Toyota Owners Have Complained About Sudden Acceleration for a Decade, Report Shows
Even as Toyota is grappling with auto products liability issues surrounding its recent recall of Toyota and Lexus sedans, the Los Angeles Times' review of federal records is showing that more than 1,000 Toyota and Lexus owners have reported incidents involving "sudden acceleration" since 2001. According to the in-depth, investigative report, these owners reported that their cars suddenly accelerated on their own, "in many cases slamming into trees, parked cars and brick walls, among other obstacles." These car accidents apparently resulted in at least 19 deaths and numerous injuries over the last 10 years.
Auto Product Defect Investigations
Although Toyota has recalled fewer than 85,000 vehicles in response to investigations involving sudden acceleration complaints, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has conducted at least eight investigations into that particular vehicle defect issue. But those investigations excluded or dismissed the majority of complaints by Toyota or Lexus owners where drivers said they were not able to stop their runaway cars or where owners did not identify the possible causes of the problem. With these systematic exclusions, there were simply not enough cases to show a trend of sudden acceleration causing NHTSA to stop investigating this product defect.
That of course, did not stop fatal car accidents involving Toyota vehicles. In fact, the number of crashes involving these vehicles continued to mount. NHTSA's records show that 15 people died in car accidents related to possible sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles from the 2002 model year and newer compared to 11 such fatalities in vehicles made by other auto makers. Most recently, a car accident in San Diego, killed off-duty CHP officer Mark Saylor and three members of his family. That reportedly involved a defective floor mat, which jammed the accelerator and caused the loaner Lexus to accelerate out of control and crash. After that incident, Toyota recalled 3.8 million vehicles to fix this sudden acceleration caused by floor mats.
Auto Product Liability Issues
In my opinion, Toyota has failed its consumers by ignoring these serious vehicle defects for the last decade. These tragic deaths and serious injuries could have been prevented had Toyota responded to consumer complaints and fixed those product defects in a timely manner instead of sweeping it under the rug. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car accident involving a Toyota or Lexus, please consult with a reputed California personal injury lawyer, who has successfully handled auto products liability cases against large auto makers. Please remember if you have been involved in a car accident where a product defect is suspected, you would be well-advised to preserve the vehicle so it can be carefully examined for auto defects, mechanical malfunctions and other evidence.
The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.
Comments
These "sudden acceleration" claims remind me of similar claims made in the late-1980s against Audi. Over 1500 such complaints were reported, litigation ensued, and Audi was nearly driven from the American market. Problem was, there was no sudden acceleration problem. The problem, often manifested in emergency situations, was brain fade in drivers who couldn't tell the difference between the accelerator and the brake pedal. The injuries were tragic but after a three-year investigation by NHTSA, determined not to be Audi's fault. Maybe Toyotas and Lexi do suddenly accelerate due to some defect in them, but I'm betting it's another case of operator error.
Posted by: dave | November 15, 2009 9:24 AM