NHTSA: no electronic flaws in Toyotas

It’s basically the same message that leaked out seven months ago. In a new post at Cato at Liberty, I raise some questions about why it took so long to release the study results.

More: Jalopnik, Coyote, Marc Hodak, Rick Woldenberg/AmendTheCPSIA, Dan Fisher/Forbes, Dan Bigman/Forbes (LaHood: “no defect, but we’ll regulate the industry anyway”); Carter Wood/ShopFloor and more, Ted Frank/PoL (class action over loss of resale value continues), New York Times, Leonard Evans/AOL. My March 2010 National Review piece “Exorcising Toyota’s Demons” is here. And welcome readers from Instapundit, Charlie Martin/PJ Tatler, Pejman Yousefzadeh, Roger Donway/Atlas Society, Ira Stoll/Future of Capitalism.

4 Comments

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  • […] never was a problem with the electronic components of Toyota acclerators. […]

  • NBC nightly news seemed to do about everything in their power to discredit the report. They started by saying many people won’t believe the finding. Included emotionally charged personal accounts. And finished by implying that the test size of 75 cars was too small.

  • Actually the electronic flaws in the Toyota are those in between the ears of the operators, when they stomp the gas instead of the brakes. But these flaws aren’t the responsibility of the manufacturer.

    These results can be easily replicated – have operator stomp on gas and get sudden acceleration. The black box shows a wide open throttle, consistent with operator applying full gas.

    Throw in a bit of panic from the young inexperienced (preferred cute) or elderly, no longer at the top of their game, driver and all of the sudden it’s the car’s fault. Get a shark, cherry pick 12 dolts, insuring none of them are mechanically or electrically adept or have any engineering or “hard” physical science training and ka’ching….one rich verdict. Yup….justice.

    Scott: You mean NBC, the same folks who like to strap model rocket engines to those “dangerous” Chevy trucks to show how they blow up / catch fire in side impacts, don’t believe that Toyota’s electronics aren’t at fault? (Slapping my head in mock disbelief.)