US, Toyota cite driver error in crashes

A federal analysis of the crash data, first reported in The Wall Street Journal yesterday, suggested that drivers who lost control of their cars were mistakenly flooring the accelerator when they intended to hit the brakes. Thousands of cases of unintended acceleration are currently being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in conjunction with NASA.

Following the Journal story, Bloomberg News quoted Toyota Motor Corp. spokesman Mike Michels as saying “virtually all’’ of 2,000 cases of reported unintended acceleration reviewed by the automaker resulted from drivers stepping on the gas pedal instead of the brake.

Michels said in an interview with the Globe that his comment only referred to “crashes in which the driver reported that his or her foot was on the brake,’’ but would not say how many incidents fit that description.

But the families of victims argued that driver error could not be the reason behind so many reports of Toyota vehicles allegedly spinning out of control.

“I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it. . . . I remember my father saying in his instance that he had his foot on the brake as hard as he could and it was still going, so I don’t buy that argument,’’ said Jack Boddaert, whose father, Peter, told federal investigators that his Lexus LS 400 raced ahead on its own.

“There are too many people [complaining about sudden acceleration] for everybody to be making the same mistake,’’ Boddaert said.

The federal safety agency is “not confirming or commenting’’ on the data discussed in the Journal article, according to a spokesperson. But the Japanese automaker has recalled millions of vehicles, saying their gas pedals might stick or that floor mats could jam pedals.

Toyota said yesterday that the company’s investigations into the accidents that have been blamed on sudden acceleration have determined “a number of explanations or causes,’’ but Toyota insisted that “in no case have we found electronic throttle controls to be a cause.’’

Among the causes cited by Toyota are “pedal entrapment by floor mats or other objects, sticking pedals, pedal misapplication, engine idle up.’’ In some cases, the company said, there was “no trouble found.’’

Keith Henry, news chief at the NASA Langley Research Center, said a NASA team is working with the NHTSA and should have results to deliver to federal investigators in September.

Toyota said yesterday it has yet to receive any information on the federal investigations.

A Globe review of the federal traffic agency’s database last spring revealed at least seven fatal accidents since 2003 — resulting in 10 deaths — involving New England drivers, Toyota-made cars, and the possibility of unintended acceleration.

In May, investigators from the federal safety agency and three Toyota engineers examined a Toyota Highlander in a Billerica salvage yard. Four people were killed in a crash involving the Highlander, which according to witness descriptions, was consistent with reports of unintended acceleration. Investigators from the traffic safety agency also examined the crash site, which is near the Peterborough-Jaffrey town line in New Hampshire.

Colleen Krause, whose husband died when the Highlander collided with his car, said she hasn’t heard from investigators since the inspection. But, Krause added, she doubts that driver error is behind so many problems with Toyota brand vehicles.

“I just don’t think that at that time of day you could get that type of car up to 90 miles an hour going around a curve without something wrong with the car,’’ Krause said yesterday.

But even as officials continue to study the vehicles and their data recorders, determining whether a crash was caused by a sudden acceleration is difficult, investigators say. Some crashes leave no survivors, badly damaged vehicles, and few witnesses. Often, safety officials must pick through hazy memories, competing accounts, and extenuating factors — like weather or driver impairment from alcohol or drugs — before they can reconstruct a crash or find its cause. An official report could be months away.

A 1989 study of sudden acceleration conducted by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge looked at two Audi models, a Chevrolet Camaro, and a Toyota Cressida, and concluded that design flaws were causing drivers to hit the wrong pedal or step on the gas and brake at the same time.

E. Donald Sussman, coauthor of that report, said yesterday that in his opinion, the conclusion that Toyota’s current problems are caused simply by driver error is “not a good answer.’’

Saying “there is always driver error,’’ Sussman said investigators should ask, “Why does one particular brand or model of a brand have a large, large number of a particular type of driver error?’’

Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with IHS Automotive in Lexington, said she is suspicious of yesterday’s reports that suggest driver error was the behind the accidents.

“I don’t think anything can be gained by pointing the finger at the consumer at this point. Plus, electronic issues are always difficult to pinpoint,’’ she said. “Toyota definitely isn’t in the clear yet.’’

D.C. Denison can be reached at denison@globe.com; Erin Ailworth can be reached at eailworth@globe.com.