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It seems the drama surrounding Toyota’s unintended acceleration woes is anything but over. New data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests that the sudden acceleration may be linked to as many as 89 fatalities since 2000.
The NHTSA indicated it had received nearly 6200 complaints regarding acceleration issues in Toyotas from 2000 through mid-May, including 89 deaths and 57 injuries. Those figures are higher than what the agency had previously reported — at one point, the NHTSA said 52 fatalities were possibly tied to the issue.
In a statement, Toyota said it “sympathizes with the individuals and families involved in any accident involving [Toyota] vehicles.” The automaker says it committed to investigating reports of unintended acceleration, but notes “many complaints in the NHTSA database, for any manufacturer, lack sufficient detail that could help identify the cause of an accident.”
Toyota has already recalled nearly 5.4 million vehicles to correct floor mats that could trap accelerator pedals, along with recalling an additional 2.3 million cars and trucks to repair sticking accelerator pedals. During testimony before the U.S. Congress last week, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. President Jim Lentz indicated that U.S. dealers have fixed nearly 3.5 million vehicles affected by the recalls and inspected over 2000 vehicles. Lentz insists there is no evidence that electronics are to blame for the acceleration spurts.
Source: Detroit News
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