Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles that were cited in cases of unintended acceleration have to be examined for all the possible causes, according to David Strickland, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
At the first meeting of a National Academy of Sciences panel that is reviewing the issue, Strickland said that all efforts must be made to determine the “vulnerabilities in these systems.” Previously, Toyota has said that its vehicles tended to speed up suddenly due to stuck accelerators or floor mats snagging. However, several lawmakers and auto-safety advocates have pointed to the likelihood of defects in its electronic throttle controls. Toyota denies this. Strickland added that unintended acceleration cases have been reported for “every major automaker.” NASA, the US space agency, is conducting a separate review at the request of the NHTSA.
