Why is Toyota so insistent their acceleration problems are mechanical rather than electronic?

Throughout the acceleration problem fiasco, Toyota has insisted the problem is a mechanical one involving the gas pedal. Simultaneously Toyota categorically denied the problem involves the electronic systems. It doesn't appear they completely know the cause, but in public statements they have flatly eliminated electronics as the culprit.



I earned a BS in mechanical engineering and worked for about 10 years as a manufacturing / quality engineer. When tackling problems, we never eliminated possibilities until we considered everything until we found the root problem. Toyota seems to be doing the opposite: They've reflexively eliminated the electronics and are fishing around for cause among the remaining possibilities, however far-fetched (e.g. floor mats).



What's going on? Is there a liability issue in play? For instance, does Toyota share the same electronics among many of its vehicles, meaning millions more are at risk than Toyota would like to admit? Is the problem so intermittent that it is difficult to reproduce? (If so, I'd think electronics are at least a factor.) Or is something else going on?Why is Toyota so insistent their acceleration problems are mechanical rather than electronic?I'm wondering the same thing. It seems like for some reason, they absolute refuse to consider that it could be a problem with the electronic throttle. First, they tried the bogus explanation that the floor mat was trapping the accelerator pedal. Well, there was an accident with sudden acceleration where the mats weren't even in the car! They had already taken them out and put them in the trunk. The police investigation even said the mats were in the trunk. So what about that? Then try tried to say a part on the pedal was causing it to stick...well, a lot of people are saying now that their car STILL accelerates out of control even after it was supposedly "fixed."



It seems like Toyota is trying every lame excuse BUT electronics. They're in denial. To me, it definitely seems like an electronic problem. One possibility could be that the computer is picking up RF interference from somewhere and it causes the throttle to malfunction. I know that whenever I get a call or a text message on my cell phone, it drives my computer nuts...the screen starts flickering and it starts scrolling up and down by itself.



I'm also getting sick of all these smart a$$ people who just keep saying "why didn't they put the car in neutral?" Well, apparently, with some new cars it isn't that simple. The shift lever isn't mechanically linked to the transmission. It's electronic. I've heard that if the engine is over a certain RPM, the computer will NOT allow you to shift into neutral. You could put the shift lever into neutral, but the transmission will stay in gear.



I'm not 100 percent sure about that...but I've been hearing and reading a lot about that lately, and even in an auto repair forum. If the RPM is over a certain point, the ECM will ignore a neutral shift. It was some kind of "safety" feature, supposedly to prevent damage to the engine and transmission if the driver accidentally bumped the gear shift while the engine was at high speed. Well, of course they never considered the possibility that an electronics malfunction and rev the engine up to full throttle! All these car companies that make everything electronic in their cars never even think of the possibility that it could malfunction.



At that point, the car is basically a death trap...the only thing you can do is turn off the ignition. And with some cars that don't have a switch and only have a button, you have to hold it for several seconds. That wouldn't be so easy to do while you're flying down the freeway at 90 mph.Why is Toyota so insistent their acceleration problems are mechanical rather than electronic?
It's because it's cheaper to grind down a gas pedal and throw out a floor mat than to replace the electronic throttle in every vehicle they make. They hoped this problem would get swept under the floor mat and be soon forgotten.Why is Toyota so insistent their acceleration problems are mechanical rather than electronic?TWO reasons.

#1 It is mechanical. They have examples of mechanical failure in several models using the same parts.

#2 They know it is not electrical. No other electronic failures occur in the crashed vehicles.Why is Toyota so insistent their acceleration problems are mechanical rather than electronic?
Too bad Toyota executives never heard of the cautionary saying:



" Oh what a tangled web we weave,

when first we practise to deceive."



The Toyota bottom line has been, and remains: $$$$$$$$$$$$$,

even at the expense of safety and ethics.Why is Toyota so insistent their acceleration problems are mechanical rather than electronic?They are in big trouble and digging deeper every day. I guess they think they can bluff their way

through this problem. The people that have bought their cars are the ones that need help.