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As early leaked reports indicated, Toyota is being exonerated after Congress pushed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to reveal the preliminary findings of its investigation into the cases of "unintended acceleration" of Toyota vehicles.
A Department of Transportation investigation of the black box recorders in 58 Toyota vehicles involved in "unintended acceleration" crashes has revealed that in 35 of those cases the brakes were never engaged. In nine other cases the brakes were only applied immediately before impact. In five additional cases no data was recorded, while in five more it was shown that the brakes were applied early on. One incident showed that both the accelerator and brake were pressed.
Toyota did place a recall for a faulty mechanical brake pedal and for millions of vehicles with what could be improperly installed floor mats – the later which is believed to be a cause of the crash in at least one of the 58 vehicles investigated by NHTSA.
"The limited research completed so far has not led to identification of safety defects other than sticking gas pedals or pedal entrapment," reads the report, clearly indicating that faulty vehicle electronics are not to blame.
Results of the NHTSA investigation are not final and the government agency warns that it may still take months to look over all the vehicles in question.
In response to recent rumors that Toyota’s full-size truck-based SUV, the Sequoia, might be nearing the end of its shelf life, the Japanese automaker issued a statement, aiming to quell the issue. The statement reads as follows:
“Toyota denies any reports of the discontinuation of the Sequoia. For obvious competitive reasons; Toyota does not discuss future product plans. Sequoia continues to be a profitable, high quality vehicle and several years remain in the life of the current generation. Our focus remains on building our vehicles, including Sequoia, with the highest possible quality.”
However, from our observations, the tone of the wording in this statement indicates that perhaps, the rumors might just have some traction, especially in light of upcoming Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards of 35.5 mpg (42 mpg for cars and 26 mpg for light trucks), which will make it tough for large, V8 engined, body-on-frame SUVs like the current Sequoia to meet. Stay tuned for further developments.