Toyota's Corolla, Matrix Face Safety Probe By US Regulators
安全纰漏频现 丰田形像受损
Federal regulators have opened an initial investigation into Toyota Motor Corp's (TM) Corolla and Matrix compact passenger cars for randomly stalling while on the road, the latest in a string of safety issues faced by the Japanese automaker.
美国联邦监管部门已开始针对丰田汽车(Toyota Motor Co.)旗下花冠(Corolla)及Matrix轿车出现的途中突然熄火现象进行初步调查；这是近来丰田汽车面临的一系列安全问题中最新的一桩。
The National Highway Transportation Safety Agency is probing 26 customer complaints alleging their vehicles stalled while driving, sometimes on the highway or in intersections, the agency said in a document published last week. Many drivers also had trouble restarting their vehicles, and at times the stalling would reoccur, the agency said.
根据全美高速公路运输安全署(National Highway Transportation Safety Agency)上周发布的文件，该部门正在调查26起消费者投诉，这些人声称自己的车辆在行进过程中突然熄火，事发地点有时在高速公路或十字路口；而且还有许多司机在重启车辆时遇到了麻烦，有时熄火的现象还会一再发生。
The new investigation comes after Toyota's biggest ever recall this fall' covering 4.26 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles in the U.S. amid complaints of sudden acceleration, which the company said was caused by improperly installed floor mats. Last month, the Japanese automaker announced a series of measures to fix the issue including trimming the length of the gas pedal, changing the braking system, and in some cases altering the floor under the accelerator. The Corolla and Matrix were not involved in this recall.
就在这桩最s调查启动前不久，丰田刚刚在秋天宣布了公司有史以来在美国最大一桩产品召回行动，涉及426万辆丰田及雷克萨斯(Lexus)轿车，因为此前有投诉称这些车型出现了暴冲现象，后来丰田解释说这是因为加速踏板被脚垫卡住所致。上个月，丰田公布了若干解决措施，包括缩短油门踏板行程、更换刹车系统、并为部分车辆改装油门下的地板。此次出现问题的花冠及Matrix轿车并不在因暴冲而召回的车辆之列。
Toyota also recalled 110,000 Tundra pickup trucks in November for corrosion problems that can cause the spare tire to come loose.
丰田汽车还在11月份召回了11万辆Tundra皮卡车，因为这些车辆下方的备用轮胎可能因为铺路盐的腐蚀而出现松动、脱落。
The string of safety issues have threatened Toyota's image as a safety and quality leader and come after the company's decade-long expansion in the U.S. market. For years, the automaker was aggressively growing in the North American market, opening new assembly plants and investing heavily in creating new models designed for the U.S.--such as the Tundra pickup.
在美国市场大举扩张十年之后，上述一系列安全问题已经威胁了丰田汽车安全、优质的行业领导者形像。在过去数年中，丰田一直在积极开拓北美市场，开设了新的组装工厂并砸下重金专为美国市场设计新车型，Tundra皮卡车就是一例。
The latest investigation, which covers 387,000 of the 2006 Corolla and Matrix models sold in the U.S., is one of four opened by federal safety regulators in November and is the initial stage to determining whether a deeper investigation is warranted. Toyota officials were unavailable for immediate comment.
这起最新调查涉及2006年在美销售的38.7万辆花冠及Matrix轿车，这是美国安全监管部门在11月份开始进行的四桩调查之一，它尚属初步阶段，目的是决定是否需要对此事深加调查。截至发稿时，记者未能联系到丰田高管对此置评。
The probe into the Corolla and Matrix vehicles focuses on the electronic control module--the computer system that operates many of the vehicles systems, as well as a company bulletin issued in 2007 to remedy harsh shifting in the models.
对花冠及Matrix轿车的调查针对的是车辆计算机系统中的电子控制元件，以及公司在2007年时发出的有关维修快速换档装置的公告。
Kate Linebaugh
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