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      WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration's investigation into
Toyota safety problems found no electronic flaws to account for
reports of sudden, unintentional acceleration and other safety
problems. Government investigators said Tuesday the only known
cause of the problems are mechanical defects that were fixed in
previous recalls.


      The Transportation Department, assisted by engineers with NASA,
said its 10-month study of Toyota vehicles concluded there was no
electronic cause of unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas.
The study, which was launched at the request of Congress, responded
to consumer complaints that flawed electronics could be the culprit
behind Toyota's spate of recalls.


      "We feel that Toyota vehicles are safe to drive," said
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.


      Toyota said in a statement that the report should "further
reinforce confidence in the safety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles"
and "put to rest unsupported speculation" about the company's
electronic throttle control systems, which it said are
"well-designed and well-tested to ensure that a real world,
un-commanded acceleration of the vehicle cannot occur."


      Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration said they reviewed consumer complaints and warranty
data in detail and found that many of the complaints involved cases
in which the vehicle accelerated after it was stationary or at very
low speeds.


      NHTSA Deputy Administrator Ron Medford said that in many cases
when a driver complained that the brakes were ineffective, the most
likely cause was "pedal misapplication," in which the driver
stepped on the accelerator instead of the brakes.

      Toyota has recalled more than 12 million vehicles globally since
fall 2009 to address sticking accelerator pedals, gas pedals that
became trapped in floor mats, and other safety issues. The recalls
have posed a major challenge for the world's No. 1 automaker, which
has scrambled to protect its reputation for safety and reliability.


      Toyota said it was "focused on listening to our customers and
constantly improving our products and service." Shares of the
automaker climbed on the New York Stock Exchange following the
news. Toyota shares were up more than 4 percent, to 88.94 in late
trading.


      Analysts said the report would help Toyota's reputation but the
company would still need to work hard to regain its bulletproof
image of reliability. "I think Toyota's been hit relatively
badly," said David Champion, senior director of auto testing for
Consumer Reports magazine.


      "I do think they lost direction in some ways. It'll be
interesting to see how they change direction and go back to what
they're good at: Building somewhat boring in some ways but very
efficient and very reliable sedans that people want to buy," he
said.


      Toyota paid the U.S. government a record $48.8 million in fines
for its handling of three recalls. The company has said it has not
found any flaws in its electronic throttle control systems and said
the previously announced recalls have addressed the safety
concerns.


      LaHood said NASA engineers "rigorously examined" nine Toyotas
driven by consumers who complained of unintended acceleration. NASA
reviewed 280,000 lines of software code to look for flaws that
could cause the acceleration. Investigators tested mechanical
components in Toyotas that could lead to the problem and bombarded
vehicles with electro-magnetic radiation to see whether it could
make the electronics cause the cars to speed up.

      A preliminary part of the study, released last August, failed to
find any electronic flaws based on a review of event data
recorders, or vehicle black boxes.

      Not everyone was convinced. Rhonda Smith, of Sevierville,
Tennessee, who last year testified before a congressional committee
about how her Lexus raced out of control at up to 100 miles per
hour, said Tuesday there had to be a cause other than floor mats or
sticky gas pedals because neither happened in her case.


      "I am still very adamant that there is another factor,
definitely. Whether its electronics, I don't know. My car raced as
if it was an electronic malfunction," she said.


      Smith said she tried to brake and put the car in neutral, but it
would not stop for six miles. Eventually it slowed down on its own,
she said. She looked at the pedals to make sure her foot was on the
right one and didn't see a floor mat on the gas pedal, she said.


      "There is a defect in that car whether they want to believe it
or not," Smith said. "They need to keep searching."


      Despite its findings, LaHood said the NHTSA was considering new
regulations to improve safety. They include requiring brake
override systems on all vehicles, standardizing keyless ignition
systems and requiring event data recorders, or vehicle black boxes,
on all new vehicles.


      Transportation officials said they would also consider
conducting more research on electronic control systems and review
the placement and design of accelerator and brake pedals.


      In Tokyo on Tuesday, Toyota reported a 39 percent slide in
quarterly profit but raised its full-year forecasts for earnings
and car sales. It is a mixed picture for the automaker, which is
enjoying booming sales in high-growth markets in Asia, Africa and
South America, while facing lingering worries about quality lapses
in the U.S.


      In addition to the recalls, Toyota began installing brake
override systems on new vehicles. The systems automatically cut the
throttle when the brake and gas pedals are applied at the same
time. The company also created engineering teams to examine
vehicles that are the subject of consumer complaints and appointed
a chief quality officer for North America amid complaints its U.S.
division did not play a large enough role in making safety
decisions.


      Consumer advocates and safety groups raised concerns that flawed
electronics could be causing unwanted acceleration in the Toyotas.
They have questioned the reliability of the event data recorders
studied by the government, saying they could be faulty or fail to
tell the whole story of the individual crashes.


      Toyota's safety issues received broad attention from the
government after four people were killed in a high-speed crash
involving a Lexus near San Diego in August 2009.


      NHTSA has received about 3,000 reports of sudden acceleration
incidents involving Toyota vehicles during the past decade,
including allegations of 93 deaths. NHTSA, however, has confirmed
just five of them.

      Congress considered sweeping safety legislation last year that
would have required brake override systems, raised penalties on
auto companies that evade safety recalls and given the government
the power to quickly recall vehicles. But the bills failed to win
enough support.


      The National Academy of Sciences is conducting a separate study
of unintended acceleration in cars and trucks across the auto
industry. The panel is expected to release its findings this fall.


      AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this
report.
      

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The Obama administration's investigation into
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reports of sudden, unintentional acceleration and other safety
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Government finds no electronic flaws in Toyotas

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