On November 30, Toyota Motor Company announced the launching of a “limited service campaign” to repair pumps in the cooling systems of select Toyota Prius hybrid motor vehicles, as reported by CNN. The campaign affects 378,000 cars in North America for Toyota Priuses model years 2004 through 2007. Priuses built after 2007, as well as other Lexus and Toyota hybrid vehicles, have different water pump systems, and therefore are not reportedly affected by this problem.
The issue with the Toyota Prius cooling pumps is that air is able to leak into a vehicle’s water pumps, which cool sections of the electric drive system. This excessive air in the vehicle’s cooling system can cause bubbles to form, which can inhibit or even prohibit cooling from occurring. The cooling system is not connected to the cooling system that is for the vehicle’s gasoline engine. Toyota Priuses have both an electric motor and a gasoline engine. If cooling is inhibited, once the vehicle’s sensors detect the electric drive system is overheating, a warning light will appear. The Prius will then enter into “safe mode,” which reduces total driving power.
Toyota is giving owners of the affected Priuses until November of 2013 to replace the pump free of charge.
This year has seen many auto product liability issues of concern and multiple vehicle recalls, ranging from engine problems to faulty brakes to power-steering issues. This year alone, Toyota has recalled approximately 10 million defective vehicles worldwide, which is almost the number of cars that will be sold by all car manufacturers in the U.S. for the year 2010.
When a motor vehicle has defective components, it can make the vehicle more susceptible to causing an accident that otherwise may not have occurred. Vehicle defects put all motorists, vehicle occupants, and pedestrians at great risk. Car manufacturers have a responsibility to design and sell motor vehicles that are safe for consumers to operate and do not contain a defect that could cause a motorist or others harm. The Los Angeles auto product liability attorneys at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP have the resources, experience, and knowledge that are required to help anyone who has been injured or has suffered the wrongful death of a family member because of a defective vehicle. Call our law office today at 1-877-800-1700 to find out how we can help.
