The problems that lead to Toyota recalls may prompt Congress to strengthen oversight over the auto industry. Rep. Henry Waxman, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee said that ultimately he believes additional legislation will be needed to strengthen the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. The agency may be working in the mechanical age, while cars have today moved into the computer age he says and many regulators at NHTSA lack the necessary skills to critically challenge Toyota’s insistence that it has no problem. In fact, a review of NHTSA has uncovered that there are no electrical or software engineers on staff.
The NHTSA staff is relatively small for the 100 safety investigations it launches every year and 30,000 complaints it takes in. When there is a problem, the agency nudges auto makers into voluntary recalls rather than forcing them. Over the past three years, NHTSA has led 524 recalls involving 23.5 million vehicles. Waxman’s committee criticized NHTSA and its handling of those consumer complaints over Toyota and Lexus cars and their problems with sudden acceleration and brakes that don’t work.
Source Article: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M6NC20100224?type=politicsNews
Toyota Corp. and the safety questions it is raising could eventually lead to Congress strengthening government oversight of the auto industry. That is according to Rep. Henry Waxman who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He told that to a hearing on Toyota, raising the reality that federal highway safety regulators do not have there wherewithal and expertise to evaluate the increasingly sophisticated computer-generated electronics that commandeer today’s vehicles. In other words, NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is still in the old days when cars were commanded by mechanics, not electronics. Traditionally, NHTSA studied fuel efficiency standards and auto safety. It receives about 30,000 consumer complaints a year. And the agency relies on a voluntary recall from industry when it finds a problem. NHTSA has overseen about 524 recalls over the past three years involving more than 23 million vehicles.
This flood of recalls surrounding one manufacturer, Toyota, is unprecedented.
Expect new regulatory action and renewed funding to NHTSA to bring it up to modern times. Amazingly, NHTSA does not have electric or software engineers. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says NHTSA is adding staff. He disputed the committee’s assessment that there are no electrical engineering specialists.
Rep. Waxman’s committee has chastised the way NHTSA handled consumer complaints of unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota says it has taken it upon itself to open up its problem to an outside review.
Expect new Toyotas to have a brake override system in case of a runaway acceleration, as may be deemed necessary by government mandate.
Ralph Nader, consumer advocate, founder of Public Citizen. He may know more about automobile safety than almost anyone. Nader has been criticizing Detroit automakers for more than four decades since his book, Unsafe At Any Speed, a critical look at the Chevy Corvair.
Speaking out about the current Toyota fiasco, Nader believes the floor mats which have been blamed as the cause of the runaway vehicles, is a ruse. First of all, he says there is not a recall in Japan, and Japan and the U.S. use two different suppliers. He too points to problems with NHTSA which he says is operating at a budget roughly 55% of what it had in 1980. Nader wonders why Toyota is not including vehicles made before 2005 in the recalls. They were the focus of six unintentional acceleration petitions since 2003.
Nader believes the sticking throttle problem has plagued Toyota since 1986, but back then things were much simpler. Now with computerized components, they all have to be tested to get to the bottom of the problem. The more electronics, the less mechanics can deal with the problems. Nader believes the brake override system will not fix the fundamental computer problem.
If you have a Toyota and are concerned what should you do according to Nader? “Better learn to brake and put it in neutral at the same time,” he advises.
Toyota, the troubled motor company that can’t seem to catch a break, has plans to redesign its push-button ignition. The keyless starter was a conversation piece when it was developed a few years back. It allows drivers with the appropriate key on hand, to push a button and start the car. It didn’t seem like the key was a useless innovation, but the starter button had all the feel of a Jetson automobile of the future. The problem has been when you are in one of the vehicles accelerating out of control, how do you stop it? Turns out you need to hold down the button for three seconds, but when you are careening out of control, who thinks of that? Safety experts remind us that it is counterintuitive, according to a Los Angeles Times story. So Toyota Motor Corp., based in Japan, is considering a redesign of the keyless ignition system. By tapping the button three times in a row, the engine would be shut off. That doesn’t sound like much of an innovation when you are in a panic.
No Federal Standards
There are no federal standards that regulate the technology, even though it’s been offered for at least five years. Currently there are 155 vehicles that offer the keyless ignition systems. Some require a single tap to shut down, others require a lengthy hold-down.
The keyless or “Smart Key” system was considered to be a significant factor contributing to the crash that killed a California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family in San Diego last August, when their loaner Lexus went out of control. Since that accident, Toyota has announced a series of major recalls to address the sudden acceleration problem. So far more than 10 million vehicles have been recalled because of acceleration or problem braking. Two million vehicles have more than one of the problems.
Brake Override System
All of this keyless talk may be a mute point if and when Toyota installs a brake override system in its new cars. When touching the brake, the car is brought back to idle. Expect to see brake override in new Toyota models starting with 2011, including the Camry, Avalon, Lexus IS and Lexus ES. A decision has not yet been made about putting the brake override in eight other models, Highlander, Corolla, Venza, Matrix, Prius, Tacoma, Tundra and Pontiac Vibe.
As if Toyota didn’t have enough trouble with the sudden acceleration of some models that have led to a massive recall worldwide – now comes word that there are a growing number of complaints about the popular Prius hybrid 2010 model and a brake problem. According to a CNN Money article, more than 100 complaints have been lodged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a newly designed version in 2010 that was introduced last summer. And it isn’t just a domestic problem. In Japan there have been 14 similar complaints about brake malfunctions according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. A spokesman says that the problem owners report is that when they step on the brake they do not get a full braking feel. It reportedly happens when drivers are taking the cars over bumpy roads or a frozen surface. A complaint into NHTSA sounds very similar:
“I have been driving my 2010 Prius for 6 months and have experienced the following nearly 10 times,” wrote one owner, “When braking, if a pothole or bump in the road is hit, the car seemingly jerks forward/accelerates for a split second.”
This is very bad news for Toyota as the Prius is the third most popular car they sell behind the Camry and Corolla. Prius adds to the recalled 2.3 million vehicles in January due to sticking gas pedals and the recall of 4.2 million cars for what’s called a sticking pedal under the floor mats. The new Prius recall adds another 1.1 million cars to the mix.
What can owners do? Take it to the dealer and you are likely to be dismissed as being more sensitive than other drivers to the feeling of weaker brakes. That is not the right answer or the correct approach to take with Toyota owners. Stay safe and insist on answers from the world’s largest automaker. If you have trouble with your Toyota, contact an experienced Jacksonville injury attorney to help guide you get the answers you deserve.
