The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) probe into the causes of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles has found that in many cases, drivers did not apply the brakes before a crash.
A review of event data recorders within the vehicles found that no brakes were applied in 35 of 58 cases. The report also found no evidence of faulty electronics within the vehicles.
The recorders, similar to black boxes used in airplanes, record data from the vehicle in the event of a crash. That information, such as speed, trajectory and which systems were working, can be integral in determining what happened before a crash.
The automaker has previously posited that some drivers may have confused the accelerator and the gas. The company did acknowledge that some gas pedals could stick and loose floor mats could trap the accelerator in rare instances.
In addition, Toyota is not completely off the hook because many of the recorded instances didn’t end in crashes.
“Reviewing event data recorders is one small part of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s effort to get to the bottom of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles,” said Olivia Alair, a spokesperson for the Transportation Department.
The company has recalled over 8 million vehicles since the problems were first reported. Toyota fans may want to look at used Toyotas that are not on the recall list if they want a reliable car.