Toyota Halts Sales of Eight Models Affected by Vehicle Defect Recall
Toyota Motor Corp. has stopped selling eight of its models covered by a recently issued vehicle defect recall because of gas pedals that can stick and cause sudden acceleration. According to a news report in the Los Angeles Times, this is an unprecedented step taken by an auto maker of actually stopping sales and production of eight models. These include the top-selling Camry and Corolla because their accelerator pedal can stick and cause "runaway acceleration," which could of course, lead to a car crash and cause catastrophic injuries or even fatalities.
Unprecedented Move
As of January 26, 2010, Toyota has stopped all sales of the 2009 to 2010 RAV4, 2009 to 2010 Corolla, 2009 to 2010 Matrix, 2005 to 2010 Avalon, 2010 Highlander, 2007 to 2010 Tundra and 2008 to 2010 Sequoia. It also is halting sales of certain 2007 to 2010 Camry sedans, depending on where those vehicles were manufactured. The eight models affected represent 57 percent of the auto maker's 2009 sales in the United States.
Millions of Defective Autos Recalled
Toyota's troubles began last fall after a San Diego car accident, which killed California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor and three members of his family. Saylor was driving a loaner Lexus when the car's accelerator pedal jammed and the vehicle accelerated to speeds of about 120 mph eventually ending in a fiery crash. Toyota has recalled more than 5 million vehicles in connection with the sudden acceleration issue.
Auto Product Liability Issues
Toyota's move to stop sales of these cars, in my opinion, is a step in the right direction. Toyota is doing the right thing by stopping sales and production until they can figure out this serious problem and fix it. However, I'd question if they should have discovered the problem much earlier. It would have made a huge difference to the lives of many consumers, particularly the Saylors. Depending on when they discovered the problem, they should have stopped production of these defective autos. It would have certainly saved lives and no doubt prevented several catastrophic injuries over the years.
Within a few months, Toyota went from being the maker of the world's most reliable cars to having serious doubts cast on its quality control. Toyota's story goes to show that the auto industry, like any other industry, is riddled with production and design defects. These auto product defects -- whether they occur during the design or manufacturing process -- do have tragic consequences for consumers as evidenced by the many auto defect cases our firm has been involved with. Toyota and its dealers will, no doubt, take a financial hit because of this decision. But their losses will probably not be as serious or as irreparable as consumers who have lost loved ones or have sustained serious personal injuries as a result of these auto product defects.
