Toyota says data show drivers stepped on the wrong pedal

Toyota Motor Corp. says data from black boxes it has inspected show that many drivers were pressing on the throttle, not the brake pedal, during unintended-acceleration events.

Over the past four month, Toyota has investigated about 2,000 reports of unintended acceleration. It has reviewed the data from recorders when a car was in a crash, spokesman Mike Michaels told Bloomberg News.

Michaels said the causes of unintended acceleration include pedals being trapped by floor mats and sticking pedals--issues that prompted Toyota to recall more than 8 million vehicles globally to fix. There also have been issues with other objects in the car, and the wrong pedal being pushed, Michaels said.

Asked by Bloomberg to describe the number of crashes that were caused by the wrong pedal being pressed, Michaels said it was "virtually all."

Toyota has not found any electronic problems with its cars' "drive-by-wire" throttle system.

A report on Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal said that the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration had found that in many cases of unintended acceleration, drivers were actually pushing on the throttle pedal, not the brake pedal. NHTSA declined to comment on the report.

By Dale Jewett