Resource link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/business/global/30toyota.html?nl=&emc=aua21

Resource link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/business/29toyota.html?nl=&emc=aua21

Since the model went on sale in December 2009, around 6,000 2010 Lexus GX 460s have been sold, and Toyota claims that another 1,600 models remain on dealers’ lots. Within a few hours of Consumer Reports issuing its Do Not Buy rating, Toyota issued a temporary “stop sale” order. This appears to be an attempt to react to safety concerns more quickly after suffering unprecedented negative publicity for failing to address safety concerns in other models in a timely manner.

The stop sale order is another in a series of safety and reliability problems with which the world’s largest automaker is contending since consumer complaints about sticking accelerators, faulty brakes and rusting frames in recent years. Toyota initially dismissed these safety concerns as operator errors and attempted to deflect responsibility for the sticking accelerators by recalling floor mats, which the company claimed were bunching up behind gas pedals, causing them to stick.

In addition to reeling from product recalls affecting more than eight million other Toyota models, the company received a $16.4 million fine from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently and has yet to respond to that fine. The sticking gas pedal recalls do not affect the Lexus GS 460 models.

Lexus vice president and general manager Mark Templin responded to the Consumer Reports review quickly by saying, “We are taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue Consumer Reports identified.”

Owners of 2010 GS 460 models who are concerned about driving their vehicles may call Lexus toll-free at 800.255.3987 to receive a loaner vehicle while the company investigates potential safety issues. Consumer Reports tested the GS 460 as part of its routine vehicle reviews, which involves standard tests that imitate different driving situations. In the test that led to the poor rating, the CR driver approached a turn unusually fast and then took his foot off the accelerator to simulate the response of a startled driver. This caused the rear of the SUV to slide outward as the electronic stability control was low to react to the maneuver.

If you or someone you care for has been injured due to a GS 460 rollover or another Toyota recall, Toyota recall accident lawyer James O. Cunningham may be able to help. He has more than 33 years of experience representing clients in personal injury cases, as well as the expertise and resources to take on cases against large corporations. To schedule a free consultation with Toyota recall injury attorney James O. Cunningham, call him today toll-free at 888-425-2004 and 407-425-2000 in the Central Florida area.

Resource link: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TOYOTA_CONSUMER_REPORTS?SITE=CAACS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

An Associated Press investigation has found that Toyota Motor Company, the world’s biggest automaker currently struggling with the largest recall in company history, has routinely engaged in “questionable, evasive and deceptive” legal tactics in lawsuits against it. The AP claims that it is common practice for the company to claim that it doesn’t have information that it has been ordered to provide and routinely ignores court orders to supply important documents. The AP reviewed litigation against the company for a variety of complaints in addition to the sticking gas pedal problems that the company is currently addressing with a recall.

The AP reported that Toyota has hidden the existence of test data that would harm its legal position in these lawsuits and claimed that important documents were difficult to retrieve form company headquarters in Japan. The AP also claims that Toyota has routinely refused to release court-ordered data stored electronically in its vehicles. The AP cited a product liability lawsuit in Colorado filed by the parent of a young woman who was killed when her Toyota 4Runner rolled over in an accident. Toyota was found to have withheld documents about internal roof strength tests in spite of a federal judge’s order to produce these data.

Attorneys for the plaintiff in the case say that this documentation may have changed the outcome of the case, which resulted in a verdict for Toyota Motor Company in 2005.

“The plaintiff went to trial without having been given all the relevant evidence and all the evidence the court ordered Toyota to produce,” attorney Stuart Ollanik wrote in a new federal lawsuit accusing Toyota of fraud in the earlier case. “This trial was not a fair trial.”

The AP cited another case in which Toyota willfully withheld documents that would have damaged its defense. The case involved a Texas woman who was killed when her Toyota Land Cruiser lurched backward and pinned her against a garage. Toyota told attorneys for the woman’s family that it did not know of any similar cases, but less that a year earlier, it had settled a nearly identical Texas lawsuit involving a preacher who suffered serious injuries when his Land Cruiser abruptly backed over him. Under common discovery rules, the company had a legal obligation to tell the plaintiff’s counsel about the similar case when this information was formally requested.

