I wouldn't be surprised at
I wouldn't be surprised at anything a panicked driver would do. Pumping the brakes must be fairly common or it wouldn't have been addressed, but Michael Barr was referring to an unintended acceleration event occurring while the driver had their foot on the brake. Unscrupulous behavior revolves around misrepresentation, as opposed to whether or not various options are offered. GM apparently knew about the ignition problem and covered it up. Toyota refuses to address compelling evidence of electronic issues, presented not only by Michael Barr, but also by Dr. David Gilbert, who has - don't tell NHTSA - the support of NASA physicist Henning Leidecker. Search yesterday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, "A Carbondale professor, runaway Toyotas, and the hunt for "tin whiskers." The wrongdoing Toyota admitted to in the federal criminal settlement would exemplify what I consider unscrupulous behavior, not to mention Toyota's continued stonewalling about engine failures in MR2 Spyders. Hot off the press, a class action lawsuit has just been filed because Toyota stonewalled about excessive oil consumption resulting from defective piston rings in a number of models. Search "Toyota Hit with Class Action Lawsuit over Oil Consumption Defect." Real hoot seein' word get out about the way automakers like GM and Toyota cover things up.