Stanford Researcher Defends Toyota

Toyota denies that acceleration problems may persist thanks to electronics glitch

In the wake of Toyota's recall of over 8 million vehicles, researchers from Stanford's Center for Automotive Research are defending Toyota against the latest allegations that car electronics are part of the problem.

Toyota maintains that the problem with stuck accelerators is purely mechanical and it has successfully engineered a solution, however some drivers report that the problem has persisted.

The world's largest automaker is now defending itself from claims made by David W. Gilbert, a professor from Southern Illinois University's Carbondale campus, who said that he successfully bypassed the car's fail-safe braking system by simply crossing a circuit in the accelerator control.

The company is now referring to recent findings from corporate consulting firm Exponent and Chris Gerdes, who directs the Toyota-affiliated Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University.

"There is no evidence that I've seen to indicate that this situation is happening at all in the real world," Gerdes told the San Francisco Chronicle in response to Gilbert's findings, and it is now the official company line.

Jackson West will stick with his bicycle.

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