Washington, Feb 4 (DPA) US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Wednesday softened his tone towards Toyota Motors after earlier urging owners of the cars in Toyota’s massive recall to “stop driving” them.
His remarks had led to a furore among car owners and caused Toyota stock to plummet.
“We need to fix the problem so people don’t have to worry about disengaging the engine or slamming the brakes on or put it in neutral,” LaHood said Wednesday at hearing before a Congressional panel.
He was referring to advice from industry experts about how to slow down a runaway car by hitting the brakes and shifting into neutral.
“If anybody owns one of these vehicles, stop driving it and take it to a Toyota dealer,” he said.
LaHood latter issued a statement saying: “I want to encourage owners of any recalled Toyota models to contact their local dealer and get their vehicles fixed as soon as possible.”
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration “will continue to hold Toyota’s feet to the fire to make sure that they are doing everything they have promised to make their vehicles safe. We will continue to investigate all possible causes of these safety issues,” he said.
Toyota then issued a statement that it appreciated LaHood’s clarification.
“We want to make sure our customers understand that this situation is rare and generally does not occur suddenly. In the rare instances where it does occur, the vehicle can be controlled with firm and steady application of the brakes,” it said.
“Our message to Toyota owners is this – if you experience any issues with your accelerator pedal, please contact your dealer without delay. If you are not experiencing any issues with your pedal, we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive.”
While the recall of more than 5 million cars focuses mostly on problems with a sticking gas pedal and resulting uncontrollable acceleration, federal regulators are also investigating whether engine electronics could be at fault, according to the Washington
Post.
The report said that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had launched a probe into the electronic throttle controls and computerized gas pedal systems now found in most cars.
Toyota Monday dismissed the possibility of an electronics problem.
The company is shipping repair kits to dealers to fix the gas pedal problem.
