New complaints it's said come from repairs not properly done - at least in some cases

Toyota officials acknowledge that some owners may be experiencing additional problems with unintended acceleration because dealers did not properly complete recall repairs.

That revelation came during a news conference designed to counter claims made during last month’s Congressional investigation of Toyota safety problems that the automaker’s vehicles may be prone to electronic failure that could lead them to surge out of control.

During a more than hour-long session with reporters, the troubled automaker repeatedly sought to discredit the study by Prof. David Gilbert, of Southern Illinois University.  Among other things, Toyota and its outside researchers showed that similar situations could be created on a variety of other U.S., Japanese and European-made vehicles.

But when asked to respond to a growing number of complaints filed by owners whose vehicles have experienced unintended acceleration problems even after undergoing recall repairs, the automaker said it could neither rule out that possibility, nor could it offer an explanation for the reports, now numbering over 60.

In at least some situations, acknowledged spokesman Mike Michels, the cause was likely “repairs not being done properly.”

So far, Toyota has staged two separate recalls related to unintended acceleration.  The first, announced last October, requires modifications to prevent floor mats from jamming accelerator pedals.  The more recent recall, announced in January, requires the installation of a small metal shim to prevent accelerators from sticking.

Michels said Toyota “will investigate” the repeat complaints, but despite the new reports, he said “we remain confident in the recall remedies.”

While the more than hour-long session serious damaged the credibility of the study by Prof. Gilbert, Toyota and its engineering team took pains to caution that they could not completely and absolutely rule out the possibility of electronic problems with Toyota vehicles.

“We are leaving no stone unturned and are throwing our best engineers at the problems,” said Dr. Subodh Medhekar, principal engineer with Exponent, a consulting firm that is overseeing Toyota’s investigation of the unintended acceleration problem.