One of Toyota’s execs said today that the company isn’t covering up information about its suddenly accelerating cars, but the Department of Transportation doesn’t seem to agree.

From ABC News:

The Toyota denial comes after U.S. highway safety officials rebuked the company for falsely claiming government inspectors had found “no defects exist” in the suspect cars other than loose floor mats.

[…]

“This matter is not closed,” said a statement issued by the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “Removal of the floor mats is simply an interim measure, not a remedy of the underlying defect in the vehicles.”

The article points out that some of the 2,000 complaints in the U.S. over suddenly accelerating Toyotas involved cars that didn’t have the recalled mats, or that didn’t have floor mats at all, which seems to hint that there could be something else behind the problem. But so far, federal inspectors haven’t been able to identify another cause, either.

ABC News has put together a collection of articles about the runaway cars, including interviews with drivers who were involved in sudden acceleration crashes, and advice (some of it from our own Consumer Reports) on what to do if you find yourself in a similar situation. For instance, as they describe in-depth on their blog and with video, don’t pump the brakes!

“Toyota Executive Denies “Cover Up” In Probe of Runaway Cars” [ABC News]
Toyota recall and investigation is not over, yet [CR Cars Blog]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.