Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Toyota Motor Corp stands firm that its electronic throttle system is in no way defective and has not contributed towards the unintended acceleration issues that have recently forced the recall of more than 8 million Toyota vehicles. According to a Reuters news report, independent testing of Toyota vehicles has led some to believe unintended acceleration issues are the result of faulty electronic systems. This belief is being challenged by Toyota, who, after helping fund similar studies, holds onto the claim that a mechanical defect is ultimately to blame.

Reportedly, an engineering expert at Southern Illinois University recently told a congressional panel that he had found a flaw in Toyota's accelerator controls which could enable a vehicle to unintentionally accelerate. However, studies conducted at Stanford University and engineering company Exponent both claim that the findings were not conducive to real-world driving, and that engineering manipulation was required to create such results. As one Exponent engineer explained, "As engineers we could rewire anything, but that is not realistic."

While time will tell whether or not the problems with Toyota vehicles stem from electronic errors or mechanical defects, the fact of the matter is simple: Toyota vehicles have been recalled for various reasons due to safety concerns.