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发表于 2010-2-24 01:19
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丰田承认换踏板不一定能全部解决加速问题
8 K# U; |1 `! x& t r: e7 W! MBy LARRY MARGASAK and KEN THOMAS2 _% i& V& O, T" o! Z
Washington (AP) -- The president of Toyota's U.S.
: r2 f8 [6 \' i8 Joperations acknowledged to skeptical lawmakers on Tuesday that' E6 _% j S0 x- ?* n
the company's recalls of millions of its cars may "not totally"
9 @- _; D( ~4 I. b* y# L, asolve the problem of sudden and dangerous acceleration.# f9 S5 Q! f# X1 l/ r
"We are vigilant and we continue to look for potential% _0 H3 K4 i0 U. M- Q2 b
causes," Toyota's James Lentz told a congressional panel.; k/ Z' Y' d- i6 g
However, he repeated his company's position that unexpected/ i; z$ \$ }. s$ x
acceleration in some of the company's most popular cars and& B9 G" ^; C" l) Z& I
trucks was caused by one of two problems -- misplaced floor
) K: O! G! u% o `- y8 s/ hmats and sticking accelerator pedals.
5 n7 Y1 R, v0 W! e' f! A6 ?0 GHe insisted electronic systems connected to the gas pedal4 t+ M& h* {; S' ~1 X, x9 M
and fuel line did not contribute to the problem, drawing sharp5 g& p$ L0 d; P3 q9 R! W v
criticism from lawmakers who said such a possibility should be
% c7 J# b/ E1 Z* pfurther explored -- and from a tearful woman driver who could$ N" M2 z1 z3 J; T5 Q
not stop her runaway Lexus.
, n6 F1 _1 S: L+ I7 E5 q"Shame on you, Toyota," Rhonda Smith, of Sevierville,
8 {% W/ s0 J0 p* HTenn., said at a congressional hearing. Then she added a second
) v: ]. X5 b4 ^* V) o. e"shame on you" directed at federal highway safety regulators.* i& E: u9 ^3 n9 U; X) H. [( l( [* y
Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton cautioned his colleagues/ w! G2 r) g* D
early in the hearing against conducting a "witch hunt" and said
% N7 b; _) ^: x! m0 h"We don't want to just assume automatically that Toyota has6 r8 P) g8 g' s" [- w' ] @
done something wrong and has tried to cover it up." But midway
6 x; z1 M5 e0 Q& y' rthrough Lentz's testimony, Barton said of Toyota's2 ?, x2 z$ P& a8 u" C- @
investigation of the problems: "In my opinion, it's a sham."
, o/ ^5 \, @" B2 T! F, P) n& kLentz said the company had not completely ruled out an2 v, u; b2 N. l$ i0 d# b
electronics malfunction and was still investigating causes of
. D3 @( e% w) l* U- W$ rthe sudden acceleration. Still, "We have not found a, G9 C8 D" I- R2 X/ p4 R
malfunction" in the electronics of any of the cars at issue, he
0 N0 X* c) m$ x! j8 }said.
) a- Z# N( h. H/ iAs to Smith's harrowing story, "I'm embarrassed for what
; O( Y/ N8 d) N9 |* Chappened," Lentz said. "I want her and her husband to feel safe
2 Q8 W2 f1 [) |5 U, ~about driving our products," Lentz said.7 c- a1 Q+ d+ k( D1 \8 |, h
Three congressional panels are investigating Toyota's
6 f6 M( a3 i% Dproblems, which affect a huge number of Americans. Toyota has
2 {% k6 p/ D% Wrecalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide -- more than 6
8 d0 ^+ P F5 }# g ?6 e1 n2 H6 Wmillion in the United States -- since last fall because of
6 N% F3 \) S+ G9 Wunintended acceleration problems in multiple models and braking# V: P9 U5 i: b- p* _3 i
issues in the Prius hybrid. It is also investigating steering6 N* R6 @, Z5 l6 ?- C! v" L& Z
concerns in Corollas. People with Toyotas have complained of
3 y" ]+ i; m5 i# M5 ~their vehicles speeding out of control despite efforts to slow
' v- p# X2 }' ndown, sometimes resulting in deadly crashes. The government has' f# ^4 M' e3 `: G8 s
received complaints of 34 deaths linked to sudden acceleration0 j% n' [+ r- {9 R
of Toyota vehicles since 2000.! C% I% V5 m. q$ @( Q" B
Lentz, who choked up while discussing the death of his own
0 ~2 P$ I# d( U5 j! j B$ d/ ~& P* Cbrother more than 20 years ago in a car accident, said he/ p; I! [5 L) |( ^& U
understood the pain.$ b9 ~4 p, v! W2 ]" N+ d
"I know what those families go through," he said.
