Toyota Recall
NHTSA, Automakers Announce Massive Vehicle Recall
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and several automakers recently announced a recall that will affect over 2.1 million vehicles, according to an article in the Detroit Free Press. Experienced auto accident attorneys throughout Oklahoma and the rest of the country are watching the news unfold, aware of the risks that hidden defects pose to drivers and passengers.
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Class Action Lawsuit against Toyota Results in $1.6 Billion Settlement
A judge in Orange County, Calif., approved a $1.6 billion settlement in a class action lawsuit filed by thousands of consumers against Toyota because the value of their vehicles plummeted after the automaker’s large-scale recalls for sudden acceleration issues, UPI reports. This decision does not affect those who have filed a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit against Toyota. The settlement will, however, result in payments to those who are included in the class-action lawsuit for the depreciation of the value of their vehicles.
Toyota owners who suffered financial losses when selling or trading in their vehicles because of the auto defects will now receive compensation from the Japanese auto manufacturer. According to The New York Times, individual payments will be between $125 and $10,000 depending on how much the vehicle depreciated in value.
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Toyota Recalls Millions of Vehicles for Fire Risk
Toyota Motor Corporation has announced a global auto recall of 7.43 million vehicles because of a potential fire hazard. According to a CNN Money report, the driver’s side power window switches on some models were defectively assembled. Officials say the auto recall affects approximately 2.5 million vehicles in the United States. Vehicles included in this defective part recall include some Corolla, Camry, Highlander, Matrix, Tundra, RAV4, and Yaris models. Owners of the potentially dangerous vehicles will be notified by mail later this month.
There have been a number of recent Toyota recalls that resulted from defective design and manufacturing defects. One recent recall involved mistakes made during the assembly of vehicles. The nuts on the rear suspension of these defective vehicles were not tightened properly. These defects resulted in nine crashes and three minor injuries. To fix the issue, Toyota recalled 760,000 Toyota RAV4s from model year 2010 and 2011 as well as 18,000 Lexus HS 250h’s from the year 2010.
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April Toyota Recall due to Faulty Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Gulf States Toyota is recalling approximately 1,500 cars beginning in April, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website SafeCar.gov. This recall is due to defective tires; specifically, faulty tire pressure monitoring and regulating systems in the 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser and 2009-2011 Toyota Tundra.
The affected Toyota models fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 138, which refers to “Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems” (TPMS). The TPMS of the aforementioned models may not have been properly calibrated, resulting in the malfunction or altogether absent function of the low tire pressure warning light when the pressure of one or more tires has gone lower than the required limit. This increases the risk of driving with low pressure tires, which can subsequently result in tire failure, increasing the risk of an Oklahoma car accident.
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Toyota Issues New Recall for Brake Problems; Honda Joins Recall
Earlier this month, Toyota announced a new recall of over 1.5 million vehicles for brake problems, according to CNN.com.
Toyota is recalling 740,000 Lexuses, Avalons, and Highlanders in the United States, and over 1.5 million internationally. Honda also announced the recall of an undisclosed number of Acura RL and Honda Odyssey vehicles for brake problems.
According to Toyota, the recall occurred because it is possible for a small amount of brake fluid to leak from the brake master cylinder. This leak could cause the brake light to come on. If the problem is not repaired, the driver will notice the brakes are “soft” and eventually the brakes will be unable to stop the vehicle. Toyota claims the problems originate from using non-Toyota brake fluid.
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Toyota Claims Sixty-Five Percent of Accelerator Recall Work Completed
Earlier this month, Toyota announced that it has already completed 65 percent of the repairs required under its recall for sudden acceleration problems, according to The New York Times.
The Toyota recall of six million vehicles began in November and January. Dealers have repaired 3.7 million of those vehicles. Toyota is still receiving about 150 complaints of sudden vehicle acceleration each week, but that number is drastically down from 800 per week only six months ago.
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Stalling Engines the Latest Toyota Recall
The Associated Press reports that Toyota has issued yet another recall in addition to the current list of recalls related to defective acceleration pedals and faulty steering. The latest Toyota defect recall involves faulty car engines.
Toyota states that approximately 270,000 vehicles have been recalled due to the engines suddenly stalling while the vehicle is in motion. The recall applies to the following Toyota Lexus models: IS350, GS350, GS460, GS450h, LS 460, and LS600h, LS600hL, and the Toyota Crown.
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Handling Your Toyota Vehicle Following Recent Recalls
Within the last two months, Toyota has recalled several models of its vehicles for defects in its accelerator gas pedal as well as defects related to its floor mats jamming the brake pedals. According to the Toyota USA Newsroom, the most recent recall has involved the luxury Lexus LS 460 and the LS 600h L models for a steering problem that causes temporary off-centered driving.
The recall affects nearly 4000 Lexus vehicles manufactured in 2009 and 2010 nationwide, which may cause an off-centering condition that may develop under a specific driving maneuver. According to Toyota, the defect in the Lexus vehicles should not occur during normal driving circumstances, including changing lanes or turning at intersections.
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Toyota Continues to Deny Electronic System Defect in Vehicles
On the heels of Toyota defect recall after recall, Toyota Motor Corporation is sticking by its claim that the issues causing its vehicles to unintentionally accelerate are not related to faulty electronic safety systems. Specifically, Toyota maintains that instances of unintended acceleration are caused either by gas pedals remaining in the depressed position due to an easy-to-fix mechanical problem or faulty floor mats. According to a Reuters.com article, Toyota has discredited outside sources which conclude that the issues surrounding Toyota vehicles may stem from electronic system errors.
Reportedly, Professor David Gilbert, an auto engineering expert at Southern Illinois University, was able to replicate the unintended acceleration scenario in which so many motorists have already been injured or lost their lives. Professor Gilbert did this by manipulating the Toyota vehicles’ electronic throttle control system. However, Toyota Motor Corporation representatives and researchers make the claim that conditions under which the unintended acceleration instances were brought about were hardly indicative of real world driving conditions. Therefore, the results of this study could not be used as evidence that the unintended acceleration issues were being caused by an electronic safety system malfunction.
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