With recall number three underway, Toyota has finally begun to repair or replace the defective parts that heave been the cause of numerous accidents, thousands of complaints and even a handful of deaths. At last count, approximately 8 million vehicles were being recalled for sudden acceleration problems or brake problems. As Toyota attempts to repair its now tarnished image with the public, Congress and many consumer watchdog groups are preparing to investigate and possibly attack Toyota and federal agencies, for not responding to complaints months, even years, earlier.
Toyota officials are scheduled to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee at the February 24th hearing. Toyota’s President of North American Operations, Yoshimi Anaba, is expected to face questions regarding the problems with both the gas pedal that prompted the first two recalls as well as inquiries regarding the brake problems on the 2010 Prius and 2010 Lexus that prompted the latest recall. Toyota is expected to be required to produce records documenting consumer complaints in an effort to determine when Toyota became aware of the problems.
In addition to the call to testify in front of congressional leaders, a former managing attorney for Toyota, Dimitrios Biller, has filed a “whistleblower” complaint alleging that Toyota has a history of conspiring to hide potential safety defects from the public. It should be noted that Mr. Biller’s complaint was filed last July – before any of the recalls were announced.
Now, two Congressional leaders are requesting information from five large auto insurers on accidents involving recalled Toyotas. Letters have been sent to chief executives at Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Progressive and State Farm from Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. These letters are being sent in an effort to gain information regarding consumer complaints of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota manufactured vehicles. Additionally, the congressional leaders want to know if the auto insurers ever alerted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of possible defects in these vehicles. One reason for the requests for information is that State Farm, the nation’s largest automobile insurer, has reported that it attempted to alert federal safety officials as far back as 2007 of the unusually high number of accidents involving Toyota vehicles.
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.
