Toyota Recall
Have you been injured in Washington, D.C. because of a Toyota malfunction? Greenberg and Bederman can help.
Over the years, Toyota has developed a reputation as manufacturers of safe and dependable cars. This is why the two recalls that have occurred over the past four months have been so unusual.
In August of 2009, Toyota issued a recall of 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus models worldwide due to approximately 2000 cases of unexplained acceleration. In these instances, drivers reported their cars accelerating to speeds up to 100 mph, even while they were applying the brakes.
Toyota initially blamed the problem on improperly sized floor mats. Toyota claimed that the mats got jammed underneath the accelerator pedal and caused them to get stuck. The floor mats were replaced, but there were still incidents of acceleration problems even after the floor mats were replaced.
Toyota recently admitted that the problems went much deeper than defective floor mats, and has ordered the recall of some eight million cars worldwide. Bear in mind, car recalls happen with great frequency, and they often happen for quite mundane reasons. A faulty button on the stereo or power locks that short out on occasion are enough of a reason to bring thousands of cars back to the factory. But there is an enormous difference between a minor manufacturing error and one that causes cars to spontaneously accelerate up to 100 mph. According to the Times of London, these faulty throttles have been responsible for 19 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Thanks to the recall, it is possible to bring your Toyota or Lexus in for repairs, but what is impossible at this point is getting a straight answer out of Toyota or anyone else for that matter. Some people are speculating that there is a problem in the electronics that are used in the acceleration process, while others are claiming that the problem is strictly mechanical. Toyota has also claimed that these problems become exacerbated in cold or wet weather.
Whatever the reasons for the malfunction, the end result is that people are being put in serious danger, regardless of whether they own a Toyota or not. Automobiles do not operate in a vacuum. They share the road with other cars, and drive through neighborhoods where pedestrians walk. With this in mind, it seems somewhat miraculous that there have only been 19 deaths so far.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood halted the production of all models that fell under the recall, and wisely advised that owners of those models that were already on the road should be brought in for repairs immediately. The models that are affected by the recall are as follows:
Certain 2009-2010 RAV4’s
Certain 2009-2010 Corolla
2009-2010 Matrix
2005-2010 Avalon
Certain 2007-2010 Camry
Certain 2010 Highlander
2007-2010 Tundra
2008-2010 Sequoia
We want to reiterate that these are not harmless, run of the mill recalls. Toyota has placed thousands of people at risk ofinjury or worse due to faulty acceleration. It could have been a design flaw or it could have been a flaw on the assembly line, but at the end of the day thousands of people all over the world have been driving cars that spontaneously accelerate. They also crash into other cars and hit people.
The car recall attorneys at Greenberg and Bederman have been helping injury victims in the Washington, D.C. area for over 25 years. We have attorneys who have years of experience in product liability cases and negligence, and that includes automotive recalls. If you or a loved one has been injured because of a malfunction in a Toyota, contact Greenberg & Bederman for a free auto accident or recall injury legal consultation.
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