Auto News - Sen Grassley asks if Toyota got off easy with unintended acceleration debacle

Auto News - Sen Grassley asks if Toyota got off easy with unintended acceleration debacle. Toyota is facing further fallout from its recent unintended acceleration debacle, with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to reopen its investigation into the situation that led Toyota to recall some eight million vehicles. According to TheDetroitBureau.com, Grassley has written a letter to NHTSA director David Strickland, stating in part, "Key questions about the cause of unintended acceleration remain unanswered."

Grassley's contention is that because neither of the two independent investigations into the issue produced a definitive cause or explanation, further digging is necessary. Most of the unintended acceleration incidents in the NASA and National Academy of Sciences reports not attributed to trapped floormats or other problems with accelerator pedals were blamed on driver error, according to the report, but both studies concluded that other unknown issues could be at play.

According to Automotive News, Grassley is particularly concerned about the "tin whiskers" phenomenon, in which tiny threads of conductive crystal can grow on circuit boards.

Toyota has responded to the Grassley letter, issuing a statement that reads, in part, "There is no problem with the electronic throttle control systems in Toyota vehicles – and all the scientific evidence confirms it. So-called 'tin whiskers' are not a new phenomenon and do not represent a mysterious or undetectable problem in a vehicle's electronics.

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Auto News - NHTSA opens investigations on Chrysler 200 and Ford Explorer

Auto News - NHTSA opens investigations on Chrysler 200 and Ford Explorer. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened new investigations concerning the Chrysler 200 and Ford Explorer. All of the vehicles in question are from the 2011 model year, with 87,000 200s and 83,000 Explorers being investigated.

NHTSA's Chrysler investigation concerns possible stalling problems, with the organization stating that it has received 15 complaints of the 200's 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 stalling. "All 15 incidents reported stalling without warning during low-speed decelerations such as braking for a stop sign or traffic light," NHTSA's official release states. This investigation does involve both the sedan and convertible models.

Moving to the Explorer, NHTSA is investigating reports of power steering failure with the electric power-assisted system. In some instances, owners have complained that the system completely stops working, while other drivers simply noted greater effort being needed to turn the wheel. NHTSA writes: "Some of the complaints indicated observing a power steering warning message when the failure occurred. In some cases, the condition was corrected by turning the vehicle off and restarting. However, some reports indicate the condition returned after restart."

No accidents have been linked to either the Ford or Chrysler issues.

Keep in mind, these investigations are not recalls – merely a way for NHTSA to probe a certain model and determine if an official recall is actually necessary. Click here and here to read both of the NHTSA investigation reports.

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