This investigation comes at a challenging time for the automaker, which is struggling to rectify serious safety and reliability problems in many of its most popular models in the U.S. and abroad. The growing evidence that the company knowingly suppressed evidence that would damage its defense in product liability lawsuits is especially troubling and could lead to even more damage to its reputation. If you or someone you care for has been injured due to a Toyota defect, Toyota recall accident lawyer James O. Cunningham may be able to help. He has more than three decades of experience taking on large corporations and their legal teams. He is a staunch advocate for those who have suffered injury due to a company’s defective products. Call Toyota recall accident attorney James O. Cunningham today to schedule a free consultation to learn about your legal options.

Resource link: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TOYOTA_LEGAL_TACTICS?SITE=CAACS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Government safety regulators are thinking about levying additional fines against Toyota Motor Corporation for failing to alert them in a timely manner about sticking gas pedals. The fines would be in addition to the previously announced $16.4 million penalty announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently. The NHTSA sent Toyota a letter notifying the company of the possibility of additional fines when it learned of internal Toyota memos that proved company officials knew of two separate defects in the accelerator pedals.

The pedals were part of a massive Toyota recall in January 2010, which occurred after the company’s initial attempts to rectify the sticking accelerator problems with replacement floor mats in a November 2009 recall failed to remedy the problems.

The NHTSA’s chief counsel, O. Kevin Vincent, said, “The gravity of Toyota’s apparent violations is severe and potentially life-threatening.”

Vincent also told Toyota that it would have to pay a total of $13.8 billion in individual fines if not for a law that limits individual fines against manufacturers. The January 2010 Toyota recall for gas pedals that could become stuck and cause the vehicle to suddenly accelerate out of control involved around 2.3 million of Toyota’s most popular models. Vincent wrote that under federal law, Toyota Motor Company could be fined $6,000 for each defective vehicle that they sold, which would result in the aforementioned $13.8 billion fines. However, Vincent added that, by law, the most the NHTSA could seek would be $16.375 million in fines.

The NHTSA has stated that the world’s largest automaker “inexplicably” failed to tell its U.S. division to cease installing the defective gas pedals even though it had made engineering changes to the accelerator pedals in other countries. Department Secretary Ray LaHood said recently that Toyota had known of the gas pedal defect since at least September 29, 2009, when it issued a memo concerning customer complaints about sticking gas pedals and sudden acceleration to its distributors in 31 countries in Europe. The law requires automakers to begin product recalls within five business days after learning of a defective part in their vehicles.

“The result of these decisions by Toyota was to expose millions of American drivers, passengers and pedestrians to the dangers of driving with a defective accelerator pedal,” Mr. Vincent wrote.

As an experienced product liability and Florida personal injury lawyer for more than 30 years, Toyota recall accident attorney James O. Cunningham is following developments in the Toyota recall situation very closely. There is growing evidence that Toyota Motor Company knew of the safety and reliability problems in many of their models before taking action to safeguard Toyota owners, passengers and others. If you or someone you care for has been injured due to a Toyota defect, contact Toyota recall accident lawyer James O. Cunningham today to schedule a free consultation and learn about your legal options.

Resource link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/business/10toyota.html?th&emc=th

After waiting until the deadline to make their decision, Toyota Motor Corporation has decided to pay the $16.4 million fine handed down by the Department of Transportation but formally denied any allegations that it had broken the law. The U.S. DOT fined the automaker and said that “by failing to report known safety problems as it is required to do under the law, Toyota put consumers at risk.” Toyota recall accident lawyer James O. Cunningham and other attorneys have been watching developments in this case very closely.

Resource link: Toyota Pays Fine but Admits no Wrongdoing

During the announcement of the record fine, Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood claimed that his department had documentation that indicated that the company knew about the sticking accelerator problems late in September 2009, but did not issue a recall to remedy the problem until January 2010. The sticking accelerator recall affects 2.3 million Toyota cars, trucks and SUVs.

“We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations,” LaHood said in a statement. “Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from U.S. officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers and their families.”

Because the company allegedly knew about the safety problems and was slow to react, LaHood levied the maximum penalty allowable. The previous record fine from the Department of Transportation was issued in 2004 against General Motors for $1 million for faulty windshield wipers. Thus far, the Toyota Motor Company has been named in at least 138 potential class-action lawsuits over falling vehicle and company stock values and at least 100 personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits filed in federal courts across the country.

