Toyota has established a group to investigate claims of unintended acceleration as soon as possible after the incident occurs. The Swift Market Analysis Response Team will be dispatched to analyze vehicles whenever an incident occurs, checking to see if the incident was the result of a defect in the vehicle or driver error.  Toyota says that the teams will try to contact owners within 24 hours of an unintended acceleration accident.

Toyota is apparently fed-up with people causing accidents then blaming it on unintended acceleration. Several cases have been reported nationally of Prius models going out of control that, after investigation, may have been simply driver error. Some of the reported incidents of unintended acceleration in Toyota cars may have even been attempts by financially troubled owners to get out of paying for car loans and leases.

Toyota’s SMART business process will use 200 specially-trained product engineers, field technical specialists and technicians from across the country. Members will work with Toyota and Lexus dealers to ensure that any claim of unintended acceleration is investigated quickly.

Toyota may be fined 16.4 million by the NHTSA for not disclosing the possibility of a dangerous defect in its cars that could cause unintended acceleration.

Toyota is obviously worried about bad publicity coming from false claims of its cars going out of control, but so far, the American public hasn’t shown any distrust of the cars.  Toyota had record sales in March thanks to its great incentives and a belief by customers that any problems will be taken care of.