Page 143 - Toyota Under Fire

TOYOT A UNDER FIRE

the time of the recall (this figure would later grow as more and
more past accidents were attributed to SUA, regardless of the ac-
tual cause) that had allegedly been caused by sudden acceleration
were accurate and were caused by the sticky pedals. “Walking a
mile is 19 times or 1,900 percent more dangerous than driving
a mile in a recalled Toyota.”* Even Sean Kane of Safety Research
and Strategies mocked the idea that sticky pedals were a signifi-
cant source of danger to Toyota drivers. LaHood later had to re-
tract and apologize for the statement, asking owners of vehicles
covered by the recall to follow the plans created by Toyota and
local dealers.

Prius Brake Feel Further Feeds the Frenzy

But LaHood’s comment wasn’t the only bad news for Toyota on
February 3. That same day, the NHTSA announced that it had
received more than 100 complaints about braking performance
in 2010 Toyota Prius vehicles. With the frenzy over the sticky
pedals at its peak, the announcement was like pouring gasoline
on a bonfire. Here, it seemed, was yet another defect in Toyotas
that could kill you. Not only did the accelerators stick to the
floor, but the brakes could fail, too.
Once again, the frenzy quickly overwhelmed any facts. The
basics of the complaint were that the brakes didn’t seem to re-
spond immediately when braking at slow speeds on a bumpy and
slippery surface (like a wet or icy road with a pothole). It’s under-
standable how worrying this would be to a driver, particularly

* Based on a February 25, 2010, article on The Auto Channel; http://www.the
autochannel.com/news/2010/02/25/467144.html.

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