Toyota resumed production this week at six North American assembly plants after a one week shutdown as a result of the first two Toyota recalls. After Toyota announced the recall of 2.3 million vehicles on Jan. 21, 2010, it was forced to stop selling eight models accounting for nearly 60 percent of their sales volume on Jan. 26, 2010. Plants were closed in Canada, Indiana, Kentucky and Texas, costing the automaker giant millions of dollars and sending thousands of workers home for a week. The first recall was announced last October and has come to be known as the “accelerator pedal entrapment” recall. The second recall was announced in January for an apparent problem in the pedal itself causing the pedal to be harder to depress, slower to return to the closed position or get stuck in a partially depressed position. The unusual decision to stop production was apparently due to the fact that Toyota did not have enough replacement pedals to fix the problems related to the second recall and was, therefore, unable to continue production.
Toyota plants are back in production mode with the new parts being outfitted in the vehicles rolling off the assembly lines. As for the vehicles affected by the first two recalls, reports are that dealerships are staying open late, or working around the clock to make the repairs called for by the recall. Toyota claims that repairs for the first recall issue should take only about 30 minutes. The repair for the second recall should take about double that time. While that time frame seems reasonable, when you take into account that over 6 million vehicles were affected in the first two recalls, the time necessary to repair all those vehicles adds up quickly.
Unfortunately, for some owners of Toyota vehicles listed in the first two recalls, the repairs have come too late. By now, many of us have heard about the tragic accident that took place last Fall in San Diego prompting the first of Toyota’s recalls. While that may be the most horrific of the accidents yet to be announced, it appears as though it is hardly the only accident involving one of the recalled vehicles. As reports continue to pour into the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the numbers of injuries potentially related to recalled vehicles continues to climb.
If you have been involved in an accident and you believe that one of the issues in any of Toyota’s recalls was a contributing factor in the accident, then you may be entitled to recover damages for any injuries you have suffered as a result of that negligence. Consult with an experienced California personal injury and product liability attorney immediately. Only an experienced attorney can evaluate your particular circumstances and advise you what your options may be to obtain compensation for your suffering.
If you have suffered injuries in an accident involving a recalled vehicle 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.