& U. ]( M8 I3 s& x8 u. e! m1 I: e: WLentz has said in the past that he was confident Toyota's! [, k/ I x3 T: ^9 z
fixes on the recalled vehicles would correct the problems.
: a/ s' j4 g5 v+ h, iBut when pressed by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman+ H- h+ k" `: j
Henry Waxman, D-Calif., on whether the two recalls Toyota put
) w; Z& ^1 o8 \. H ?in place to deal with the issue would completely solve it,
& U! |5 \9 J& o6 cLentz replied: "Not totally."5 Q0 ?& b* \4 \: k# h, J3 @
Still, he said chances of unintended accelerations were
/ a6 l' ?$ Y, J"very, very slim" once the recall was complete. Lentz also said
* `0 C- @- R& {& Y# _) `Toyota was putting in new brakes that can override the gas
; i- L8 v* A- |4 S, J7 Z3 d* ~3 ]pedal on almost all of its new vehicles and a majority of its
4 _2 I" x2 X$ F) U3 {vehicles already on the road.
/ _+ d$ u) e( o) H1 TMeanwhile, Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who will testify
& W0 [: |: J) Y7 i9 B) {8 qbefore a separate panel on Wednesday, said he took "full
2 K% p' N7 d7 g6 U' j- C, eresponsibility" for the uncertainty felt by Toyota owners and
7 S1 F/ N) ?# B1 o/ l% R K4 I# Woffered his condolences to a San Diego, Calif., family who were
" N9 E. I' `9 M: Akilled in late August, reigniting interest in the problems.
: A" s( ^2 z# s! L) u# J( U"I will do everything in my power to ensure that such a
, K' P; j$ N( Q$ U+ Qtragedy never happens again," Toyoda said in prepared testimony
6 ]) Q, v1 [- F& i. \, afor Wednesday's hearing to the House Government Oversight
. C: \+ `, T5 n1 V9 M; ZCommittee. "My name is on every car. You have my personal; ?6 [: q. S7 h" ^/ g
commitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to
. j4 z- t% i* W! ]; @4 p" V# Wrestore the trust of our customers."
" P- K( q |7 Y3 uLawmakers heard a brief, but riveting, deion from0 T5 D" u% F' L, r1 I9 ]
Smith, the Tennessee woman whose Toyota-made Lexus suddenly
% J3 h" a% D6 F/ Fzoomed to 100 miles per hour as she tried to get it to stop --
# t; j3 ?& _2 ]$ H; E3 e X* Vshifting to neutral, trying to throw the car into reverse and; a% s& J. p! }. l* k
hitting the emergency brake. Finally, her car slowed enough
) Y0 H9 x% d0 Q; pthat she was able to pull it off the road onto the median and' B; _7 D9 j- _$ g- a
turn off the engine.
, p; I7 F1 [: x. o/ h+ c7 k: kFighting back tears, she described her nightmare ride of$ `6 Z% U7 W0 j4 S
October 2006, calling it "a near death experience.". ?- z0 r0 B8 O" _( {
"After six miles, God intervened" and slowed the car, she# s6 @$ y! ?6 J% H# B6 W6 W, P
said. She added that it took a long time for Toyota to respond
4 j9 e# [* U& o5 hto her complaints.
' y6 F- E* ]- h( A+ _7 kIn an often contentious full day of testimony, lawmakers' H# c6 M) @. [" y1 `
returned again and again to the question of whether electronic
9 G, z* X {* l: c: ^6 w* T/ `malfunctions may have contributed to the speeding cars.
- V8 X |: k, K* m2 ]# x"We are confident that no problems exist with the electric
2 D' w9 }) y# \throttle control system in our vehicles," Lentz said. He cited" C+ ~' Z1 T" ~& i# p, ]
"fail-safe mechanisms" in the cars that were designed to shut! Q% z8 \7 \9 q3 S" W
off or reduce engine power "in the event of a system failure."
