美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-01-01

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The 360 has been on this from the begining, uncovering details no one else has. Back in February Drew Griffin broke the story of a documented link between the company's history of unintended acceleration³ and Toyota software. That report highlighted an internal Toyota engineering memo⁴, the company concedes it didn't provide the government investigators⁵. And his story featured a Toyota customer who says she is convinced that her brand new Lexus surged ahead on it own.

"Tanya Spotts thought all of those problems with suddenly accelerating Toyotas were old news, which is ecactly why she bought the car of her dreams, this 2011 Lexus, ES350 last June."

"Did you think it was solved?"

"Oh, I thought most definitely it was solved, the federal government tested, you know, Toyota, they said it was floor mats or a sticky trod or something like that. And I believed the government."

Seven thousand miles later on the day after Christmas, she said she was pulling into a parking spot at a local mall, gently riding the brake she says when, well, take a listen.

"The car just lurched forward and hit the cement wall in front of us."

She jammed on the brake so hard she says, she strained ligaments in her foot causing massive swelling⁶. And when she called her dealership⁸, a salesman insisted she call a Toyota company lawyer.

"And you won't drive this again?"

"I will not drive this car again."

Toyota has never conceded an electronics or software problem could in any way be responsible for sudden acceleration in its vehicles, but Drew and producer, David Fitzpatrick obtained an internal Toyota engineering document written in Japanese with English translation, which shows that, in one instance, during preproduction testing, an electronics software problem was discovered. Toyota says it has nothing to do with unintended acceleration, other safety experts disagree. Today's agreement does not address the software angle. And Drew Griffin is here tonight. Drew, first a big settlement ealier this month, and now this, is this an admission by Toyota that they really did have such a problem with sudden unintended acceleration?

"You know, absolutely not, Randi, from the begining, Toyota mantained it doesn't have a sudden unintended acceleration problem, certainly nothing wrong with the electronic throttle⁹ control system. The company said this was three things, this was stuck gas pedals, stuck floor mats, and quite frankly¹⁰, operator error as they said was Tanya's case, they believed that she, just stepped down the gas instead of the brake. So then, what's this settlement is all about, right? Why settle?"

Here is what Toyota's US legal officer said in a statement today, "this was a difficult decision, especially since reliable scientific evidence and mutiple independent evaluations¹¹ have confirmed the safety of Toyota's electronic throttle control systems. However, we concluded that turning the page on this legacy¹² legal issue through the positive steps that we're taking is in the best interest of the company, our employees, our dealers⁷ and most of all, Randi, our customers. The fact is these court trials were begining to creep up on Toyota. A lot of lawyers asking for a lot of documents and depositions¹³. This settlement keeps all those records out of the public, just like those the record that we found on AC 360 this past February. So it is a way that Toyota says, we're gonna put this all behind us and we're gonna keep all of our secrets out of the court.

"So, Drew, who gets the money from this settlement?"

"It really is huge, Randi, the bulk of the money, according to Toyota, is going to go directly to the customers past and presence, and that will include a brake override¹⁴ system for all the vehicles that were identified by Toyota as having a problem with floor mats getting stuck. For Toyota owners like Tanya who actually sold their cars during the crisis when sales and the values of owners' car plummeted¹⁵. Toyota set aside 250 million dollars to compensate¹⁶ owners for the loss. There is gonna be a separate 250 million dollars to compensate owners who don't qualify for that brake override system. And finally, all 16 million current Toyota owners are gonna be eligible¹⁷ for this warranty¹⁸ of what Toyota says is a certain parts related to sudden, unintended acceleration, the warranties¹⁹ go from 3 to 10 years."

"And I think clearly the intend here, Randi, it to turn the page, just like Toyota said, put this legacy, legal issue behind the company. Sales are up, sales are good, the company can afford it, they're hoping this really just puts all the sudden unintended acceleration in the past."

"All right, Drew, thanks for very mcuh."

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