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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
( `% ?" c! }7 p( t6 HBy LARRY MARGASAK and KEN THOMAS' }/ N" L8 h. ?. w+ r4 D1 s+ }
Washington (AP) -- The president of Toyota's U.S.
- ]8 K: y1 e' T3 X- l! P# k! x5 Soperations acknowledged to skeptical lawmakers on Tuesday that& r. M5 I7 d2 g/ [
the company's recalls of millions of its cars may "not totally"- H0 s7 ?/ h9 ^5 \7 a7 Y
solve the problem of sudden and dangerous acceleration.6 J( H( h, ]( d' C
"We are vigilant and we continue to look for potential; a1 F$ e# b# O( l) a
causes," Toyota's James Lentz told a congressional panel.- C* J0 u( x( E. k( I" S/ `
However, he repeated his company's position that unexpected
# E( S, z4 |) e' J' G3 Jacceleration in some of the company's most popular cars and, L2 X/ ?: \& O; R. L3 s/ n
trucks was caused by one of two problems -- misplaced floor
9 C' S6 f) R* T1 s% J4 ^mats and sticking accelerator pedals.$ n6 e+ C" j3 ?0 R$ Q8 W
He insisted electronic systems connected to the gas pedal
7 U$ s, A0 q. O' C% u' y" `and fuel line did not contribute to the problem, drawing sharp
8 z* E* S& P o* U9 m6 p. ~criticism from lawmakers who said such a possibility should be
' ]1 w2 @& a, r' m7 G8 B8 W5 ofurther explored -- and from a tearful woman driver who could
; `( P4 o, s6 dnot stop her runaway Lexus.8 l/ L5 Z3 u" F k: R+ }/ \5 K& H
"Shame on you, Toyota," Rhonda Smith, of Sevierville,
8 g7 W$ i* b4 s, `; [, GTenn., said at a congressional hearing. Then she added a second8 g8 `3 T+ {( G$ @& D2 g3 o" h
"shame on you" directed at federal highway safety regulators.. K+ u: U& q% ^ ^9 i. f3 U" N
Texas Republican Rep. Joe Barton cautioned his colleagues% V3 z6 i# h1 ]- }3 Q
early in the hearing against conducting a "witch hunt" and said: v, _% `# w! G3 h6 K: k# x1 _) `/ H
"We don't want to just assume automatically that Toyota has5 t7 z2 u7 p6 u( I8 M+ j* n
done something wrong and has tried to cover it up." But midway+ V6 G- D, t, N; `- d
through Lentz's testimony, Barton said of Toyota's G& }; Z. F4 m$ _- _& h* E5 \
investigation of the problems: "In my opinion, it's a sham."5 B7 f% S& y8 R
Lentz said the company had not completely ruled out an" L6 p e4 ^) Y) s% U$ J5 K
electronics malfunction and was still investigating causes of
8 r8 i' n+ `3 Ythe sudden acceleration. Still, "We have not found a+ M) A1 Y; n' U2 O/ P
malfunction" in the electronics of any of the cars at issue, he8 {5 }0 R) r3 ]& [; }7 s X M3 y
said.. W% b$ j6 N! c9 Q9 v9 D
As to Smith's harrowing story, "I'm embarrassed for what9 X2 u" o/ m( D
happened," Lentz said. "I want her and her husband to feel safe
) a) C9 m4 `4 ?3 Uabout driving our products," Lentz said.
1 y7 q3 y/ ?/ ~. c0 UThree congressional panels are investigating Toyota's
. A7 p8 B: q$ z" F8 Kproblems, which affect a huge number of Americans. Toyota has, D" {, J6 C" }; l2 {' J5 a8 P
recalled some 8.5 million vehicles worldwide -- more than 6
0 y* F! A3 K/ B% M9 E/ O! b# K4 ? zmillion in the United States -- since last fall because of
. Q* l" @' p( \$ |unintended acceleration problems in multiple models and braking; M$ U) I4 ]' e" o' u+ X
issues in the Prius hybrid. It is also investigating steering
) Q+ Z$ ?3 \( m) j( }" econcerns in Corollas. People with Toyotas have complained of
- k0 d, d6 b$ {& J# xtheir vehicles speeding out of control despite efforts to slow
( ?" j5 Y5 C9 f" Edown, sometimes resulting in deadly crashes. The government has$ k0 s) W6 u* u( I# B
received complaints of 34 deaths linked to sudden acceleration
* W7 c L" d5 d) _ N$ ~: |7 ?of Toyota vehicles since 2000.
