
) j1 b; }; Q5 X7 {7 ~ B/ E- OTenn., said at a congressional hearing. Then she added a second9 P: W* A0 ?! L; O5 H
"shame on you" directed at federal highway safety regulators.
( d7 a0 k% F/ @" `Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton cautioned his colleagues
7 O, s, v: T \2 f$ Rearly in the hearing against conducting a "witch hunt" and said7 q5 i' a+ f u" M9 U# {0 a
"We don't want to just assume automatically that Toyota has# v0 o6 |' n% g- G0 B5 M5 \
done something wrong and has tried to cover it up." But midway
7 T7 A6 p k4 h9 }. s% fthrough Lentz's testimony, Barton said of Toyota's5 \' {9 |4 B. D
investigation of the problems: "In my opinion, it's a sham."
5 |' b% V& B2 G/ o8 x5 JLentz said the company had not completely ruled out an" Y5 t/ A! |/ @# A
electronics malfunction and was still investigating causes of1 F& W* V. m( a+ m; c
the sudden acceleration. Still, "We have not found a
0 T' p/ Q( t+ a7 smalfunction" in the electronics of any of the cars at issue, he
& J, Y% n* z r. C# k) {$ usaid.
" E' m7 Z S! ?" zAs to Smith's harrowing story, "I'm embarrassed for what
: @% D R/ ~- H; ]happened," Lentz said. "I want her and her husband to feel safe
* n5 Y* _6 g9 R6 d$ Sabout driving our products," Lentz said.5 P" d j! h7 M
Three congressional panels are investigating Toyota's
) }5 B5 z! e$ K' r4 p5 [problems, which affect a huge number of Americans. Toyota has- j, s# P6 f$ [6 r9 z
recalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide -- more than 69 E! b$ f7 Y% m4 R ^
million in the United States -- since last fall because of$ F; b, ]: M u+ G- x
unintended acceleration problems in multiple models and braking
/ k/ o: J) { @4 Oissues in the Prius hybrid. It is also investigating steering
# Y+ m+ i: a8 c, U0 kconcerns in Corollas. People with Toyotas have complained of
- W8 | [8 \- P* P' ~0 `! v1 t, A9 Gtheir vehicles speeding out of control despite efforts to slow# Q* F O* L7 e$ x
down, sometimes resulting in deadly crashes. The government has( k7 P1 G; U* {1 h( P- E
received complaints of 34 deaths linked to sudden acceleration
! O$ `# J0 x$ O; f) D( Uof Toyota vehicles since 2000.
' m. s1 {* C/ J9 q4 GLentz, who choked up while discussing the death of his own
; C* A; v7 x1 |* Dbrother more than 20 years ago in a car accident, said he' ]3 v) T. E7 b) }9 G
understood the pain.
" Q- K/ \5 Y- b& q"I know what those families go through," he said.
4 f' U8 X( X) J! U7 N. ]Lentz has said in the past that he was confident Toyota's
6 |( v( Q# K9 h- efixes on the recalled vehicles would correct the problems.; T' z& j. f! z3 s' h% q6 s
But when pressed by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman3 U v, { t! ^1 A4 ?8 Q' U: `
Henry Waxman, D-Calif., on whether the two recalls Toyota put
: b4 S" |" i* A/ q% Rin place to deal with the issue would completely solve it,
1 m- y: ~0 o; X, G1 k+ F9 B! Y& U, z* ZLentz replied: "Not totally."8 P* A' i6 j1 y! t
Still, he said chances of unintended accelerations were
& K3 ^8 z) k7 h6 p9 s. k6 G. h6 Q" {"very, very slim" once the recall was complete. Lentz also said- `# p8 P1 w( B$ Z7 t
Toyota was putting in new brakes that can override the gas
]& }3 s, o6 H4 h# G2 V ^9 L) C5 D0 ?pedal on almost all of its new vehicles and a majority of its! H, h( ]$ h8 A( {( F
vehicles already on the road.
