Toyota Recall Fixes Might Not End Sudden Acceleration Problems

NATIONAL - A Toyota executive told a congressional panel yesterday that fixing floor mats and sticking pedals on millions of recalled vehicles would “not totally” fix problems with dangerous unintended acceleration.

He said that the automaker still hasn’t ruled out electronics as a potential cause of sudden acceleration.

Since September 2009, Toyota has recalled millions of vehicles worldwide for issues involving unintended acceleration. Currently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has now received more than 2,000 complaints of sudden, unintended acceleration with Toyota and Lexus vehicles involving over 30 deaths and causing hundreds of accidents.

http://www.trippfirm.com/

TOYOTA STICKY ACCELERATORS may cause tragic accidents

NATIONAL - State Farm told NHTSA about sticky accelerators in 2007. In continuing coverage, the AP (2/10, Thomas) reports that State Farm insurance announced yesterday that it "alerted" NHTSA "in late 2007 about a rise in reports of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the latest warning sign to emerge about the massive recall.

NHTSA officials said the report was reviewed and the agency issued a recall later that month. NHTSA received complaints about acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles as early as 2003, and congressional investigators are looking into whether the government missed warning signs of the problems."

www.trippfirm.com

Toyota was aware of throttle problems last year.

NATIONAL - According to USA Today (1/25, Healey) reports, "Toyota says it knew there were problems with accelerator-pedal assemblies from supplier CTS late last year, but not enough to warrant a recall.

The automaker says it hurriedly announced last Thursday a planned recall of 2.3 million Toyotas, back to 2005 models, because the defect trend had picked up." Toyota "says it has no direct reports of injuries or deaths," but an ABC report has linked "the problem to four deaths."

http://www.trippfirm.com/

Toyota issues new recall for 2.3M vehicles to fix gas pedals

NATIONAL - ABC World News (1/21, lead story, 3:10, Sawyer) reported, "Breaking news this evening. Toyota is recalling 2.3 million cars and trucks tonight, trying to tackle the frightening problem of cars suddenly speeding out of control." The CBS Evening News (1/21, story 8, 0:20, Couric) noted that "late last year Toyota recalled more than four million vehicles because the accelerator pedal can get stuck in the floor mats. Well, today another huge recall. More than two million Toyotas covering eight model years from 2005 to 2010. The accelerator can get stuck in those vehicles as well, even without a floor mat."

The most recent recall, according to NBC Nightly News (1/21, story 6, 0:20, Williams), "is in addition to 4.3 million Toyotas recently recalled for a floor mat problem that could cause the accelerator to stick." The New York Times (1/22, B8, Bunkley) points out, "The first recall was to fix a design flaw that could cause the gas pedal to become trapped under the floor mat." But Toyota "continued to be dogged by reports of unintended acceleration and stuck pedals even in cases where the floor mats had been removed, a stopgap measure recommended" by the company. The Times says the recall affects some year models of the Avalon, Camry, Tundra, Sequoia, RAV4, Corolla, Matrix, Highlander, and "the Pontiac Vibe, a mechanical twin to the Matrix." Not affected are "Lexus or Scion models" or the Prius.

 

http://www.trippfirm.com/

Toyota/Lexus to recall 3.8 million vehicles – Floor mats may cause accelerator to stick and cause a crash

NATIONWIDE - Toyota is in the process of recalling 3.8 million vehicles in the United States. The problem is a removable floor mat. The floor mat could interfere with the vehicle's accelerator and cause a crash.

The company says it will be the largest recall in its history. Toyota owners could learn about the safety campaign as early as next week.

The recall affects the following vehicles: 2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350.

FOR IMMEDIATE SAFTEY: Owners should take out the floor mats on the driver's side, not replace them and contact a local Toyota/Lexus dealer.

If you or a loved one has been injured, call the TRIPP LAW FIRM for an immediate telephone consultation. Florida Injury Attorney G. Alan Tripp, Jr. and the injury law team are available 24 hours a day. CALL (888) 392-LAWS (5297).

www.trippfirm.com