The “unnamed source” has been used by journalists to expose important news stories (“Deep Throat” helped Bob Woodward uncover Watergate) but has also been used to mask ineffective coverage. Conflicting reports concerning Toyota and the NHTSA investigation of its “sudden acceleration” recalls have both relied on “unnamed sources” at the NHTSA.

The Wall Street Journal cited an unnamed source that claimed that results of NHTSA tests indicate that “driver error” is the leading cause of unintended acceleration in Toyota. According to the article, no new defects (beyond the sticky accelerator and the floor mat interference issues previously addressed by Toyota) have been found.

However, an automotive web site has made the claim that Toyota “planted” the story with the Wall Street Journal, again citing “unnamed sources” at the NHTSA. The article, which first appeared in just-auto.com, has been picked up internationally.

Since there is no NHTSA report as yet, the NHTSA has not officially commented, one way or the other. In the meantime, the question is being elevated to “he said, he said” status. But is this entirely fair?

First, the Wall Street Journal article appears to be true. Whether it was instigated by Toyota or by “unnamed sources” at the NHTSA aside, it appears to accurately describe the NHTSA investigation.

Second, it is logical to conclude that a writer at the Wall Street Journal might have access to sources at the NHTSA. Less likely is that just-auto.com has access to those sources. Just-auto is a UK-based web site. The author of the article, Simon Warburton, has been covering the automotive industry as a web journalist for only about six months now. It seems unlikely that he has uncovered a source at the NHTSA who is willing to attack the credibility of Toyota and the Wall Street Journal while no other media outlet in the world has uncovered such a source.

Still, in the world of instant news, somehow the just-auto story has been elevated to the same status as the Wall Street Journal story. It’s just easier to repeat the sensational headline than to do a little research.

On January 16, 2010, as Toyota executives debated how to handle the question of sticking gas pedals. As the executives debated the situation, then Irv Miller urged his colleagues to make the information public.

“We are not protecting our customers by keeping this quiet. The time to hide on this one is over. We need to come clean.” Miller added, “We better just hope that they can get NHTSA to work with us in coming with a workable solution that does not put us out of business.”

As other executives argued that the problem should be kept quiet until a solution could be found, Miller expressed his concerns that the accelerator problem was a safety issue and that Toyota needed to act quickly in announcing that.

Miller was group vice president for environment and public affairs at the time. His February 1 retirement was announced on December 16. His e-mails are a part of the 70,000 pages of documents that the government has received from Toyota as part of its investigation of the automaker’s handling of its recall issues.

Toyota issued a statement saying that it, “does not comment on internal company communications and cannot comment on Mr. Miller’s email.”

Toyota and the NHTSA have both released initial reports regarding the reported “runaway Prius” driven by Jim Sikes in a much publicized incident that occurred on March 8.

Sikes claimed that the accelerator in his Prius had become stuck and that he was unable to stop the vehicle. ToyoLand.com reported on that incident and then reported on inconsistencies that were present in Mr. Sikes’ story.

Now, the preliminary reports show that Mr. Sikes’ story is unlikely. The NHTSA reports that it has been unable to duplicate events as Mr. Sikes claims that they happened. Toyota takes it a step further, stating, “Toyota engineers believe that it would be extremely difficult for the Prius to be driven at a continuous high speed with more than light brake-pedal pressure, and that the assertion that the vehicle could not be stopped with the brakes is fundamentally inconsistent with basic vehicle design and the investigation observations.”

Toyoata’s statement adds, “These findings suggest that there should be further examination of Mr. Sikes account of the events of March 8.”

Analysis of the onboard computer shows that during the drive, there were repeated, quick applications of the brake and the accelerator- as if someone had intentionally “ridden” the brakes. A firm press of the brake would automatically cut the accelerator- a design issue with the Prius (all hybrids) because pressing both pedals would ultimately cause the electric engine to overload and seize up.

In fact, data indicates that the brakes were pressed more than 250 times during the incident and that they worked normally each time.

Brake wear on the Prius seemed to support the electronic testing, as front brakes were found to have overheated from being partially depressed but were still functional. Rear brakes were undamaged.

All systems in the Prius that would have prevented unintended acceleration in the vehicle were working and there was no indication of mechanical or electrical interference with the accelerator.

Jim Sikes, driver of the widely reported “runaway Prius” earlier this week, has told his story. However, ToyoLand.com has discovered potential inconsistencies in Mr. Sikes’ story.

