Earlier this year Leftlane reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation involving Toyota ’s Tacoma pickup truck for unintended acceleration, and it looks as though the situation has only worsened over the last few weeks. Since April, the NHTSA’s number of complaints have skyrocketed from 33 to 431.
Moreover, the NHTSA is now reporting 51 crashes and 12 injuries linked to the possible defect, up from just 8 crashes and no injuries just two months ago, according to the Detroit Free Press.
In the face of mounting evidence, Toyota continues to deny that there are any problems with the Tacoma. The Japanese automaker claims the majority of the complaints are “minor drivability issues and are not indicative of a safety-related defect” and the more serious complaints were “inspired by publicity.”
“Toyota believes that it is likely that many of the consumer complaints about the general issue of unwanted acceleration … as well as many of the complaints about this subject that have been received by Toyota, were inspired by publicity,” Toyota said in a letter to the NHTSA released Thursday.
Despite Toyota’s claim, the Detroit Free Press has discovered that 403 of the 514 complaints Toyota received came after October 2007, the first time any local or national news agency reported on the story.
The possible defect could impact 775,000 Tacomas built between 2004 and 2008.
