ABC Report on Toyota Raises Questions
Last night, “ABC Evening News” aired a report that showed a Southern Illinois University assistant professor causing unintended acceleration in a Toyota Avalon. Rather than focusing on sticky accelerator pedals or floormats — the impetus for Toyota’s two major recalls — professor David Gilbert used an electrical short to create an error in the electronic throttle, leading to uncontrollable acceleration that also was not noted as an error by the onboard computer.
It’s a vivid report that raises more questions. Most glaring to us, the report doesn’t say exactly what type of electrical short is sent through the car. It only says it is the type of short caused by moisture or corrosion. The video also shows the car being brought to a controlled stop using brakes and shifting the transmission into Neutral. The big revelation is that the diagnostic tools never record an error at all. Toyota continues to deny — even this morning — that there is any problem with its electronic throttle.
Toyota issued a response to the ABC News report, saying Gilbert contacted them last week with his findings regarding his test using a Tundra truck, not the Avalon he used in the ABC test. Toyota replicated his testing methods with the Tundra and said it could not re-create the unintended acceleration. The company says it was surprised to see the Avalon in the report and would be willing to join Gilbert and ABC News for another test with its engineers present.
Southern Illinois University has a two-year automotive engineering program that trains students for jobs as “manufacturers’ technical and customer assistance specialists, field service engineers, corporate and public school automotive instructors, technical writers, program developers, fleet service managers, dealership service and parts managers, and field executives.” According to the school’s website, the Automotive Technology faculty meets with an advisory board made up of representatives from many automakers, including Toyota.
A letter from the members of the congressional panel holding hearings today to Toyota’s president of U.S. sales Jim Lentz reprimanded the company relying on a third-party test because that firm tested only seven models in its first stage of testing, and only one was a recalled model. Gilbert will be testifying today before a congressional panel, showing the results of his tests of at least two models.
