For Immediate Release: Friday, February 12, 2010
Contact: Oversight and Government Reform Committee Press Office, (202) 225-5051

Toyota Provides Response to Chairman Towns’ Inquiry

Clarifies outstanding questions about safety of vehicles, unintended acceleration in various Toyota models

WASHINGTON – Toyota Motor Company provided a response to Chairman Edolphus "Ed" Towns' (D-NY) inquiry from February 3, 2010, asking for clarification on several issues related to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's investigation into Toyota's recall of millions of vehicles due to reports of unintended acceleration in various Toyota models.

As part of the investigation, on February 2, 2010, officials from Toyota met with Committee staff to discuss a number of issues related to the ongoing concerns related to the unintended acceleration problem.  While Toyota executives provided a number of explanations that explained how Toyota first identified the acceleration issue and also how it is intends to address it, several questions were raised that require additional information.  Therefore, Chairman Towns asked Toyota to provide additional clarity regarding several questions including the safety of Toyota vehicles, alleged problems associated with floor mats, reported problems with the Toyota Tacoma and any plans Toyota is considering to expand brake override capability to existing models.

Chairman Towns announced last month that the Committee is investigating Toyota’s recall millions of Toyota vehicles due to reports of malfunctioning gas pedals and scheduled a hearing for February 24, 2010 titled, “Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public At Risk?”  The hearing will examine the Federal government’s response to the recall, and to gain a better understanding of the nature of the sudden acceleration problem in Toyota vehicles and what should be done about it.

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Documents and Links

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Letter from Toyota Motor North America to Chairman Edolphus Towns

Exponent Toyota Report