89 deaths tied to Toyota acceleration

BEIJING, May 26 (Xinhuanet) -- The U.S. government said that the sudden and unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles may have been involved in the deaths of 89 people since 2000, according to media reports Wednesday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that it had received more than 6,200 complaints involving sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles over last decade. The reports include 89 deaths and 57 injuries. The complaints have not been verified by the agency.

Toyota Motor Corp. has paid a record 16.4 million U.S. dollars fine for its slow response to an accelerator pedal recall and is facing hundreds of state and federal lawsuits.

The automaker has recalled about 8 million vehicles worldwide to fix sticky pedals and misshapen floor mats linked to unintended sudden acceleration. Plaintiff lawyers have said the cars' electronic throttle system caused the problems, an allegation that Toyota has denied.

The government is investigating acceleration problems in Toyotas and a separate 15-month study by the National Academy of Sciences is scheduled to begin in July.

(Agencies)

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