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November 4, 2009

ABC News investigation finds over 200 accidents; Toyota owners want answers.

Refusing to accept the explanation of Toyota and the federal government, hundreds Toyota owners are in rebellion after a series of accidents caused by what they call “runaway cars.”

Safety analysts found an estimated 2000 cases in which owners of Toyota cars including Camry, Prius and Lexus, reported that their cars surged without warning up to speeds of 100 miles per hour.

Toyota says the incidents are caused by floor mats becoming stuck under gas pedals, but owners say that’s not what happened to them.

Some Toyota Owners Point to Problem Other than Floor Mats

Many Toyota owners remain convinced that an electronic problem is to blame.

Bulent Ezal was driving with his wife of 46 years in their Toyota Camry in central California, when he says it suddenly took off. The car plunged over a 100 foot cliff into the Pacific ocean, and while he survived, his wife did not.

“All of a sudden the car surged with force and I was thrown back to the seat,” Ezal said. The last thing he heard was his wife screaming before he blacked out. Toyota says the accident was caused by Ezal mistakenly pushing the gas pedal, but Ezal is adamant that his foot was “absolutely, positively on the brake.”

There have been other deaths as well, including a fatal accident near San Diego this August that took the lives of California Highway patrol officer Mark Saylor, his wife, daughter and brother-in-law.

The Lexus they were driving, borrowed from a dealer, raced out of control at 100 miles an hour before hitting another vehicle, crashing into an embankment and bursting into flames.

Right before the crash, Saylor’s brother-in-law called 911 from the backseat of the vehicle and said urgently, “Our accelerator is stuck. We’re in trouble…There’s no brakes.”

Toyota said the problem was the wrong-sized, all-weather rubber floor mat in the car which was caught and held down the gas pedal. The company ordered a huge floor mat recall for 3.8 million cars.

In Tokyo, the president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, formally apologized, saying, “Four precious lives have been lost. I offer my deepest condolences.”

But many Toyota owners remained unconvinced, including Elizabeth James in Denver, CO and her husband Ted. They organized a YouTube campaign accusing Toyota of gross negligence and cover-up and are demanding answers.