Understanding "sudden acceleration" 06/01/2011
The issue of sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles is likely fresh in many driver's minds, as the company was dragged through the mud for several months by drivers who claimed that their vehicles suddenly lunged forward without warning, unable to stop. However, findings from NASA later absolved the Japanese automaker of any wrongdoing. So what gives?
Drivers might be surprised to know that the issue of "sudden acceleration" in automobiles dates back 25 years, and has never been conclusively proven. In fact, 1988 saw a very similar scandal, with German automaker Audi on the receiving end of the accusations. Audi was also cleared of wrongdoing, but the damage to the brand's reputation remains.
Looking to get to the bottom of the issue, Edmunds offered an interesting prize to drivers last year. Anyone who could submit conclusive proof to the company of mechanical or electrical problems causing unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles would receive a cool $1 million dollars.
The auto website just recently announced that the contest has expired, with nobody able to conclusively prove the phenomenon. Edmunds stipulated that entries must be able to recreate the issue in any Toyota vehicle, showing that the company was at fault.
Ultimately, both NASA and Edmunds have reached the same conclusion: sudden acceleration is ultimately caused by driver error. In the heat of the moment, someone presses the accelerator when they believe they're hitting the brake.
"I believe the evidence shows that sudden unintended acceleration is fundamentally a driver error problem," Edmunds CEO Jeremy Anwyl said on the company's website. "I will admit this is awkward to acknowledge because we want to feel sympathy for families dealing with tragedy and it doesn’t feel appropriate to say the driver made a mistake. But we must accept people make mistakes, because chasing improbable theories is dangerous. They keep us from finding pragmatic solutions to the real problem."