In the wake of multiple Congressional hearings regarding 8.5 million recalled Toyota vehicles, U.S. officials have said that adding a brake override system to all future cars may be a suitable solution to avoiding similar problems down the road.
During the most recent Congressional hearing, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that a federal mandate for brake override devices was being considered. The override system functions by giving the brake pedal input complete priority over the accelerator pedal, thus, in the event that both pedals are depressed simultaneously, the vehicle will respond to the brake pedal and discontinue the application of throttle. Although these systems would not fix the root cause of computer related cases of unintended acceleration, it would at least offer a safety solution to drivers.
A key point discussed during the hearing was the presentation of information by State Farm – the nation’s largest insurer – that pointed out a doubling of claims of unintended acceleration cases with Toyota vehicles beginning in 2002 when Toyota first began installing computer-controlled throttle-by-wire systems. This evidence strongly suggests a correlation between throttle-by-wire (computer) malfunctions and unintended acceleration.
Despite the evidence presented, Toyota’s chief engineer and executive vice president, Takeshi Uchiyamada, said, “I want to be absolutely clear: As a result of our extensive testing, we do not believe sudden unintended acceleration because of a defect in our [electronic throttle control system] has ever happened.”
During the hearings, Senator Jay Rockefeller suggested that Toyota was not being fully forthcoming in its reporting, stating, “There is more knowledge at the table than has disclosed itself.”
Rockefeller went on to accuse NHTSA of being incapable of properly investigating the source of the problem – pointing to the lack of expertise in electrical or computer engineering. “I think NHTSA investigators would rather focus on floor mats than microchips because they understand floor mats. It’s a major letdown on NHTSA’s part, looking back and up to the present,” said Rockefeller.
Senator Rockefeller, a Democrat from West Virginia, has a long history of supporting Toyota. Rockefeller was heavily involved in landing the engine plant in Buffalo, West Virginia, in addition to being close friends with the Toyoda family for decades. Rockefeller even went as far as walking the fields along with Toyota executives to scout for a suitable location for their plant, stating, “I felt like a full-fledged member of that site selection team.”
References
1. ‘U.S. considers brake override…’ view
2. ‘Government may mandate bra…’ view
3. ‘Senate investigators’ ties…’ view