9 T: S6 M: r3 _' M: kLentz, who choked up while discussing the death of his own
2 _% c& ]7 L. C% \( }brother more than 20 years ago in a car accident, said he
# H0 I/ g) x. Bunderstood the pain.5 e1 X. A% v! u1 [2 o0 O
"I know what those families go through," he said." r3 ~' a0 ]1 v# _
Lentz has said in the past that he was confident Toyota's
7 \. g$ T Z% ?/ p4 ~8 V" _% @5 ^fixes on the recalled vehicles would correct the problems." b' g' A3 k4 W; d5 O2 f; g
But when pressed by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman
O$ Y5 I, c8 L/ G- m1 OHenry Waxman, D-Calif., on whether the two recalls Toyota put
0 W% _/ M; e; Z% H0 uin place to deal with the issue would completely solve it,6 n* y" l" I: O/ {
Lentz replied: "Not totally."( U d6 V/ @( C6 j9 G5 t
Still, he said chances of unintended accelerations were2 i6 c. n: k. `% `0 g* ?% Z& j
"very, very slim" once the recall was complete. Lentz also said
0 b. n8 C9 ?# T0 zToyota was putting in new brakes that can override the gas0 u% H) q5 @0 g
pedal on almost all of its new vehicles and a majority of its+ P% @" C, L! I' c1 {
vehicles already on the road.
; w: `2 N2 I' m U# cMeanwhile, Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who will testify+ j% `! Q% _# g+ l+ A* u4 |
before a separate panel on Wednesday, said he took "full" _! @1 n7 e m3 M' D5 m" m
responsibility" for the uncertainty felt by Toyota owners and
/ x+ `9 B. z5 Koffered his condolences to a San Diego, Calif., family who were
, E! Z: ?! E7 g9 W3 hkilled in late August, reigniting interest in the problems.' h2 A3 P. H8 {% o. t E
"I will do everything in my power to ensure that such a
4 x9 l# c5 ~! k |* l* k9 C4 ptragedy never happens again," Toyoda said in prepared testimony& O; ] f$ H% p6 ^2 P/ m/ a
for Wednesday's hearing to the House Government Oversight2 i" q3 l3 g; q. V
Committee. "My name is on every car. You have my personal, O6 C1 q/ R8 ^2 Z
commitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to6 n& c% }3 J5 \+ S
restore the trust of our customers."
' M5 J |' P$ e Z l& u# ~2 \Lawmakers heard a brief, but riveting, deion from
3 h/ P+ f9 \6 XSmith, the Tennessee woman whose Toyota-made Lexus suddenly! |! R( z; B' w) n2 _- V4 a
zoomed to 100 miles per hour as she tried to get it to stop --
: |4 i; \. D4 v* Q Sshifting to neutral, trying to throw the car into reverse and
! \6 F5 p6 N A8 e* phitting the emergency brake. Finally, her car slowed enough
) I8 I8 K, u8 m' B2 X; Kthat she was able to pull it off the road onto the median and1 s6 C2 S2 H7 `; Z
turn off the engine.+ C$ ]% b: {: a; W$ I
Fighting back tears, she described her nightmare ride of7 s" i; P' m5 s, Z# @% D& K3 [
October 2006, calling it "a near death experience.", K7 ~7 b1 q ~9 Z3 k
"After six miles, God intervened" and slowed the car, she
0 C6 C! w8 O2 Q/ L8 a$ i+ nsaid. She added that it took a long time for Toyota to respond
" G" d! ^6 u6 W" o3 A* k( [to her complaints.$ L8 C0 G! A2 g, h" A5 G& ^$ T
In an often contentious full day of testimony, lawmakers- q/ I' r7 R, Y
returned again and again to the question of whether electronic
+ Q6 `% H! p) H F1 Vmalfunctions may have contributed to the speeding cars.5 j e C9 E; v* G" s1 ^# M4 ?
"We are confident that no problems exist with the electric- W% y7 O' b' b4 S0 }
throttle control system in our vehicles," Lentz said. He cited1 V O4 a) E2 L, j* Z( K8 x: v
"fail-safe mechanisms" in the cars that were designed to shut
- Q# a, U. I4 `2 `6 S ~- r3 u$ t& ^off or reduce engine power "in the event of a system failure."
8 q, ]" p% L" V2 XTransportation Secretary Ray LaHood told the panel in ]4 f; B7 C3 \5 n! u0 g# p
prepared testimony that possible electronics problems were
9 b" z* q, T# J# U2 Fbeing looked into by his agency. He said the company's recalls4 r" F6 K- ]5 i0 b2 A1 k, w
were important steps but "we don't maintain that they answer
( y$ e- x* A2 x+ E$ p4 V# a1 l9 {every question."
