NASA confirms what we suspected all along.

[Payman]

A U.S. government investigation into Toyota safety problems has found no electronic throttle flaws to account for reports of sudden, "runaway" acceleration.

Transportation officials and engineers with NASA say the only known causes for the runaway vehicles are two mechanical safety defects previously identified by the U.S. government. They are sticking accelerator pedals and gas pedals that can become trapped in floor mats.

"There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

The finding is considered a victory for the world's top automaker, which has always denied that electronics were to blame.

Electronically-controlled throttles have been installed in Toyota vehicles since 2002. The finding of an inherent flaw could have prompted further massive recalls.

The finding brings to an end a 10-month probe of the problems that spurred the automaker to recall more than 12 million vehicles globally, including 270, 000 in Canada, since the fall of 2009.

The report, commissioned by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, was launched last March in the wake of three congressional investigations.

In its contract with the space agency, NHTSA asked for a full investigation of Toyota's vehicle electronics, software, wiring, throttle control as well as its in-house methods of analyzing potential faults.

A team of 30 full- and part-time NASA experts led by principal engineer Michael T. Kirsch conducted their study at the space agency's Langley Research Center in Virginia.

In preliminary findings released around the study's original deadline last August, the NHTSA said its review of the "black boxes" that record vehicle telemetry had not identified any electronic flaws.

Since four people were killed in a high-speed crash involving a runaway Lexus near San Diego in 2009, Toyota has recalled for more than 10 million vehicles worldwide to address uncontrolled acceleration, pedal-snagging floor mats and other safety issues.

The NHTSA reports receiving approximately 3,000 complaints of Toyotas accelerating suddenly and uncontrollably in the past decade. Although the incidents involve allegations of dozens of deaths, the NHTSA has confirmed only five.

The company paid the U.S. government almost US$50 million in fines for its handling of the floor mat and stocky pedal recalls, and has since announced that any remaining safety concerns have been addressed with the appointment of a chief quality officer, the creation of engineering teams focused on consumer complaints and a new brake override system.

Considering Toyota built its reputation on safety and reliability, concerns and recalls in the last 18 months have created a public relations nightmare for the world's largest automaker, but despite its tarnished image, Toyota's sales have not suffered significantly.

Global sales of 8.42 million vehicles in 2010 were enough to cement Toyota's position as the no. 1 automaker in the world. Overall, the Japanese automaker's sales worldwide were up by 8 per cent over 2009. That included a 10 per cent increase in sales in Japan and a 19 per cent increase in China.

The overall value of the company has taken a hit however, according to New York-based brand consultant Interbrand. According to a report released earlier this month, the value of the Toyota Motor Corp. brand dropped 16 per cent to US$25.66 billion compared with the year before.

Toyota still edged several other famous Japanese marques including Honda, Canon, Sony and Nintendo to remain on top of Interbrand's worldwide brand rankings.

A separate, broader study of unintended acceleration in cars and trucks across the auto industry is being conducted by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Its findings are not expected before July.

With files from The Associated Press

[thewizard16]

Media frenzies are a lot more fun when you're not bound by logic, engineering know-how, or science though.