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.

Dingell Gets the Ax

After their dismal performance at recent Congressional hearings, do you think the chief executives at the Big Three can see the writing on the wall?

The New York Times reports:

"Representative Henry A. Waxman of California ousted Representative John D. Dingell of Michigan from his post as chairman of the influential Committee on Energy and Commerce on Thursday, giving President-elect Barack Obama an advantage in his plans to promote efforts to combat global warming.

"Besides seating a committed environmentalist as head of the energy committee, the vote also removes one of the auto industry’s best friends from a key leadership post — further evidence of how much power the American car-makers, whose executives have been pleading for federal money, have lost in Congress."