The first question- one investigators will be looking at closely- is how the car was able to accelerate while the brake was depressed. The Prius comes with a brake override system that should automatically halt acceleration once the brake is depressed. If the problem was caused by “unintended acceleration,” then the braking system would have had to fail as well.

Second, Mr. Sikes claims to have taken his recall notice to a dealer two weeks ago only to be told that his car was not a part of the recall. Although the 2008 Prius he was driving was involved in a November, 2009 recall for the floormat issue, no recall letters have been sent to Prius drivers yet- those are scheduled to be sent out later this year as part of a “rolling” recall that has begun with other Toyota vehicles. Toyota has, however, sent preliminary notices to Prius owners informing them that a recall notice will be sent. That notification also suggests that drivers remove any floor mats from the driver’s side (Sikes had not removed his floor mats) and details clear instructions as to how to stop a car involved in unintended acceleration (Sikes specifically claims to have done exactly what he shouldn’t have according to these instructions).

Third, Sikes claims that he reached down with his hand and pulled the accelerator hard enough to cause discomfort in his shoulder even after the incident had ended. Perhaps he is particularly flexible or has very long arms, but this is a task that most drivers would find difficult even with the car parked- much less with the car accelerating out of control through traffic.

Fourth, the incident took place at speeds up to 94 mph over a period of 23 minutes. If Mr. Sikes had been “standing” on the brake for that whole time, as he claims, and assuming that the brake override system had simultaneously failed, there is a question as to whether there would be any brakes left at all when the car did come to a stop. The CHP Officer involved does claim to have “smelled the brakes” and to have “seen the brake lights coming on.” (emphasis given by ToyoLand.com)

Finally (for now), if the brakes had failed to stop the car, the emergency brake would have added little to the solution. The emergency brake in the Prius is simply a mechanical means to apply the drum brakes for the rear wheels- the same brakes that were supposedly depressed hard enough to cause an odor.

One final note- Jim Sikes’ story is certainly going to be questioned in coming days. One has to try to anticipate any perceived motive that he might have for fabricating or embellishing his story. To that end, our research indicates that Mr. Sikes had auditioned for a California Lottery TV game show. He is a “longtime lottery player,” who has won $55,000 in the lottery. He is a self-proclaimed, “real estate agent to celebrities.” The agency he runs even has a fleet of– PT Cruisers with the company advertising painted over the entire vehicle.

On Monday, March 8, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) unit was dispatched in response to a 911 call from a motorist driving a Prius on Interstate 8 in San Diego County who said the accelerator pedal was stuck. Toyota has dispatched a field technical specialist to San Diego to investigate the report and offer assistance.

The 61-year-old driver, Jim Sikes, was driving on a hilly section of highway when his accelerator became stuck. The car reached speeds in excess of 90mph. Dispatchers at the 911 call center tried to talk him through stopping the car, but nothing seemed to work. Sikes even claims to have reached down to manually pull the accelerator up, but it remained stuck.

The ordeal lasted just over 20 minutes. Sikes claims that there was nothing wrong with his floor mat at the time of the incident. He says that he had brought his car into a Toyota dealer two weeks ago but had been told that his vehicle was not a part of the recall.

In its statement, Toyota says, “The report states that the CHP unit slowed in front of the vehicle and acted as a brake to bring it to a stop.” However, this appears to be a misunderstanding by Toyota, as the reports actually claim that the vehicles never came in physical contact with each other, either during or following the incident.

CHP Officer Todd Neibert caught up with the Prius and gave instructions through the patrol car’s public address system. He had Sikes simultaneously depress the brake and apply the parking brake. This tactic brought the car’s speed to under 50 mph and Sikes was then able to turn the car off. It then rolled to a stop and Officer Neibert positioned his cruiser in front of the Prius as a precaution.

Sikes does state that he was unable to hold the phone during his 911 call because he was concentrating on driving. He also states that he had initially been reluctant to try switching the car into neutral or turning it off out of fear that he would be hit from behind. It wasn’t until he received instructions from the CHP officer next to him that he tried to actually power down the car. At that point, he states that he hit the power button several times before it responded.

In a situation where a vehicle is involved in unintended acceleration, it should respond if the driver shifts to neutral, allowing the car to be stopped with the brakes. To power down a vehicle that, like the Prius, has a “power” button, you must depress the button for at least three seconds before it will respond.

Remember that any vehicle may have unintended acceleration issues for a variety of reasons, the problem is not limited to Toyota. If your vehicle is equipped with a “key-on” starter system, be sure that you do not turn the key all the way to off- this may cause the steering wheel to lock among other problems.

