Floored 0
I haven’t followed this closely, though I have read the newspaper stories and I listened to this (which, although titled “U. S. Auto Industry,” turned into a discussion of Toyota’s Pintos), but, frankly, it is easy to wonder there might be more to this than floormats and friction:
But Tuesday, U.S. officials joined outside experts in suggesting that a third factor may be to blame in some cases: a so-far-unidentified failure in the vehicles’ electronic throttle systems.
Toyota Motor Corp. and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) say they have explored that possibility and come up dry.
“We have investigated every type of possible interference with the electronic throttle controls and have found nothing – nothing with the electronics or the computers – that could lead to unintended acceleration,” said Toyota spokeswoman Cindy Knight. . . .
But outside experts on automobiles, computers, and electronics welcomed a renewed focus on the possibility that something other than errant floor mats and sticky pedals could be at work.
