U.S. Gov’t Study Finds No Electrical Problems In Toyotas

A U.S. government study failed to find any evidence of problems in electric throttles that were believed to have caused sudden and unintended acceleration in Toyotas. The automaker launched a massive global recall involving 12 million vehicles starting in 2009.

The American Transportation Department, with the help of NASA engineers, released the results of its 10-month study Tuesday conducted at the behest of the U.S. Congress in response to consumer complaints.

Officials said faulty electronics aren’t the culprit and said sticky accelerator pedals and reports of gas pedals getting tangled in floor mats could be the possible causes of the unwanted acceleration.

Toyota has recalled more than 12 million vehicles since the fall of 2009, including 270,000 in Canada. The sudden acceleration problem was highlighted when four people were killed in a high-speed crash involving a Lexus in San Diego.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received 3,000 reports of sudden acceleration in Toyotas, including five deaths confirmed to be associated with the problem.

The automaker paid nearly $50 million in fines to the American government for its recall response.

NASA engineers pulled apart nine Toyotas that consumers complained had experienced unintended acceleration and hit the vehicles with electro-magnetic radiation to see if it had an effect on the electronics. The engineers also pored over the software that controls the throttle and found no problems.

The National Academy of Sciences is conducting its own study of unintended acceleration and will release its findings this fall.

Toyota has been installing brake override systems on new vehicles that cuts the throttle when the brake and gas pedals are pressed simultaneously. American lawmakers want that system to be made mandatory on all vehicles.

With files from the Associated Press.

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