To date, Toyota has issued 10 million recall notices for vehicles located on three continents. However, the car maker faces new reports of sudden acceleration problems dating back to at least 2002 in Camrys and some Lexus models that have not been recalled. Data also shows complaints of sudden acceleration fatalities involving a Scion tC and a 2005 Highlander: neither model has been recalled. In a fatal 2004 crash involving a 2003 Camry, the paramedics found the deceased driver with both feet on the brake pedal. A complaint filed shortly after the crash said “throttle stuck-engine surged.” An official at the Center for Auto Safety sadly predicted that the number of sudden acceleration fatalities in Toyota-produced vehicles will without a doubt top 100. (2/15) LA Times

Toyota’s competitors use technology that could have prevented the fatal accidents and sudden acceleration experienced by some Toyota vehicle owners. For years, Nissan, BMW, Chrysler and Mercedes have used such a system, known as the “Smart Pedal”, which tells a vehicle’s engine to give the brakes precedence over the accelerator.  Toyota will begin to install this system on some of its vehicles produced in 2010. (2/8) Wall Street Journal

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Some of the fatal accidents and sudden-acceleration incidents that have caused Toyota Motor Corp. so much trouble may have been avoided if the auto maker had equipped its cars with a technology many of its rivals have offered for years.

Chrysler Group LLC, BMW AG, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and most other auto makers have a system built into most of their cars that cuts off a car’s acceleration if the driver is hitting both the gas and brake at the same time.

The computer system—known in the industry as “Smart Pedal” —tells the engine to disregard the accelerator if both the brake and gas pedal are pushed while the vehicle is moving.

U.S. regulators, in response to Toyota’s ongoing recall, have asked auto makers to provide information on their use of a technology that instructs the brake to override the accelerator when the gas and brake pedals are pushed at the same time. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration sent a questionnaire to auto makers last week seeking details on how Smart Pedal is implemented on their vehicles sold in the U.S., according to three people briefed on the matter.

“Chrysler Group began implementing the smart brake in 2003,” a Chrysler spokesman said. “We saw the opportunity to use the system as an additional security measure for the driver. When a disagreement exists between the throttle and the brake, the brake signal causes the engine controller to reduce engine power, allowing the operator to stop the car. Safety is indeed a benefit of the system but efficiency and durability are also important.”

As part of Toyota’s recall of 5.4 million vehicles over the floor mat issue, the auto maker said it would install a brake override system in all of its newly produced cars and trucks by the end of the year.

It is also installing that system on all of the 12 models involved in the floor mat recall as owners bring their vehicles into dealerships to have work done. The dealers will reprogram the on-board computer system so that if the brakes and the gas are pressed simultaneously the brakes will take precedence.

Such a feature may have also helped control those vehicles that reportedly accelerated to high speed. Many of those incidents are believed to have been caused by bulky floor mats that could catch on the gas pedals and pin them down.

That was the problem an off-duty California state trooper had on Aug. 28 when the Lexus ES350 he was driving zoomed to 125 miles per hour on a road near San Diego. A passenger in the car called 911 and said the accelerator was stuck and the driver was hitting the brakes. The call ends when the car crashes. The trooper and three members died.

Toyota also said the brake override system would be standard equipment throughout the Toyota and Lexus product lines starting with the January 2010 production of ES 350 and Camry. It is scheduled to be incorporated into new production of most, but not all models, by the end of 2010.

The on-board electronics system in BMW’s vehicles reduces engine power so the driver can stop while continuing to press the brakes, said product spokesman Tom Plucinsky. The safety feature has been offered on all of its vehicles since the 2005 model year.

Hyundai Motor Co. intends to equip all of its vehicles with the feature by the end of February while Nissan Motor Co. already offers the feature on all of its cars.

General Motors Co. offers brake override on its performance vehicles such as the Corvette ZR1, Camero SS and the four-cylinder Malibu. The auto maker installed the system to ensure its high horsepower vehicles, or vehicles with more torque such as the Malibu, meet the company’s internal braking distance standards.

The auto maker hasn’t implemented the override system on its other vehicles since its brakes are always stronger than its engines.

“That means if you stand on the brake and the accelerator the brake wins all the time,” GM spokesman Alan Adler said.

Ford Motor Co. is employing the technology on its Fiesta subcompact car, which will be introduced in the U.S. later this year. Ford plans to roll the feature out to its other vehicles although a timetable hasn’t been disclosed.

Write to Jeff Bennett at jeff.bennett@dowjones.com

Complaints against Toyota are increasing daily as the automaker is under fire for not doing enough to insure the safety of its vehicles. Toyota is also under pressure to expand its investigation into consumer complaints about its flagship vehicle, the Prius. Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, claims that his Prius can unintentionally accelerate to 97 mph with the cruise control engaged. The U.S. Department of Transportation has criticized Toyota for failing to disclose the defects and issuing recalls in a timely manner, putting the traveling public at risk. Eleven class actions suits have been filed again the automaker, while the company faces the threat of huge civil fines imposed by the U.S. government. AP, Detroit News, Bloomberg

At least 33 Toyota Prius owners have filed complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration alleging reduced braking power after hitting a pothole, manhole or similar object. The result is longer than expected stopping distances that may be fatal for pedestrians. This year Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles due to faulty accelerator pedals and floor mats. (12/24) The Detroit Bureau

A government proposal would require new some 2014 cars and trucks to have larger, stronger side airbags to prevent drivers and passengers from being ejected from vehicles during rollover crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claims that the improved airbags, combined with new anti-rollover technology, would help to reduce deaths in the 10,000-plus rollover accidents every year. (12/1) AP

The American Association for Justice (AAJ) issued a report, based on government data, that concludes West Virginia and North Dakota have the nation’s highest rates of motor carrier company violations of federal safety requirements. Violations may include brake or tire defects, overloaded trucks, and drivers who are untrained or have drug or alcohol problems. (8/30) AP Search for violating companies in your state at AAJ.

After a crash that killed 2 scientists in 2006, Utah passed a new law that penalizes a driver who causes a fatality while texting, a law that is as harsh as one that punishes a drunken driver who kills someone. The law was passed after a 19 year-old college student crossed over the yellow line  on a two lane highway, killing the scientists,  after he sent and received 11 text messages from his girlfriend within 30 minutes prior to the crash. Studies show that texting while driving is twice as dangerous as driving with a .08 alcohol blood level, generally the standard for drunk driving, or as dangerous as talking on a cell phone while driving. (8/28) NY Times

Child trailers, designed to be hitched to bicycles, have been recalled because a defect could allow one of the wheels to detach and cause injury to the biker or to the child riding in the trailer. Burley Design of Eugene, Oregon is the manufacturer of the 2009 models that are subject to the recall announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. To date, there have been no reports of injuries. (8/19) Forbes

A new study found that truck drivers who texted while driving were 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash than when they were not texting. Although the study focused on long haul truckers, the findings generally apply to drivers of all types of motor vehicles. The truckers in the study on average took their eyes off the road for 5 seconds while texting, about enough time for a truck to travel the length of a football field. (7/27) NY TImes

Cellphone use in vehicles is wreaking havoc on our nation’s highways as motorists are increasingly dialing  and texting while driving. Despite alarming statistics that show a correlation between deaths and injuries where cellphone use is involved, government officials have suppressed the data. This article argues that the NHTSA should discourage motorists from the use of cellphones. (7/26) Philadelphia Inquirer