Los Angeles: More than 60 drivers have complained of sudden acceleration incidents despite the fact that their cars were repaired by Toyota Motor Corp in the current recalls, new data released on Thursday show.

The latest figure, released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, significantly increases the total number of complaints involving repaired vehicles, which was less than 10 on Tuesday.

The new complaints allege several accidents and at least three injuries resulting from runaway unintended acceleration despite the vehicles' undergoing a series of modifications at Toyota dealerships designed to resolve the issue.

In response to the rising number of complaints, federal regulators said they would contact each motorist to find out more about what happened.

Complaints

NHTSA also said it would ask Toyota for similar complaints it may have received from customers. The agency does not normally verify individual reports, posted anonymously on its database.

"If it appears that a remedy provided by Toyota is not addressing the problem it was intended to fix, NHTSA has the authority to order Toyota to provide a different solution," the agency said in a statement. Toyota said that it had begun its own evaluation of the complaints, and that it was too soon to release findings.

Toyota is "doing everything it can to ensure that our customers are confident in their vehicles", the company said in a statement.

Scepticism

The automaker has maintained that sudden unintended acceleration in its Toyota and Lexus vehicles is caused by sticking gas pedals or floor mats that can entrap the pedal, and has issued nearly 10 million recall notices for vehicles worldwide to correct the problem.

The new complaints, however, are fuelling scepticism from those who think the root cause may lie in Toyota's electronics.

Carmaker says there's no proof of failure

Toyota Motor Corp said a partial review of complaints of unintended acceleration after vehicles were repaired had found no evidence of failure in the electronic throttle system or the fixes. Toyota, which has recalled more than 6 million vehicles in the US due to loose floor mats that can jam the accelerator and gas pedals that do not spring back as designed, said this week that it has fixed more than 1 million cars. However, US regulators said they are reviewing more than 60 complaints.