Under Florida law, the manufacturer and seller of a defective product is liable for any loss, injury or damage caused by the normal use of the defective product. Florida Toyota recall accident lawyer James O. Cunningham has been helping clients and families in product liability cases since 1977. He has the experience and resources to handle large cases like this, and he has earned the reputation of a tireless defender of his clients’ rights and someone who works hard to help each client receive the maximum compensation. If you have been injured or someone you care for has been injured or died due to a defective Toyota vehicle, contact Florida Toyota recall accident attorney James O. Cunningham today.

Resource Link: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TOYOTA_RECALL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-04-05-15-59-53

To date, Toyota has recalled over eight million vehicles, partially in response to reports of sudden or unintended acceleration by Toyota drivers. Recalled vehicles have been involved in injuries and fatalities on the road, and many drivers have yet to see their safety issues addressed even though the company has moved to fix a large portion of vehicles with reinforced brake pedals and other new engineering.

Nine NASA scientists will be assisting the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA led by Ray LaHood who has said his department is “determined” to figure out what’s behind the Toyota safety issue. LaHood says the NHTSA has had assistance from NASA before and indicated that their expertise will come in handy in efforts to put an end to speculation about the Toyota engine systems.

What are the skills that NASA scientists bring to the table? These engineers are expected to assist with issues involving electromagnetic interference, software integrity and some other general electronics evaluations.

One reason that the NHTSA has turned to outside sources for help is that, though Toyota claims mechanical items are to blame for acceleration problems, some U.S. legislators and consumer advocacy groups believe that the problem lies with Toyota’s electronic throttle systems, new engineering that places a computerized signal between the accelerator pedal and the engine.

Investigations by the NHTSA prior to 2004 found no problems with the throttles, and Toyota’s technicians have been “unable to replicate” reported problems that drivers believed to have been caused by the electronic systems. Nevertheless, government groups are calling for more investigation to make sure that these electronics are safe to be installed in modern cars.

Over the past six months, customers have continued to report problems with “runaway” Toyota vehicles that have accelerated improperly. In some cases, drivers claim that they have been unable to stop their vehicles using the brake pedal.

Central Florida Toyota Recall Injury Attorney

If you or someone in your family has been injured in an accident involving a Toyota vehicle recalled for one of these safety issues, call Orlando Toyota recall injury lawyer James O. Cunningham. This Central Florida Toyota recall injury attorney has years of experience dealing with personal injury cases and can help drivers obtain compensation for Toyota recall related accidents involving injury or fatality. Call our legal team at 407-425-2000 or 888-425-2004 or use convenient web forms to get more information.

Over the past months, Toyota has had to recall the better part of its product line for issues involving sudden or unintended acceleration reported by drivers. The total recall number now stands at more than eight million vehicles.

After responding to allegations by government and consumer groups about possible misconduct and beginning to fix many of the recalled vehicles in the North American market, Toyota leaders say that a recent move to offer financial incentives has paid off. Toyota executives report an increase of over 30% in sales for the month of March. The same month has seen the company’s stock price rise by about 5%.

One of the bestsellers, according to Toyota, is the Rav4, a small-sized SUV vehicle. Sales of the vehicle more than tripled from February to March, and some experts see this as a sign of a financial thaw for the giant auto company.

Even as Toyota begins to pull out of their sales slump, drivers are still looking at the risks of owning a recalled vehicle and asking if their Toyota cars and trucks are safe for the road. Much of the controversy over the recall involves questions about electronic throttle systems that some believe may play a role in the acceleration problems reported. Toyota had claimed that the acceleration issues were related to floor mats and sticky gas pedals and not to electronics, but later, executives admitted that they had not ruled out other causes. Toyota has now fixed a major portion of the recalled vehicles with new floor mats and reinforced gas pedals, but there is still a lot of interest in investigating the “how’s and why’s” of the safety problems that initiated the massive recall. It is now expected that government groups including NASA will look into the issue on behalf of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American public.

Experienced Toyota Recall Injury Attorney

The Toyota recall has involved several dozen fatalities and many more injuries on the road. If you or someone in your family has experienced an injury in an accident involving a recalled Toyota, the law offices of James O. Cunningham, an experienced Toyota auto recall accident lawyer, can help. Our professional staff has knowledge of how to build a Toyota personal injury case. Call locally at 407-425-2000 or toll free at 888-425-2004 and get the help you need to go up against the auto maker when safety defects have caused harm to your household.