Saturday, February 20, 2010

Toyota and Congressional Hearings

Abraham Alberto, left, with two of his children Lilia and Douglas stands in his party store holding a memorial poster for his wife, Guadalupe Alberto, who was killed when the 2005 Toyota Camry she was driving crashed in Flint. (Photo courtesy of MSNBC)


Much like Tiger Woods, it now appears Toyota's image doesn't quite match reality. Peter
Whoriskey and Kimberly Kindy of the Washington Post report on three deadly crashes involving Toyota's, including one that occurred in Flint:
But in each of those three fatal episodes, the car involved was a 2005 Toyota Camry, a model that the company has indicated is free of the acceleration defects: It has not been recalled for either the sticky pedal or the floor mat interference.

"This raises a huge red flag," said Clarence Ditlow, director of the Center for Auto Safety.

He and other safety advocates have their own suspicions, aroused by a history of glitchy behavior in the electronics that control Toyota's engines.

"Many unintended accelerations do not appear to be explained by floor mats and sticky pedals," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), who is holding the Tuesday hearing on the recalls. "One of the key questions we will ask at the hearing is whether electronic defects could be responsible."

Toyota officials declined to comment on the cases because they are in litigation.



1 comment:

  1. I remember when the crash happened here. The gash on that tree on Copeman Boulevard was huge, and no one knew why this old lady would drive eighty down that street, crossing Ballenger Highway in the process. The accelerator sticking makes perfect sense.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.