With the latest news that Toyota may recall its 2009 and 2010 Corollas because of power steering defects, Toyota has now admitted to defects in its vehicles’ accelerator, braking and steering systems – three most important aspects of driving a motor vehicle. 

Stanley M. Chesley of the Cincinnati-based law firm of Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley, whose firm has filed a major RICO class action against Toyota for deceiving its customers and dealers about these mounting defects – recently stated, “when your Toyota’s accelerator, brakes and steering are all defective, what you really have is a failure of your car’s electronic controls, which function as the car’s brain and central nervous system.”

Congressman Bart Stupak also recently noted that Toyota’s internal documents had made clear that, as far back as 2002, Toyota was aware that electronic control system problems may be causing sudden acceleration.  Despite this Congressional investigation, however, Toyota refuses to allow investigators access to examine its electronic control technology. 

Now, with Toyota’s recall of what could possibly be a staggering 11 million vehicles, Toyota’s president and CEO, Akio Toyoda, indicated on Wednesday that he won’t come to the United States to testify at the upcoming congressional hearings on the recalls. 

According to news sources, Toyota’s faulty engineering and sloppy quality control – all of which stem from decision-making at Toyota’s Japanese headquarters – have caused at least 39 confirmed deaths, countless injuries and billions of dollars in economic damage to Toyota drivers.  I have to agree with Chesley, who says that it’s outrageous for Toyota’s CEO to refuse to appear before Congress, particularly when he’s looking to the United States to make Toyota the world’s largest car manufacturer.

Chesley filed the RICO class action, in part, because the evidence continues to disprove Toyota’s statements about the defects’ causes.

In the meantime, attorney Graham Esdale of Beasley Allen Law Firm is calling for a recall of model year 2002-2006 Toyota Camry’s, citing that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) allegedly excluded eight early reports of deaths linked to Toyota from its official complaints, crash, injury and death counts. The omission occurred during the first two years of the NHTSA’s probe into the matter, which may have affected the recall remedy future recalls, and downplayed the urgency and intensity of the situation.

In a statement, Esdale said:

“Another very important point about the eight deaths is that all involved 2002-2004 year model Camry vehicles. This is important because the 2002-2006 year model Camry’s have been completely ignored by Toyota in its recalls. A previously released Beasley Allen statistical analysis of NHTSA complaints shows these year model vehicles experience sudden unintended acceleration more frequently than do the recalled models. This is yet more evidence of Toyota not being forthcoming with consumers and NHTSA about the source of the problem with these vehicles.” 

Esdale is reviewing hundreds of Toyota cases involving Toyota sudden unintended acceleration involving serious injury or death and has at least one case currently filed on behalf of an Oklahoma client whose 2005 Toyota Camry began speeding out of control even after she had removed her foot from the accelerator pedal. The client was critically injured when her car left the interstate as a result and crashed, and her friend, who was a passenger, was killed.

Update:

Toyota Motor’s president, Akio Toyoda, has announced that he will testify before a congressional committee on Wednesday, February 24, concerning the Japanese auto maker’s vehicle recalls.

Tags: Automobile Safety, General, Recalls, Toyota // Add Comment »