Toyota hits back at claims of electronic defects

LOS ANGELES — Crisis-hit Toyota hit back once again Monday at allegations that the electronics in its vehicles caused the problems with sudden acceleration which led to the recall of millions of vehicles.The Japanese automaker staged a technical demonstration in which it tore apart as "unrealistic" and "contrived" a study by a vocal critic showing that crossed wires could send a false signal that would cause Toyota cars to speed out of control.David Gilbert, a professor of automotive technology at Southern Illinois University told a US congressional investigation last month that affected Toyota and Lexus vehicles may have an electronics design flaw. The carmaker dismissed his findings, saying he had re-engineered and rewired the signals from the accelerator pedal in order to create the flaw rather than analyzing "real world" evidence."If an electrical system is re-engineered and rewired it's not surprising that subsequent testing of the system may cause unrealistic results," Toyota spokesman Mike Michaels told reporters."Speculation is easy. Science takes a lot more effort."Engineers from the consulting firm Exponent -- which Toyota has hired to analyze its systems for potential faults -- demonstrated how the process would create a similar result in vehicles made by General Motors, Honda, Ford, Chrysler and BMW. "This in no way indicates a defect with this vehicle," Matthew Schwall, a managing engineer with Exponent, said as he showed how the altered circuits could send false signals."The only reason the engine accelerated is because we followed Mr. Gilbert's method and rewired it to do that."The only way the fault could be created, they explained, was if the protective coverings on the wires were eroded and a specific electrical charge was created as two non-adjacent wires connected.Not only is it highly unlikely in the real world, but it would also leave behind obvious physical evidence which has not been detected in any of the problem vehicles, the engineers said."You cannot rewire a circuit and expec

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