MANKATO — A data recorder pulled from a Toyota involved in a low-impact crash in May showed the driver was repeatedly hitting the accelerator, not the brake.

Toyota inspectors traveled to Mankato to recover computer data from a 2007 Camry owned by Linda Chory and Charles Anton after Anton claimed the car had accelerated unexpectedly, said Ben Heintz, owner of Heintz Toyota in Mankato.

Anton said he had repeatedly hit the brake during the May 17 crash. But initial tests completed by the dealership showed a brake override system, which was installed during an earlier recall repair, hadn’t activated, Heintz said. If Anton had hit the brake, the system would have automatically put the car in idle.

“What he was claiming didn’t make sense because the car has a brake override system,” Heintz said. “This guy never stepped on the brake.”

A representative from Anton’s insurance company was at the dealership, where the car had been towed after the crash on Riverfront Drive, when the data was pulled. That person agreed with the findings and said the company would cover the damage caused by the crash, Heintz said.

The Heintz dealership provided a car to Anton while they waited for the data recorder to be checked on the Camry.

“Our number one concern, when a car is brought in, is to always take the customer’s concerns very seriously,” Heintz said. “It takes time, but we want to make sure everything is working properly.

“We found no problem with the car. We’re certainly glad it turned out that way, that there was nothing wrong with the car and everything worked out the way it was supposed to.”

Anton, who lives with Chory in North Mankato, said Monday he is sure he hit the brake three times. He also questioned how the hundreds of reports of unexpected acceleration could all be considered operator error.

“I disagree with all of this,” Anton said.

He said he wasn’t concerned about buying a different type of Toyota, but Heintz was not willing to work with him after the car was checked and returned about two weeks ago. He received $12,500 for the Camry when he traded it for a new vehicle at another Mankato dealership last week. Anton said he told that dealership about the incident.

No one was injured in the crash and the damage was minor. When a police officer was called to the scene at 2:30 p.m. on May 17, she gave packets to Anton and the other driver, Hank McCarthy of Le Center, so they could do their own reports for insurance purposes.

Anton hit the back of McCarthy’s car as they were both turning on to Riverfront Drive from the Highway 14 exit.

McCarthy said then that Anton’s insurance company initially told him they wouldn’t immediately cover the cost for repairs to his 2003 Audi. The company wanted to wait until the Camry was checked.

McCarthy estimated the damage to the Audi was about $2,000. The estimated damage to Anton’s Camry was less than $1,000.

Nationwide claims of unexpected acceleration have resulted in class-action lawsuits. A Toyota news release issued the week before Anton’s crash asked the public to wait before coming to conclusions about the claims.

“Recently we have seen instances where the facts did not support the initial claims and sensational reports,” the release said. “In the best interests of all those involved, it’s important to keep this in mind as the case proceeds and the facts are presented.”

Heintz said Monday that none of the claims he has heard about have been proven. He also said he wishes the unintended acceleration claims wouldn’t draw as much attention as they do when they are made.

“Show me one incident where the claims have been proven, where it’s the actual vehicle,” Heintz said. “There haven’t been any. It’s all been risen out of fear and, frankly, the media.”