Motor Trend reports that, after receiving 33 separate complaints, “the NHTSA has launched an investigation into possible sudden acceleration problems” on 2006-2007 Toyota Tacoma pickups. In an incident receiving a great deal of press attention this week, “Frank Visconi, a retired vehicle theft investigator, was on his way to a Toyota dealer to have his new Tacoma examined for sudden acceleration issues he had been experiencing. As he ran up on another car he tapped the brakes, but instead of slowing down Visconi claims the truck's engine revved suddenly.” Visconi’s Tacoma “jumped an embankment,” and rolled “several times before finally coming to a stop. Miraculously, Visconi was able to walk away from the incident unhurt.”
The Detroit Free Press says that the crash is “one of eight” under investigation. The NHTSA probe is “the fourth such look in three years at Toyota models over similar complaints.” In each previous incident, “no mechanical trend was found, and the NHTSA closed the cases because of a lack of evidence.” Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong told reporters “the company has found no problems with the Tacoma that would explain the complaints.”
UPI notes, “Sudden acceleration has been a mystery for car safety agencies for decades. Six previous investigations have closed without pinpointing any mechanical failure.” An NHTSA report on the issue reached “the inescapable conclusion” that “drivers were pressing the gas pedal unintentionally. But others say that does not explain the tendency of sudden acceleration complaints to come from owners of specific vehicles.”
Autoblog posits several possible explanations. “Possible culprits remain bunched-up floor mats, debris under the brake pedal or gas and brake pedals closer together than drivers are accustomed to.” Last October, Toyota did recall some Camry and Lexus ES 350 sedans in order to install a hook to hold the driver’s side floor mat securely in place, believing that some reports of sudden acceleration may have been caused by floors mats slipping out of position and affecting the performance of the pedals
The probe is a potential public relations nightmare for Toyota. Motor Trend recalls, “Back in 1986, 60 Minutes aired a report examining claims that the Audi 5000 sports sedan had a problem with unintended acceleration, where the car would gain speed unexpectedly and cause drivers to lose control. The story nearly drove Audi out of business.”
Toyota was recently recognized by Consumer Reports for having the second-highest level of quality in the industry. Since then, the company has taken a beating in the press over quality problems. Just this week, reports surfaced of Toyota buying back many Tacoma models that suffered premature rust damage, and the automaker recalled more than half a million small cars due to a potentially dangerous window defect.
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