' L" O& L8 G K I( JMeanwhile, Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who will testify
/ [0 W Z- {# Gbefore a separate panel on Wednesday, said he took "full( D; w* F) g, K4 r4 S b
responsibility" for the uncertainty felt by Toyota owners and
4 I& J+ |: K# x4 N) s& y# h/ Goffered his condolences to a San Diego, Calif., family who were
, X u d. M& Okilled in late August, reigniting interest in the problems.3 J( p$ Z" P: P6 x: c7 k
"I will do everything in my power to ensure that such a
5 N, `8 Z1 r) c, Gtragedy never happens again," Toyoda said in prepared testimony q6 U7 x" I8 L2 O" d/ }8 o
for Wednesday's hearing to the House Government Oversight6 \2 u! x! W$ s& k' f# S
Committee. "My name is on every car. You have my personal# e' E+ b5 h( U/ f- x
commitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to1 D( E; m) E% S- k! w- }
restore the trust of our customers."! j$ q/ C! m$ U# }9 O
Lawmakers heard a brief, but riveting, deion from' [1 d8 C `0 W! b/ T2 |
Smith, the Tennessee woman whose Toyota-made Lexus suddenly
4 S& k/ p# k7 Szoomed to 100 miles per hour as she tried to get it to stop --
9 G+ x0 q1 k% R# jshifting to neutral, trying to throw the car into reverse and
. @& y* Z. m6 b2 ohitting the emergency brake. Finally, her car slowed enough% w3 O# Y: _6 _7 u
that she was able to pull it off the road onto the median and
6 f, A' k& `, s4 ?' [$ N* ~turn off the engine.
; I: M4 e$ R8 |4 I8 x$ A8 YFighting back tears, she described her nightmare ride of
. }5 q3 k; ?1 k/ B2 U% h" aOctober 2006, calling it "a near death experience." p/ z6 e5 A0 k- R
"After six miles, God intervened" and slowed the car, she6 L2 f0 | C+ ]. w7 _' C
said. She added that it took a long time for Toyota to respond3 F* e8 O1 p q- m9 l
to her complaints.6 p# R7 R9 a3 f: {$ N( D8 q
In an often contentious full day of testimony, lawmakers7 o: V; S# A0 R0 u4 h, S
returned again and again to the question of whether electronic/ D% F: c* K0 ?# z, d
malfunctions may have contributed to the speeding cars.
5 G( m! [6 O+ B2 w, ` _* E @& G"We are confident that no problems exist with the electric
" d! L* y- v: |2 J5 G, V. fthrottle control system in our vehicles," Lentz said. He cited& h6 d, m8 n- ~& x
"fail-safe mechanisms" in the cars that were designed to shut9 n( b5 }$ Q* V1 |# w$ I
off or reduce engine power "in the event of a system failure."2 m' p4 i# i/ a# m& u. \0 ~; y5 z
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told the panel in1 J# Z2 ~$ }/ R
prepared testimony that possible electronics problems were
# R" g4 D* y0 ~3 s" Zbeing looked into by his agency. He said the company's recalls
+ M1 T) Y! n! jwere important steps but "we don't maintain that they answer
: C' L; R9 u6 w3 x! Fevery question."
