David Gilbert discovers electronic problems with Toyota
An instructor at the Southern Illinois University uncovered a possible defect that might cause the Toyota vehicles to accelerate suddenly.David Gilbert thinks that electronics are to blame for the problem in Toyotas, but the carmaker tried to undermine his reasons. The electronic messages obtained by The Associated Press between the carmaker and the school board, which has received a lot of donations from Toyota, show that the Japanese producer grew frustrated towards Gilbert’s work and findings. Two of the Toyota employees resigned from the advisory board of auto-technology program developed in the university and all funds were redrawn. The instructor was the first to realize that the problem in the Toyota cars was the electronics, not the sticky gas pedals or the floor mats.
In January Gilbert experimented on a Toyota Avalon to see if he could manipulate the electronics and create the acceleration without starting any trouble codes in the vehicle’s computer; the codes would send the computer into a safe mode that allows the brake to overrun the gas. Gilbert reported the discovery to Toyota but never heard back from the company which still sustains that the problems are mechanical.
Although the discoveries made by the instructor raised a huge question mark over all the Toyota vehicles, the company declares that its relation with the university is very strong and that they have no plans to stop contributing to Southern Illinois University. 11
