Toyota's Fix a No Fix

Craig Ruttle / AP
Stewart Stogel said his Camry accelerated to about 15 mph on a street near his home five days after a dealership supposedly fixed it. Now one of our local residents of Westchester has had a problem (see video below) after bringing his car into Toyota of New Rochelle. Even his LOWNER car from Toyota had a problem.

Last week, Toyota Motor Corp. executives assured U.S. lawmakers that the company is working to fix known issues that affect more than 8 million vehicles.

But some Toyota owners have reported unintended acceleration from their vehicles even after Toyota dealerships have fixed the pedal problems, according to complaints filed with federal regulators.

More than 10 of such complaints from Toyota owners made their way to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last week, prompting the regulator to launch a new investigation into the issue—whether the gas pedal problem reported by Toyota is caused by a mechanical issue, or a problem with the car’s electronic throttle control computer system.



"If Toyota owners are still experiencing sudden acceleration incidents after taking their cars to the dealership, we want to know about it," NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said in a statement.

The NHTSA has three additional ongoing probes into Toyota, including one investigation to see whether the company intentionally delayed its recall to avoid negative public exposure and save money.

Safety Research & Strategies, Inc. (SRS), a vehicle safety research firm, cited Toyota owners whose cars exhibited sudden acceleration after dealerships had allegedly fixed the problems.

“I was driving about 5 mph in a parking area with my son. I put my foot on the brake and I felt the car push forward. I put my other foot on the brake as well,” one owner of a 2009 Toyota Matrix wrote to the SRS. “I am very concerned what this means in terms of future safety and my monetary investment in this car."

This can't be good news for Toyota who's name has already become tarnished amidst this recall scandal.