Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

A recent LA Times article reported that a live webcast on March 8, 2010 will discuss Toyota’s defenses against claims of electronic throttle problems made by an automotive technology assistant professor from Southern Illinois University. According to the article, the assistant professor presented his study results to Congress in February, pinpointing electronic issues as the culprit for recalled Toyota vehicles experiencing unintended acceleration and throttle problems.

While the assistant professor has concluded that wiring failure in recalled Toyota cars is connected to sudden acceleration, Toyota has denied such claims of electronic flaw. Based on the article, the automaker referred to the assistant professor’s study as “completely unrealistic under real-world conditions.” Through the webcast, Toyota is supposed to present their defense by re-creating the study and providing rebuttals made by experts from Stanford University’s Center for Automotive Research.

Auto manufacturers are responsible for designing, testing, and creating vehicles that are free of defect or flaw before putting them on the market. The assistant professor involved in the Toyota throttle study asserts that automotive electronics may cause a vehicle to experience problems if the components are not properly tested to respond to extreme vibrations or temperatures.