Today, the news is different. First it was a slew of recalls that has now ballooned into what seems like an auto-Armageddon for Toyota. Toyota itself has attributed the fault in its most recent recalls to a faulty accelerator pedal that can be quickly and easily fixed. The easy fix does not seem to be working as the recent news about a self accelerating Toyota Prius which may indicate a more deep rooted problem.
So, what could be the root of Toyota's problem? Steve Jobs the CEO of Apple Computers has tried to point out the possibility that the problem might be electronic in nature. One other expert has testified that it was possible to tweak the electronics in Toyota Cars to make them self accelerate.
Without sounding like an apostle of doom or trying to scare all car drivers out there, the computer chips under the hood of many modern cars are probably vulnerable to cracker or hacker attacks just like the computer chips inside desktops, huge road signs or even your washer at home. So. perhaps the issue is security rather than electronics. If some people have found a way to use their wireless devices to tap into computer chips that modern cars rely upon for virtually all their functionality, then no car on the road is eventually going to be safe.
Toyota ought to take very seriously the issue of the security from external influence of the computer chips that operate their vehicles. If security is an issue that has been overlooked, then it is probably better to inform their customers of the real issue and to start immediately to find a permanent solution.
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