Toyota owners find problems even after repairs from recall

March 4, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some Toyota owners say they’re still having trouble with unintended acceleration after their recalled cars were repaired, and the Transportation Department said Wednesday it is looking into their complaints.

The complaints raise new questions about whether Toyota’s remedy will solve the problem. David Strickland, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said in a statement the agency is reaching out to consumers about the complaints “to get to the bottom of the problem and to make sure Toyota is doing everything possible to make its vehicles safe.”

“If Toyota owners are still experiencing sudden acceleration incidents after taking their cars to the dealership, we want to know about it,” Strickland said.

The government has received a limited number of acceleration reports from the Toyota owners whose floor mats or gas pedals have been fixed. Toyota and the government are investigating potential electrical problems as part of the Japanese automaker’s recall of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide.

NHTSA has alleged that Toyota’s acceleration problems have caused 52 deaths. The company has blamed mechanical causes or drivers pressing the wrong pedal and repaired about 1 million vehicles, but has said it is looking into electronics as a potential cause.

Toyota did not immediately comment on the new complaints.

Stewart Stogel, 49, of Mount Vernon, N.Y., said his 2009 Camry accelerated to about 15 mph on a street near his home on Saturday, five days after a dealership trimmed the gas pedal and installed new brake override software as part of the floor mat recall. The car didn’t stop for several seconds even though he pressed on the brakes. Stogel said he barely avoided going down an embankment and hitting a wall.

“At first the brakes didn’t engage at all,” said Stogel, a freelance journalist. “Just as I approached Terrace Avenue, the wheels were able to get some traction, and all of the sudden the engine did disengage.”

Stogel said the car had accelerated two previous times, and both times Stogel said he took it to dealerships to be checked.