Apple co-founder blames Toyota's software

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CUPERTINO, Calif., Feb. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. businessman Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple, said Toyota Motor Co.'s problem with sticking gas pedals was related to software, not gas pedals.

Wozniak said he had problems with the cruise control of his own 2010 Toyota Prius, saying "there might be a software problem in there," ABC News reported Tuesday.

Toyota has recalled 2.3 million cars in the United States and 1.9 million in Europe and China. It also said it has solved the problem and initiated program to repair gas pedals that are outfitted with a device to provide more friction to gas pedals to give them the proper "feel."

But Wozniak said he has attempted in vain for two months to alert Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about his theory.

"I tap the cruise control lever to increase the speed and it basically goes into an unlimited speed up. If I hit the brake it disables my cruise control and it goes back to normal," Wozniak said.

However, he said the NHTSA gave him the "runaround" and Toyota allowed him only to speak to entry-level employees.

A Toyota spokesperson said, "we have found no evidence of a problem with our electronic throttle control system that could have caused unwanted acceleration."