Editor’s Note: This is a letter to the editor of the New York Times setting the record straight

 

Re “Toyota Concedes 2 Flaws Caused Loss of Control” (Business Day, July 15):

 

For the last several months Toyota has candidly discussed the two mechanical issues that, in rare instances, can cause unintended acceleration in some of its vehicles. Contrary to your article, we did not just acknowledge this “for the first time.”

 

Working with our dealers, we’re making extraordinary efforts to service our recalled vehicles with effective and durable solutions for these issues. Some 80 percent of the sticking pedal modifications have already been completed. At the same time, we’re aggressively investigating complaints through a new on-site evaluation process, involving 200 highly trained engineers and field technicians, and we reported our findings to Congress on May 20.

 

All of our new cars and trucks are now being equipped with even more advanced safety technologies, including our Star Safety System, brake override and improved event data recorders that read both pre- and post-crash data. As we focus on strengthening our quality assurance, we’re grateful to our customers for standing by Toyota.

 

Steve St. Angelo
North America Chief Quality Officer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America