Toyota’s image under scrutiny

[rickaren]

Toyota’s image under scrutiny

Posted on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 2:18 PM EST. (Employee News)

For years, Toyota Motor Corp. has investigated complaints from drivers saying their Toyota and Lexus vehicles accelerated all by themselves, and the company has identified essentially one cause, The Detroit News reported. The trouble, according to Toyota, occurs when loose or ill-fitting floor mats, carpet covers or detached trim jam the gas pedal, the paper said.

But after a highly publicized crash in August that killed four people when the driver lost control of a Lexus sedan, Toyota has come under intense pressure to reduce the risk of unintended acceleration, the News said.

The Japanese automaker and U.S. safety regulators are discussing changes to the gas pedal, as well as adjustments that would make it easier to stop a car that’s accelerating, according to sources familiar with the negotiations, the paper said. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 15 fatalities, including the four in August, are linked to hundreds of reports of unintended acceleration of Toyotas it has received since 2002, the story said. (The Detroit News)