PREPARED TESTIMONY OF
JAMES LENTZ
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, U.S.A., INC.
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE
FEBRUARY 23, 2010
Chairman Waxman, Subcommittee Chairman Stupak, Ranking Members Barton and Walden,
members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here today. My name is Jim Lentz, and I
am the President and Chief Operating Officer of Toyota Motor Sales, USA.
In my testimony, I will address Toyota’s recent recalls and the decisive steps we are taking to
restore the trust of the tens of millions of Americans who purchase and drive our vehicles. For
two generations, we have provided Americans with cars and trucks that are safe and reliable.
And we fully intend to produce even safer, high quality vehicles in the future, even as we pave
the way with the next generation hybrid and electric vehicles that our society needs.
In recent months, we have not lived up to the high standards our customers and the public
have come to expect from Toyota. Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with a
rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our good faith efforts. The problem has also
been compounded by poor communications both within our company and with regulators and
consumers. While all auto companies have recalls and all major auto companies have
experienced complaints about unintended acceleration, Toyota’s recalls have caused concerns
among our customers.
I would like to assure the Committee, and the American people, that nothing matters more to
Toyota than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive. We are committed
not only to fixing vehicles on the road and ensuring they are safe, but to making our new
vehicles better and even more reliable through strict quality control, enhanced communication
and a redoubled focus on putting our customers first.
Our 1,500 dealers are making extraordinary efforts to complete our recalls as quickly and
conveniently as possible. Some dealers are staying open 24/7 and they are repairing vehicles at
a rate of about 50,000 a day. To date, we have repaired close to a million vehicles.
We have rigorously tested our solutions and are confident that with these repairs, Toyota
vehicles will be among the safest on the road today. Our engineers have identified two
specific, mechanical causes of unintended acceleration covered by the recalls and we are
currently addressing these through the open recalls. One involves floor mats that when loose
or improperly fitted can entrap the accelerator pedal. The other concerns accelerator pedals
that can, over time, grow “sticky” with wear. The solutions we have developed are both
effective and durable.
We are confident that no problems exist with the electronic throttle control system in our
vehicles. We have designed our electronic throttle control system with multiple fail‐safe
mechanisms to shut off or reduce engine power in the event of a system failure. We have done
extensive testing of this system and have never found a malfunction that caused unintended
acceleration.
Additionally, in December we asked Exponent, a world‐class engineering and scientific
consulting firm, to conduct a comprehensive, independent analysis of our electronic throttle
control system with an unlimited budget. Their interim report confirms that it works as
designed. Toyota will make the results of this comprehensive evaluation available to the public
when it is completed.
Why did it take so long to get to this point? With respect to pedal entrapment, Toyota
conducted investigations of customer complaints which focused too narrowly on technical
issues without taking full account of the way customers used our vehicles. And in the case of
sticking accelerator pedals, we failed to promptly analyze and respond to information emerging
from Europe and in the United States.
We acknowledge these mistakes, we apologize for them and we have learned from them. We
now understand that we must think differently when investigating complaints and
communicate faster, better and more effectively with our customers and our regulators. Our
recent voluntary recalls of certain 2010 Prius and Lexus hybrids and of certain 2010 Tacoma
trucks illustrate this new approach.
We are also going further. Our President Akio Toyoda has announced a top‐to‐bottom review
of our operations that he will lead personally, with the support of new Chief Quality Officers for
North America and our other principal regions. We will ask independent, outside experts to
evaluate the findings to make sure we meet or exceed industry standards.
We are expanding our network of technical offices in the U.S. so we can gather information
faster and respond more aggressively to incident reports.
And, we will install advanced brake override systems in all our new models – making us one of
the first full‐line manufacturers to offer this customer confidence feature as standard
equipment. Additionally, we are announcing that we will install this system on an expanded
range of vehicles – including the Tacoma, Venza and Sequoia models – that are capable of
accepting the new software. We had previously announced that the system would be installed
onto the Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250 models. These actions underscore
that Toyota is going above and beyond making the necessary vehicle modifications and repairs
to ensure that our customers can be completely confident in the safety and reliability of the
cars and trucks they drive.
Chairman Waxman, Subcommittee Chairman Stupak, Ranking Members Barton and Walden,
members of the Committee, these are only some of the steps Toyota is taking to earn back the
confidence of Congress and the American people. Our 200,000 team members, dealership
employees and suppliers in the United States are the backbone of that effort – and I am
confident we will succeed in restoring customer trust in the quality, safety and reliability of our
vehicles.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.