WASHINGTON — A House committee on Friday questioned the rigor of Toyota’s sudden-acceleration tests, challenging the automaker’s commitment to finding the causes of safety problems that have led to millions of recalled vehicles.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee told Toyota executive Jim Lentz in a letter that there is “an absence of documents” to show whether the company thoroughly investigated the possibility of unintended acceleration. The committee asked who is involved with the testing and demanded that it be given quarterly reports detailing allegations of the unwanted acceleration.
“We do not understand the basis for Toyota’s repeated assertions that it is ‘confident’ there are no electronic defects contributing to incidents of sudden unintended acceleration,” wrote Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich.
Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide to address gas pedals that can become sticky or trapped under floor mats, prompting scrutiny from Congress. The world’s No. 1 automaker has said it is investigating reports of sudden acceleration but remains confident there are no problems with Toyota’s electronic throttle control systems.
Adding to the doubts, the government has received more than 60 complaints from Toyota owners who had their vehicles fixed following the recalls but say they’ve had more problems with their vehicles surging forward unintentionally.
