While Toyota problems continue, facing pressure after recalling some of its brands from the market, Toyota Motors launched a counterattack on Monday, bringing out a panel of experts to diffuse the claims of an academic who said he had found an electronic defect in its vehicles related to sudden acceleration. 

In a presentation at the company's Torrance operations center, five engineers disputed the findings of David Gilbert a professor from the Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, who claimed that he can produce an electrical fault in Toyota vehicles without it being detected by the vehicles' diagnostic system. Gilbert's findings, if true, could bolster claims by some Toyota users that they experienced sudden acceleration without triggering a trouble code on the vehicles' computers.

Chris Gerdes, director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University, said the findings by Gilbert contain no evidence of any real-world malfunction. And Matthew Schwall, one of the three engineers called in for testing, called Gilbert's tests an "unrealistic manipulation." Meanwhile, Gilbert expressed that he stands by his research and that he intends to visit different facilities next week to discuss on his research.

Until recently, Toyota has been largely on the defensive as allegations of sudden acceleration in its vehicles have prompted millions of recalls, congressional hearings and federal investigations. On Monday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee asked Toyota to produce a copy of a memo from company employees that Toyota allegedly was risking safety in order to cut costs.

Through the first two months of the year, Toyota's U.S. sales were down 12.4%, while Toyota stocks price declined 13% since the company recalled 2.3 million cars for a pedal sticking problem. And although the new Toyota strategy could help the beleaguered automaker vindicate itself from what it has characterized as unfair attacks, it also could open it up to further scrutiny.

Toyota recall of many models in previous months has marred its quality reputation already.

We will be back with more Toyota News for you.