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.
