W Post: Toyota is hardly off the hook (head of the NHTSA from 1977 to 1981)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/12/AR2010091203178.html

This is the second letter. Be sure to read the first letter by an unintended aceloration victim too.


Monday, September 13, 2010

While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is still investigating the reasons for sudden acceleration of some Toyota vehicles, the Sept. 6 editorial "Sudden acceleration" reached the mystifying conclusion that "human error could be the cause."

The editorial apparently relied on NHTSA's recent evaluation of 58 data recorders in 2007-2010 Toyotas (earlier models have no data recorders) that crashed after sudden acceleration. The evaluation showed that in 35 cases, no brake was applied. But these data recorders are notoriously unreliable, as Toyota experts have testified in court. They can be downloaded only with Toyota's own readers, and the results too often are not credible (in one case a Toyota recorder showed the vehicle hit a tree at 177 mph).

NHTSA and NASA are exploring all possible causes, including electronic vehicle controls, mechanical failure, human error and interference with the accelerator system, but the agencies have drawn no conclusions beyond the two defects already known: pedal entrapment and sticking gas pedals.

The editorial nevertheless concluded, "So far, the only answer is that the customer is not always right." It excused the president of Toyota for not wanting to blame his customers and for taking responsibility, but just maybe he knows something you don't.

Joan Claybrook, Washington

The writer was president of Public Citizen from 1982 to 2009 and head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 1977 to 1981.

[Omaha Steve]

1. Kick