Grassley
writes NHTSA over Toyota investigation.
In an
article carried by 91 outlets, the AP (7/13) reported that Sen. Charles Grassley
sent a letter Thursday to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
which questioned "whether the government thoroughly investigated
electronic gremlins that could have caused Toyota vehicles to accelerate
unexpectedly." According to Grassley, "key questions remain
unanswered about what caused Toyota's unintended acceleration problems, despite
investigations by NHTSA and NASA that found electronic defects weren't to
blame." Specifically, "Grassley questions whether a phenomenon called
'tin whiskers' inside the gas pedal assembly or other electronics could be a
cause, citing information sent to his office by whistleblowers." In his
letter, Grassley requested that NHTSA explain its stance on tin whiskers and
whether they could have caused unintended acceleration in Toyota. NHTSA said it
would respond to Grassley's letter. Lynda Tran, a NHTSA spokeswoman, said in a
statement that the known reasons for unintended acceleration in Toyotas were
sticking accelerator pedals and gas pedals that became trapped by floor
matting.
The Los Angeles Times (7/13, Puzzanghera)
reported, "Grassley said whistle-blowers recently have provided his office
with information suggesting that the investigation by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, with the help of NASA engineers, 'may have been
too narrow." Grassley also wrote "that NASA engineers said just
because they did not find proof that Toyota Motor Corp.'s electronic throttle
control system caused the reports of unintended acceleration 'does not mean it
could not occur.'"
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