toyota recall

Daily Finance reports that Toyota has announced a recall of over 2.2 million vehicles for unintended acceleration problems.

According to SaferCar.gov, 769,379 Lexus and Toyota vehicles are being recalled due to the potential of floor carpet covers leaning towards the accelerator pedal and causing unintended acceleration.

According to the auto manufacturer, if the forward retention clip is not properly installed, it could cause the floor carpet cover to lean towards the accelerator pedal and “interfere with the accelerator pedal arm.” The clip is located in front of the vehicle’s center console. If the clip is not installed correctly, it may cause the accelerator pedal to temporarily become stuck in a “partially depressed position” instead of returning to the idling position. If the accelerator pedal becomes stuck, it could result in unintended vehicle acceleration and make it difficult for a driver to stop the vehicle, which significantly increases the risk of an accident.

Included in the recall are the following vehicles:

• Model years 2004 – 2007 Lexus RX330
• Model years 2004 – 2007 Lexus RX350
• Model years 2004 – 2007 Lexus RX400H
• Model years 2004 – 2006 Toyota Highlander
• Model years 2004 – 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

The car maker has yet to provide an owner notification schedule of the recall, but has stated that dealers will replace the defective floor carpet cover with a newly designed cover at no charge to vehicle owners.

The manufacturer has also announced two additional recalls regarding Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota is recalling about 19,647 Lexus GS300 and Lexus GS350 vehicles from model years 2006 – 2007 due to the possibility that the plastic pad that is embedded on the vehicle’s floor carpet may obstruct operation of the accelerator pedal. Additionally, SaferCar.gov also reports that Toyota is recalling over 600,000 Toyota 4Runner SUVs from model years 2003 – 2009; about 17,000 Lexus LX570 vehicles from model years 2008 – 2011; and over 761,000 Toyota Rav4 SUVs from model years 2006 – 2010. These vehicles are recalled due to the potential of the accelerator pedal to get stuck in the side open position because it is trapped by an unsecured or ill suited driver’s floor mat. In total, over 2.2 million vehicles are being recalled by the manufacturer.

Consumers with questions are directed to contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Since early 2010, Toyota has recalled millions of their vehicles due to problems with unintended acceleration. The Toyota sudden acceleration recall lawyers at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP have continued their investigation into occurrences of unintended acceleration and related car crashes that involve all Toyota vehicles. If you have been injured in a car accident with a recalled Toyota vehicle, our skilled attorneys may be able to help. To schedule a free consultation regarding your potential claim against Toyota, call 1-877-800-1700 today.

Toyota Motor Corp. issued a recall on Wednesday, January 26 for a variety of problems with fuel systems in some vehicles. According to The Los Angeles Times, the recall includes about 245,000 cars in the United States to inspect fuel pressure sensors. In addition, the 2006 through 2007 Lexus GS300/350, the 2006 through early 2009 Lexus IS250, and the 2006 through early 2008 Lexus IS350 are being recalled as well. According to Toyota, because of insufficient tightening of the vehicles’ fuel pressure sensors that are connected to the engine fuel delivery pipe, over time it is possible the pressure sensor could become loose. If this occurs, the fuel could potentially leak past a gasket that is used in the connection between the pipe and the sensor.

Owners of the recalled Lexus vehicles will be notified by mail. The repair of the defective fuel systems will be performed at no charge to owners. Anyone with questions should call 800-255-3987 or visit http://www.lexus.com/recall.

Additionally, the auto manufacturer is recalling about 1.3 million vehicles outside of the U.S. to repair different fuel system problems, and close to 400,000 of those vehicles have two different defects that need inspection or repair.

This new Toyota recall comes almost a year after the automaker ceased manufacturing many of its most popular vehicle models in the U.S. and stopped sales to repair gas pedal defects linked with unintended acceleration and at least 52 deaths. Over the past 18 months, Toyota has recalled over 10 million vehicles.

