Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
The list of recalled vehicles may be getting bigger, and the speculation as to the actual cause of the problems may be growing larger as well. The list of vehicles currently covered under one of the three Toyota recalls has topped 8 million worldwide. Over 50 deaths and an untold amount of injuries are being blamed on one of the defective parts that are the subject of the recalls. While Toyota is in the midst of implementing their first round of “fixes”, questions are swirling as to whether more cars need to be included and whether the “fix” even works. Toyota’s pride and joy, the Prius, has now taken the spotlight as the latest “unintended acceleration” scare to hit national television, according to personal injury and product liability attorney Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates in California.
Just yesterday, 61 year old James Sikes, made an emergency 911 call near San Diego, California. The reason for his call? His 2008 Toyota Prius was accelerating out of control in Highway 8 near San Diego. Topping speeds of 90 m.p.h., Sikes was unable to stop his vehicle with either the brake or the emergency brake. He also tried putting the vehicle in neutral and shutting off the ignition – all to no avail. “I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car and it did something kind of funny … it jumped and it just stuck there… I was trying the brakes … it wasn’t stopping, it wasn’t doing anything and it just kept speeding up,” Mr. Sikes said according to the Associated Press. Luckily for Mr. Sikes, after barrelling down the Interstate for about 20 minutes., a California Highway patrolman showed up beside Sikes. He began to give Sikes instructions over the loudspeaker for how to stop the vehicle. Ultimately, Mr. Sikes was able to get the vehicle stopped by using both the emergency brake and the regular brake AS WELL AS using the bumber of the patrolman in fornt of him to slow him down. Mr. Sikes indicated that he reached down to the gas peddle to make sure that nothing was obstructing it and found it clear. Mr. Sikes can count himself as one of the lucky ones.
This latest example of the unintended acceleration problems that Toyota made vehicles are having may just be the last straw for the automaker giant. According to Toyota, Mr. Sikes Prius was intended to be part of an official recall, but Toyota didn’t have a “fix” yet for the problem, so it hadn’t officaily been recalled. Needless to say, Prius owners are not happy with this explanation and are psuhing for an immediate recall. Additionally, this incident again raises the issue of whether stuck floor mats are truly to blame for the problem. Mr. Sikes is very clear that nothing was obstructing the gas pedal in his vehcile. His vehcile is currently being inspected by law enforcement officials in an attempt to determine the cause of the uninteneded acceleration. Toyoita has denied rumors for weeks that something in the electrical system may be to blame for the unintended accleration – not floor mats. Toyota’s denials, however, are becoming harder and harder to believe for many.
If you have any additional questions regarding the Toyota recalls or any other personal injury questions, please feel free to contact Emerey Ledger of Ledger & Assocaites at 1-800-300-0001 or online at www.ledgerlaw.com
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Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Toyota Japan announces 5 new confirmed accidents involving the 2010 Prius.
Toyota announced yet another recall yesterday in what appears to be a never ending list of recalls. After 4 million vehicles were recalled in October and another 2.3 million recalled in January, the half a million or so recalled yesterday around the world may seem inconsequential. The victims of alleged accidents involving the recalled vehicles would certainly not consider the recall inconsequential.
On February 6, 2010 Japan’s government announced that it had confirmed five new accidents involving possible brake malfunction in the Toyota Prius hybrid. At that time, the government of Japan was urging Toyota to investigate and was calling for a possible recall of the vehicle. That recall was ultimately announced yesterday. In Japan alone, the transport ministry has received more than 80 complaints in the past few weeks regarding the malfunctions in the ABS braking system in the Prius. Of those 80 complaints, five complaints allege that a crash was caused by the malfunction of the braking system. The latest recall will hit Japan hard as the Prius was the best selling car in Japan in 2009. Here in the United States, the Prius has also earned a reputation as an up and coming hybrid vehicle. According to the EPA, the Prius is the most gas efficient vehicle sold in the United States and it is considered among the cleanest vehicles sold in America. Globally, more than 1.5 million Prius’ were sold in 2009.
The recall announced yesterday came on the heels of the pressure put on Toyota by the Japanese government, as well as other governments around the world including the United States, to investigate the accidents and complaints that it had confirmed. The injuries sustained in these accidents have not been announced, but the simple fact that there have been accidents involving injuries is troubling in and of itself. Judging by past experience, we can anticipate hearing about more accidents and additional injuries suffered by drivers, passengers and pedestrians as a result of the faulty brake systems in the recalled vehicles.
If you have been in an accident where one of these recalled vehicles was involved, then you may have a personal injury and/or product liability claim for damages suffered as a result of the accident. Both personal injury and product liability law are very complicated legal processes and require the expertise and guidance of an experienced California accident and product liability attorney. The law allows injured parties to recover damages from the responsible party when they are involved in a car accident. Sometimes the responsible party is another driver, but sometimes the responsible party is the manufacturer of the vehicle. Only an experience California personal injury and product liability attorney can evaluate your particular situation and help you determine who is liable for the injuries you have suffered.
If you have questions or concerns involving an accident you were involved in, and would like an experienced attorney to evaluate your case, contact the law offices of Ledger & Associates at 1-800-300-0001 or visit us at www.ledgerlaw.com.
Tags: abs braking system, accidents, crash, governments, half a million, hybrid vehicle, japanese government, million vehicles, prius toyota, reputation, simple fact, toyota japan, toyota prius, toyota prius hybrid, transport ministry, united states
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