May 26, 2010
This is Toyota Fast Facts, an update on breaking news, our recent recalls
and the work we are doing to make things right for our customers. For
additional information and breaking news, please visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
1. Key House Democrats Reach Compromise on Auto Safety Bill
The Detroit News this morning reported that key Democrats in the U.S. House
of Representatives have reached a compromise on legislation to reform auto
safety laws that will, according to the report, soften many of the proposed
new rules.
The compromise bill authored by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of
the House Energy and Commerce Committee, “addresses many concerns raised by
automakers,” the News reports.
According to the article, the revised bill leaves more final decisions to
federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), rather than setting specific requirements, gives automakers more
time to comply with new safety requirements and caps civil fines related to
recalls (although at a much higher level than the current cap). In
addition, the proposed bill requires NHTSA to establish standards for pedal
placement in new vehicles and addresses the amount of data that event data
recorders (EDRs) need to capture before a crash.
The committee could vote today to send the bill to the full House of
Representatives for consideration. A Senate committee is expected to
consider its version of an auto safety bill on
2. NHTSA Reports Increased Number of Acceleration Complaints but Notes
That Incidents Have Not Been Verified
NHTSA on Tuesday reported that it now has 6,200 reports of unintended
acceleration in Toyota vehicles from 2000 through May 20 of this year.
This is up from 2,600 complaints reported in March. NHTSA warned, however,
that these complaints have not been verified.
In addition, NHTSA said these unverified complaints include claims of 89
deaths related to reported unintended acceleration incidents, up from 52
reported in March. Press reports on the number of incidents over the past
few months have varied widely.
In response to media inquiries, Toyota said: “Toyota sympathizes with the
individuals and families involved in any accident involving our vehicles.
We are making an all-out effort to ensure our vehicles are safe and we
remain committed to investigating incidents of unintended acceleration in
our vehicles quickly.”
The company also stated: “It is important to remember that many complaints
in the NHTSA database, for any manufacturer, lack sufficient detail that
could help identify the cause of an accident.”
Reports in the NHTSA database are anonymous and unverified. For example,
more than a quarter of all reports submitted over the last 10 years include
no Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), making it impossible to verify
them. Thousands more contain inaccurate or incomplete VIN
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This is Toyota Fast Facts, an update on breaking news, our recent recalls
and the work we are doing to make things right for our customers. For
additional information and breaking news, please visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
1. Key House Democrats Reach Compromise on Auto Safety Bill
The Detroit News this morning reported that key Democrats in the U.S. House
of Representatives have reached a compromise on legislation to reform auto
safety laws that will, according to the report, soften many of the proposed
new rules.
The compromise bill authored by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of
the House Energy and Commerce Committee, “addresses many concerns raised by
automakers,” the News reports.
According to the article, the revised bill leaves more final decisions to
federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), rather than setting specific requirements, gives automakers more
time to comply with new safety requirements and caps civil fines related to
recalls (although at a much higher level than the current cap). In
addition, the proposed bill requires NHTSA to establish standards for pedal
placement in new vehicles and addresses the amount of data that event data
recorders (EDRs) need to capture before a crash.
The committee could vote today to send the bill to the full House of
Representatives for consideration. A Senate committee is expected to
consider its version of an auto safety bill on
2. NHTSA Reports Increased Number of Acceleration Complaints but Notes
That Incidents Have Not Been Verified
NHTSA on Tuesday reported that it now has 6,200 reports of unintended
acceleration in Toyota vehicles from 2000 through May 20 of this year.
This is up from 2,600 complaints reported in March. NHTSA warned, however,
that these complaints have not been verified.
In addition, NHTSA said these unverified complaints include claims of 89
deaths related to reported unintended acceleration incidents, up from 52
reported in March. Press reports on the number of incidents over the past
few months have varied widely.
In response to media inquiries, Toyota said: “Toyota sympathizes with the
individuals and families involved in any accident involving our vehicles.
We are making an all-out effort to ensure our vehicles are safe and we
remain committed to investigating incidents of unintended acceleration in
our vehicles quickly.”
The company also stated: “It is important to remember that many complaints
in the NHTSA database, for any manufacturer, lack sufficient detail that
could help identify the cause of an accident.”
Reports in the NHTSA database are anonymous and unverified. For example,
more than a quarter of all reports submitted over the last 10 years include
no Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), making it impossible to verify
them. Thousands more contain inaccurate or incomplete VIN
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