Washington, DC - May 20, 2010 - Congressman Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) participated in a follow up hearing today examining the response of Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to the problem of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles. As Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Braley questioned NHTSA Administrator David Strickland and President and COO of Toyota USA, James Lentz. Braley's opening statement, as submitted for the record, is attached.
"At our February hearing, I raised questions about the work of Exponent, which Toyota hired to conduct an analysis of its electronic throttle control system with an unlimited budget, and about the financial relationship between Toyota and Exponent and its predecessor, Failure Analysis Associates," Braley said in an opening statement submitted to the record. "Unfortunately, it appears that Exponent has failed to conduct a comprehensive investigation of Toyota's electronic throttle control system, and has instead focused its time and resources on attempting to discredit the work of Southern Illinois University Professor David Gilbert, who testified at our last hearing that he was able to induce sudden unintended acceleration in a Toyota vehicle without the vehicle's computer recording the event through a diagnostic trouble code.
"I'm seriously concerned about Toyota and Exponent's ongoing failure to conduct a credible investigation of Toyota electronics, and by reports that Toyota may have sought to develop a PR campaign to discredit Dr. Gilbert and Sean Kane, who also testified before the Subcommittee in February."
Video of Braley's opening statement, as delivered, is available here.
Video of Braley's questioning of Toyota USA President and COO James Lentz is available here.
Video of Braley questioning NHTSA Administrator David Strickland is available here and here.
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