1 ~) E# [0 ~1 B5 yTransportation Secretary Ray LaHood told the panel in+ M) R$ I1 T P
prepared testimony that possible electronics problems were$ u U3 v; {% X
being looked into by his agency. He said the company's recalls$ E' t6 I8 U! j
were important steps but "we don't maintain that they answer
1 \! \' X1 A P+ revery question."
- U3 h9 c/ @1 {" k5 M$ QToyota hired a consulting firm to analyze whether( s1 @& m# K- }% [; O5 w" f, W8 B" |
electronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The; p2 F$ i2 `% e& B
firm, Exponent Inc., found no link between the two. But" F' d7 C9 L" V1 l" ^
committee investigators said the testing studied only a small% @- ]. k! n. E8 B5 z
number of vehicles
8 ?$ m$ T2 f2 J, F4 I9 VTracking down an electrical problem can be far more4 J+ K( _# k }, [4 V; h7 x5 |
difficult, expensive and time-consuming than finding a
2 n4 `* ?7 X9 q) I" D0 I% J0 jmechanical problem. Electrical problems can have more than one
2 p$ O3 n1 n2 N5 C3 dsource, and they can come from inside or outside the car.) W5 z! A. f( x; w" _
Mechanical problems often leave clues such as physical damage,# y8 L# p/ o9 Y) P
where electronic troubles can be hidden in software or leave no
% D! B6 j' h! c9 s( p6 _! E& Ptrace at all.
% [. y7 h: T" W7 x+ ]& ?; @House investigators who reviewed Toyota's customer call& e! k9 e1 y0 O+ f8 A; I
database found that 70 percent of the complaints of sudden" {1 X9 q7 a) V! o R. @) U5 b8 I8 y
acceleration were for vehicles that are not subject to the/ U) C4 d* }: G3 n! j$ A3 ^8 O
recalls over floor mats or sticky pedals.% V+ B9 z2 t h" J3 _; W# ?
Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the subcommittee,& m- E, P B7 E9 q
said Toyota "misled the American public by saying that they and
. p' w/ o) g: X2 sother independent sources had thoroughly analyzed the. N0 U4 |0 I8 w5 @ ?9 l7 d
electronics systems and eliminated electronics as a possible
! b* `# J% J; G8 ]7 A- y3 \) icause of sudden unintended acceleration when, in fact, the only
- q1 J0 P, K3 G6 m4 K# ] B9 wsuch review was a flawed study conducted by a company retained2 R2 x! L1 P- r- @2 v
by Toyota's lawyers."
3 F% a, \+ P* ^; ZLentz apologized anew for the company's slow handling of- X! E1 q+ H- G; ~% E( l: S/ K
problems. "We have not lived up to the high standards our+ K. z1 w( s5 P0 b. ^1 H6 r
customers and the public have come to expect from Toyota," he4 T6 F1 L$ \' Y3 s ~/ X
said.6 [* g2 @4 n* W1 j
"Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with3 c0 e# `7 ?0 e& q4 U: X# D
a rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our# Q& X; X3 L7 T0 q
good faith efforts," said Lentz, president and chief operating
# W% ^7 g7 D" m6 Iofficer of Toyota Motor Sales USA. Inc.9 `% s' g4 L4 H+ h5 J
Separately, among hundreds of Toyota dealers lobbying! n n4 N9 P7 D5 u, `3 S. @
members of Congress Tuesday, there seemed to be widespread0 i/ W# w, Q. [2 C6 I
rancor toward a federal government they view as picking on the$ @# T0 o' O3 K" C( @
automaker, at least in part because of the government's
0 G9 [! m- S: R T# B% H+ J% S1 ^investment of billions of dollars in General Motors and
7 X0 |" Z8 ~! `8 @7 F4 r. ?Chrysler.% u8 R, Q3 z( h `
"That's hard for me as a citizen to understand why my tax
% c8 q2 e3 b' H; Z- ]$ edollars are going in that direction," Paul Atkinson, a
! v( K4 m, G4 gHouston-area Toyota dealer, said at a news conference that also
5 T" b; z6 M% d3 Mserved as a pep rally for the visiting dealers. "To compete; V4 e$ P& S' S6 p
with the government as an individual entrepreneur is pretty
/ d# U9 ?( L& f* y4 v. b2 gtough."# }( d1 S; D$ H% a4 B
---* T' m& p3 u; n, B: W/ @) X+ c
Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Stephen Manning and Tom
" X+ K E3 y, w6 zRaum in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to" ], j. W+ M* G4 s. Y
this story.
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