Oklahoma Toyota Recall Attorneys
Do You Have Questions About Your Toyota Recall Defect?
Imagine driving safely along the roadway when suddenly your vehicle begins to accelerate. You are unable to slow down and your vehicle keeps speeding up until you inevitably crash. Hundreds of people have suffered injuries in this exact terrifying scenario. Unintended acceleration is the frightening consequence of an auto part defect that affected millions of Toyota vehicles, many of them popular models. A number of deaths and serious injuries have been attributed to defective gas pedals and faulty floor mats that could jam accelerators, making it difficult for the driver to stop the vehicle.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a defective automobile, particularly a recalled Toyota vehicle, please contact Car Accident Help to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights. We have helped many victims and families seek and obtain justice and fair compensation for their losses.
Recall of Defective Vehicles
Around the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010, the Toyota Motor Corporation initiated three recalls to try to prevent any more accidents, but the damage was already done for many drivers and their families.
The first recall Toyota issued that was linked to the issue of sudden acceleration was in November 2009. That recall involved defective floor mats that could move and jam the gas pedal. In January 2010, a second recall was ordered to fix sticky accelerator pedals. Then, Toyota issued a separate recall in February 2010 for anti-lock brake software. Millions of vehicles were recalled and Toyota still could not definitively answer why their cars were involved in so many injury accidents.
What Caused the Sudden Acceleration?
In February 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that the sudden or unintended vehicle acceleration was being caused not by electronic, but mechanical issues. According to a team of NASA engineers assisting federal regulators with the investigation, the "unsafe and unintended" acceleration in Toyotas were caused by mechanical safety flaws involving the stuck accelerators becoming trapped underneath the vehicles' floor mat.
However, in October of 2013, a jury determined that the electronic throttle control system contributed to the crashes as well. They found that Toyota did not follow safe practices for real time life-critical software, which resulted in the vehicles accelerating out of control. The court's decision forced Toyota to enter settlement talks with victims and their families.
Toyota Recall News
Lawmakers Just Getting Started On Scrutiny of Toyota
Los Angeles Times
February 26, 2010
WASHINGTON - Akio Toyoda's moment in the national spotlight may be over, but Washington is just getting started.
A day after the president of Toyota Motor Corp. apologized to Congress and millions of his customers over the automaker's handling of sudden acceleration problems, lawmakers said Thursday that they were planning further hearings scrutinizing both Toyota and the federal agency that oversees it.
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Toyota Exec Told of Harder Recall Stance
Detroit Free Press
February 26, 2010
WASHINGTON - Toyota executives based in Washington warned the company's new U.S. chief Yoshimi Inaba last summer that federal regulators were getting tougher on vehicle recalls, according to a copy of an internal Toyota presentation obtained Thursday by the Free Press.
Excerpts of the same document were released earlier this week in which Toyota officials boasted that limits on a 2007 recall of floor mats was a $100-million "win" for the company.
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Toyota Chief Blasted by Lawmakers Despite Apology
Associated Press
February 24, 2010
WASHINGTON — Under blistering criticism, Toyota President Akio Toyoda personally and repeatedly apologized to Congress and millions of anxious American car-owners Wednesday for deadly defects in popular models produced by his Japanese company. But angry lawmakers forcefully declared it was hardly enough.
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Toyota Probing Corolla Power-Steering Problems
Associated Press
February 17, 2010
TOKYO - Toyota's quality control executive says the automaker is looking into possible power-steering problems with the Corolla subcompact, the world's best-selling car, and is considering a recall.
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Toyota Faces New Reports of Sudden-Acceleration Deaths
Los Angeles Times
February 16, 2010
At least 34 people have died in accidents involving Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles that allegedly accelerated out of control in the past decade, federal safety regulators said Monday, reflecting a sharp jump in the number of motorist complaints being filed in the three weeks since the automaker announced its latest recalls.
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NHTSA Wants Data from Toyota To Learn If Recalls Were Prompt
Los Angeles Times Online
February 16, 2010
The Department of Transportation has opened an inquiry into whether Toyota Motor Corp. conducted three of its recent recalls in a timely manner.
The agency's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked Toyota to provide documents showing "when and how it learned of the defects" that have resulted in the recall of 6 million of the automaker's vehicles in the U.S. because of varied acceleration and braking issues. About 2 million of the vehicles have been caught up in two of the recalls.
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Toyota to Trim Production at Kentucky, Texas Plants
Bloomberg.com
February 16, 2010
Feb. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp., Japan’s biggest automaker, is cutting scheduled production at two U.S. factories to avoid a buildup of unsold vehicles as the company works to resolve quality concerns spurred by recalls.
The Georgetown, Kentucky, plant, Toyota’s largest in North America, won’t produce models including Camry and Avalon cars on Feb. 26 and possibly three days in March, Mike Goss, a company spokesman, said today. The San Antonio plant that makes Tundra pickups will be idled March 15-19 and April 12-16, he said.
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Toyota Woes Put Focus on Black Box
Wall Street Journal
February 14, 2010
The safety problems that have engulfed Toyota Motor Corp. are focusing renewed attention on one of the most controversial components in an automobile: the black box.
The box, officially called an "event data recorder," is a small, square, virtually indestructible container akin to those found on commercial airplanes. Tucked inside the dash or under the front seats of most newer vehicles, it records vehicle and engine speeds as well as brake, accelerator and throttle positions and other data that can help determine the causes of accidents.
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Truck Recall Adds to Toyota's Troubles
news.com.au
February 14, 2010
TOYOTA is facing more unwanted publicity after the world's biggest automaker said it's voluntarily calling in about 10,000 pickup trucks in North America, the latest in a series of recalls.
The Japanese giant has recalled millions of vehicles worldwide in past months due to problems linked to accelerator and brake functions, sullying the company's safety reputation.
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Toyota's Chief Apologizes for Global Recalls
The Associated Press
February 5, 2010
Toyota's president emerged from seclusion Friday to apologize and address criticism that the automaker mishandled a crisis over sticking gas pedals. Yet he stopped short of ordering a recall for the company's iconic Prius hybrid for braking problems.
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Understanding Your Rights
Product manufacturers, including automakers, have a legal obligation to produce, market and sell products that are safe for consumers. Automakers can be held liable for the injuries, damages and losses their products cause. Injured victims can seek compensation for damages including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, rehabilitation, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. If you have lost a loved one as a result of a defective automobile, you can file a wrongful death claim seeking compensation as well.
It is important for victims or families to preserve the vehicle so an expert can thoroughly examine it for defects, malfunctions and design flaws. Car Accident Help can help you obtain the compensation you rightfully deserve and hold the negligent automakers accountable. Call our Oklahoma auto accident attorneys at (405) 285-4357 for a free consultation and case evaluation.
Additional Information
- Toyota Recall Blogs
- Toyota Tacoma Recall – Rear Wheels Locking Up and Oil Leaks
- NHTSA, Automakers Announce Massive Vehicle Recall
- Toyota Recalls Millions of Vehicles for Fire Risk
- Handling Your Toyota Vehicle Following Recent Recalls
Related Links
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