If you have been injured in a car crash that you believe was caused by a vehicle defect, you owe it to yourself and your family to learn more about your legal rights and options. An auto product liability attorney at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP may be able to help you obtain compensation from negligent car manufacturers and other responsible parties for your injuries. Call us at 1-877-800-1700 to schedule your free consultation today.

Toyota has announced the recall of 1 million 2005 to 2008 Corolla and Matrix models and 200,000 Pontiac Vibe models due to an engine defect that may cause sudden stalling. The LA Times reports that the recall has been issued to address a potentially defective engine control module, which is a vital electronic component. Due to a possible manufacturing defect, cracks may develop in or on the component which, may result in, among other problems, the engine not starting or the engine stalling while the vehicle is being driven.

The auto company has reported that the defective electronic engine control units are alleged to be connected to three unconfirmed collisions. One of the accidents may have resulted in an injury.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began a preliminary evaluation into the potential engine defect last November after receiving 26 complaints of vehicles stalling unexpectedly. By the time federal safety regulators initiated an engineering analysis of Corolla and Matrix vehicles, 163 complaints were reported. NHTSA has announced that the engine in affected Toyota vehicles can stall at any speed without a motorist being warned and not restart.

Although Toyota has been aware of the engine issue since 2005 and provided dealers with a technical service bulletin explaining how to fix the problem, owners were not informed of this potential risk until now. It was only after more extensive testing that Toyota decided to announce a recall. The auto company’s probe revealed that the engine control module was not passing about 13% of the tests conducted.

With this new vehicle defect recall, Toyota has recalled approximately 10 million vehicles in the last year worldwide, which is close to the total amount of automobiles that will be sold by all automakers nationwide in 2010.

Defective vehicle components, especially those in engines, can cause accidents that would otherwise not occur, putting motorists, passengers, and pedestrians at risk. Automakers are responsible for designing and manufacturing vehicles that are safe and do not contain defects that could cause harm to drivers or others. The Los Angeles auto product liability lawyers at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP have the experience and resources to help those who have been injured or suffered the death of a family member because of a defective vehicle. Contact us today to find out how we can build a strong case on your behalf. Call 877-800-1700 for a free consultation.

The Orange County Register reports that two complaints have been filed in federal court in Santa Ana, California against Toyota, alleging that the automaker overlooked serious defects that caused sudden, uncontrolled acceleration of its vehicles. Plaintiffs’ attorneys involved in the lawsuits allege that Toyota was aware since 2004 of the fact that its automobiles with electronic throttle control systems had a significantly higher rate of complaints for sudden acceleration than its vehicles with mechanical controls. Moreover, the suits claim that Toyota neglected to install a brake override system that would allow drivers to stop safely if such unexpected acceleration took place.

One of the lawsuits seeks class-action status for millions of Toyota owners for economic loss resulting from potential drops in their vehicles’ values due to the recalls. The other is a personal injury lawsuit filed on behalf of a woman who claims that she was injured due to the sudden acceleration of her Prius in April. About 300 lawsuits claiming economic loss are part of the consolidated federal case pending in Santa Ana. A few dozen other cases against Toyota pending before the court are for personal injury or wrongful death claims relating to accidents involving Toyota vehicles. Additional lawsuits making similar claims have been filed against Toyota in state courts throughout the country.

The complaints also claim that government regulators failed to fully investigate driver complaints regarding Toyota sudden acceleration and that Toyota executives tried to limit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s probes into potential problems with vehicles’ electronic throttle controls. Instead of addressing the likelihood that a defective electronic throttle control system may have been causing incidents of sudden acceleration, Toyota claimed that floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals were to blame. One memo even suggests that Toyota was aware as early as 2007 that other auto makers were utilizing safety features to prevent sudden acceleration, yet it did not implement similar tactics.

The California auto product liability lawyers at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP are currently involved in litigation against Toyota, and one of the firm’s attorneys serves on the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel Committee for Personal Injury/Wrongful Death cases pending in federal court. Our attorneys are committed to obtaining full and just compensation for those who have been injured in accidents caused by defective Toyota vehicles and other faulty automobiles. To learn more about how we can help with your case, please call 877-800-1700.

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.