Personal Injury Litigation Blog

According to a Los Angeles Times article, a new federal safety regulation announcement reveals that at least 34 people have been killed within the last decade in Toyota auto accidents involving vehicles that allegedly accelerated out of control. Since the initial reports of 13 fatalities connected to the gas pedal issue were made public and the Toyota recall list was announced, the number of official motorist complaints’ filed has dramatically increased. These additional complaints of unintended acceleration have been pouring in to federal regulators and it is uncertain how many more incidents will be reported when all is said and done.

The new fatality report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) includes 13 deaths reported since January 27, 2010, which was the day after Toyota put a hold on the sale and production of eight of its auto models in the United States. This was done in order to fix gas pedals that the automaker said can stick and cause unintended acceleration. Most of the reported incidents of fatal acceleration took place between 2003 and 2009, according to an analysis of the data by The Times. In addition, The Times found that all but one of the fatalities reported to NHTSA by motorists in 2010 actually took place in previous years. Some incidents even go back as far as 1992.

The complaints filed with NHTSA display accounts of Toyota and Lexus vehicles suddenly accelerating forward, colliding with other vehicles, buildings and pedestrians. Federal regulators reported that 22 people have been injured from Toyota unintended acceleration accidents, with injuries ranging from bruises and lacerations to a woman who was left in a coma due to a crash. A spokeswoman for the NHTSA stated, “It is normal for NHTSA to receive an increase in consumer complaints after a recall is announced…The agency is quickly gathering more data on all of these additional complaints to help guide our examination of sudden acceleration…as well as other safety issues.”

Toyota has resumed sale and production of the eight models that were previously put on hold to fix the gas pedal issue. Dealers are in the process of installing shims on gas pedals to fix what is being called a defect that could make the accelerator pedal stick.

The experienced Toyota gas pedal recall attorneys at the reputed personal injury law firm of Panish Shea & Boyle LLP are currently representing severely injured people in unintended acceleration accidents involving Toyota and Lexus vehicles. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a car accident with one of the recalled Toyota autos, our skilled auto product liability lawyers can help. Call Panish Shea & Boyle LLP today at 800-591-8116 to schedule a free case evaluation.

Source:http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-deaths16-2010feb16,0,481821.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fmostviewed+%28L.A.+Times+-+Most+Viewed+Stories%29

After several reports of Toyota vehicles undergoing unintended acceleration, and a resulting  recall of practically four million autos, Toyota has announced that it will install brake override systems by the end of 2010 in all new Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles. According to a U.S. News & World Report article, starting this month in January, the Toyota Camry and Lexus ES350 will be the first models to receive the new brake override system.

AutoWeek reported that the new brake override software system will operate by shifting the engine to idle if it detects the driver is trying to apply the brakes without success. The new system will only work for new vehicles. This leaves existing vehicles affected by the Toyota accelerator recall to only have the option of replacing their floor mats and accelerator pedal with a reshaped one.

Although Toyota claims that these incidents were caused by defective floor mats becoming stuck under accelerator pedals, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined that the floor mats were not necessarily the only problem. Auto manufacturers have the responsibility of not only accurately designing vehicles, but also ensuring that automobiles are properly manufactured and placed on the market without any defective components that may inflict harm upon motorists or passengers.

At Panish, Shea, & Boyle, our experienced automotive defects attorneys understand the serious repercussions of defective auto parts and vehicle recalls. Although many auto recalls help protect consumers, a substantial amount of them occur only after innocent people have been hurt or killed because of the recalled product. If you or a loved one has been affected by these dangerous acceleration pedals or any other auto part defect, please call Panish, Shea & Boyle to find out how we can help. Call 800-591-8116 for a free consultation or visit our website www.psandb.com to learn about our many successful automotive defect settlements and verdicts.