! | H# C% l1 k2 s3 J8 m6 N0 mToyota hired a consulting firm to analyze whether) \- N6 D! u9 E3 |# [
electronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The
" y3 b0 a) }# c, b' |firm, Exponent Inc., found no link between the two. But
+ j) I; S& J. [; o' ?: d# E7 icommittee investigators said the testing studied only a small
- n& Q [! U- t( j; P+ g& enumber of vehicles+ Q4 Y! P; y: }* i8 ?! m
Tracking down an electrical problem can be far more9 H6 s) B1 ~% J* B( E* r
difficult, expensive and time-consuming than finding a2 s$ _6 L+ D( f) |
mechanical problem. Electrical problems can have more than one2 u0 G. G8 M0 Q3 I7 k, E5 k9 T- h6 `
source, and they can come from inside or outside the car.4 M; G! `- b' q
Mechanical problems often leave clues such as physical damage,
+ U# `. d3 _( i8 Swhere electronic troubles can be hidden in software or leave no
9 b1 M, ~+ d5 ^- ztrace at all.$ Z! n1 S* h/ \* O6 k
House investigators who reviewed Toyota's customer call
$ ?) I( @! F; Rdatabase found that 70 percent of the complaints of sudden
& ]: M% G% z: h2 u5 racceleration were for vehicles that are not subject to the' ~4 Y# x8 M u& _5 c2 a& f; S2 M
recalls over floor mats or sticky pedals.
! c2 \% |9 I& J$ a7 M/ LRep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the subcommittee,: p" B L8 q, k, C, f6 V; J5 L
said Toyota "misled the American public by saying that they and
; b4 O0 s' p* _/ vother independent sources had thoroughly analyzed the
( ]2 _1 N% D& F1 |: T/ |: C. lelectronics systems and eliminated electronics as a possible
B. T9 P( }6 a1 D6 hcause of sudden unintended acceleration when, in fact, the only9 {7 k3 A& _! O4 x3 N' F* k5 R: O
such review was a flawed study conducted by a company retained
" b# x M, g7 l( B; v8 Gby Toyota's lawyers."
6 c8 X$ f; j4 \' \( j$ q4 R- cLentz apologized anew for the company's slow handling of* N& h$ I7 R* i P
problems. "We have not lived up to the high standards our8 q% W, N" F) v0 U/ N
customers and the public have come to expect from Toyota," he2 q) j5 b8 r8 u/ Z5 \! `3 h
said.
: g- D9 t7 W+ z: W& @6 ? q"Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with! Q' U0 x R7 I3 f1 n$ w
a rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our3 b- B& H9 d+ A+ @5 l6 p2 J
good faith efforts," said Lentz, president and chief operating
# m% v0 h* e' G) k+ _2 W! v# v- R2 v* [officer of Toyota Motor Sales USA. Inc.
' H, R3 S4 _; \9 N! z* Z; ?Separately, among hundreds of Toyota dealers lobbying) e6 ]9 E& q/ Z* e B8 G" l. z2 `
members of Congress Tuesday, there seemed to be widespread; P# W! ^ B, R) P# X- ?) l
rancor toward a federal government they view as picking on the
+ I. A; s+ {# G E" o% h* q, J: jautomaker, at least in part because of the government's$ E8 [- C# {$ R. q& h1 D
investment of billions of dollars in General Motors and# @" V$ Q5 h, L1 l! o! p
Chrysler.
. [8 r+ R! V" t1 U- U"That's hard for me as a citizen to understand why my tax
6 L5 h. j6 Q3 M; }# I3 e1 g1 a, J* Wdollars are going in that direction," Paul Atkinson, a* }1 ?8 u: K1 }+ Q/ t( j2 Q
Houston-area Toyota dealer, said at a news conference that also
1 z8 U! }9 T9 fserved as a pep rally for the visiting dealers. "To compete* c# o: m- x/ U2 }0 X% g0 m3 ^
with the government as an individual entrepreneur is pretty0 k5 a$ @! X& N* B; U+ ^
tough."2 c& p" i. r7 ^% c& H8 D6 ^
---% K6 `) y; s1 ~5 W! r& A4 T
Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Stephen Manning and Tom
+ h* W: h$ h8 _. I/ w. t( M! VRaum in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to
6 e! z; n# y( e9 j- w* I) ?this story.* @4 |0 A% v# r) H8 Y
4 K4 w) b% Q7 [2 X% N( Y-0- Feb/23/2010 21:04 GMT |
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