/ O# U6 Z5 S. B3 y' C: |; Z3 AToyota hired a consulting firm to analyze whether/ M" q' z$ T( b
electronic problems could cause unintended acceleration. The
5 X8 m' C/ B; e7 Y H# Y) `firm, Exponent Inc., found no link between the two. But* d$ `# E4 [+ ?" |5 P/ s
committee investigators said the testing studied only a small4 n* v; t! G3 u' C5 S8 I1 l( E
number of vehicles
+ F7 Y7 u3 s3 E- VTracking down an electrical problem can be far more; V1 K; J9 Y7 R' d+ H0 T
difficult, expensive and time-consuming than finding a; D1 ^2 d3 ]% A2 \/ @( L4 a
mechanical problem. Electrical problems can have more than one
7 J' [8 C3 B# U& [source, and they can come from inside or outside the car.$ D, F9 B6 k! M( d# n
Mechanical problems often leave clues such as physical damage,
, h( ~. k; N) {# { D5 ]5 K8 mwhere electronic troubles can be hidden in software or leave no4 P7 g8 R6 D o/ g1 F. [
trace at all.6 u9 e$ J. K' }* n% q: R" {6 m
House investigators who reviewed Toyota's customer call
8 R% L( Y' {3 U" \( L; _database found that 70 percent of the complaints of sudden
, p1 `7 C N$ E% a- O6 @# Jacceleration were for vehicles that are not subject to the
& ^2 I, }* e; {2 @! d( e* Lrecalls over floor mats or sticky pedals.1 B7 ?5 v4 f V
Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the subcommittee,
# i8 m- E. D. S: D4 usaid Toyota "misled the American public by saying that they and
+ n$ g( V7 j+ T, b. S$ aother independent sources had thoroughly analyzed the
) V9 A e4 M1 s4 u8 i- Aelectronics systems and eliminated electronics as a possible9 h9 H8 R9 @+ o% [" s
cause of sudden unintended acceleration when, in fact, the only8 y" [8 z# F8 W6 g* i. l/ t2 b T
such review was a flawed study conducted by a company retained* m) e. v( N$ q9 B9 p
by Toyota's lawyers.": v2 R: V! H2 \. {
Lentz apologized anew for the company's slow handling of
6 @3 Q0 l* e& f1 Y5 D9 wproblems. "We have not lived up to the high standards our: }+ t. x6 j* o4 ~, ^0 {
customers and the public have come to expect from Toyota," he; @" F# Q, v. B' d2 q- X" m* a
said.
4 _3 e( N% `; _$ X9 |"Put simply, it has taken us too long to come to grips with
0 a$ I+ i' P+ {$ _9 ua rare but serious set of safety issues, despite all of our: ?: L+ }: u8 h% D$ x9 e3 p
good faith efforts," said Lentz, president and chief operating) A, d% V. c5 J0 M& D: H
officer of Toyota Motor Sales USA. Inc.
% Q+ E& S2 B' z" O* dSeparately, among hundreds of Toyota dealers lobbying
9 ]2 q# J2 B6 O* c4 zmembers of Congress Tuesday, there seemed to be widespread
+ H* \4 r( z4 o: \- n; q8 y5 Erancor toward a federal government they view as picking on the
4 P1 R! o0 \6 k* g) R7 k ?automaker, at least in part because of the government's7 J& w! r2 K& X R1 a0 z4 j) f7 p
investment of billions of dollars in General Motors and
, _8 @/ @+ Y# t) ~" D& n# b, _* PChrysler.
% t+ K! J7 b7 y5 t- v4 i& u"That's hard for me as a citizen to understand why my tax; M+ q' _( ]# K
dollars are going in that direction," Paul Atkinson, a
3 _' a T7 S2 I- Q9 ^( x8 _Houston-area Toyota dealer, said at a news conference that also
% w7 q. ]" r1 h9 v# M# fserved as a pep rally for the visiting dealers. "To compete
, `. `6 @8 y( m. b+ B( twith the government as an individual entrepreneur is pretty& ^% A t/ Z% E4 r
tough."! }$ b9 M0 e8 B h8 @; H/ o( I
---2 D0 M1 F$ _8 T0 s* V, ?& s
Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Stephen Manning and Tom' ?' G, H/ M, z2 m7 o4 x/ J" M/ g1 ?
Raum in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to% H1 F4 W6 Q# ^0 {+ q: S
this story.
, v9 c- Q# r$ a% S' \1 t+ H1 s6 d; I. c1 q5 @5 I: N; @
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