Almost a week to the day after Toyota announced its most recent recall, we are hearing that the automaker is investigating complaints involving power steering problems in yet another vehicle – the 2010 Corolla. If Toyota adds the Corollas to the growing list of recalled vehicles, the total will be nearing the 10 million mark. Toyota’s first recall was announced last October, affecting over 4 million vehicles for what has come to be known as the “floormat entrapment problem”. Next, Toyota announced a recall of another 2.5 million vehicles in January for a problem in the accelerator pedal itself that was apparently causing sudden acceleration problems. Just last week, recall number three was announced and covers another half a million vehicles or so for brake system problems – specifically problems with the anti-lock brake system. If Toyota does decide to recall the affected Toyotas, we can add another 1.5 million vehicles to the growing list of recalled Toyotas or Toyota manufactured vehicles.
While Toyota officials have remained somewhat vague about what the subject of the complaints made against the Corolla are, a simple search of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database shows complaint after complaint for steering problems. Additionally, the complaints read more or less the same: “problems steering the vehicle – especially at interstate speeds” OR “vehicle pulling and unable to keep it straight”. As with the other recalled models, the complaints started as far back as last August, raising additional questions about why Toyota is just now investigating the problem. Toyota admits that there are about 100 complaints on the books that are being investigated at the moment. According to officials, this is not enough to warrant a recall at the moment, but Toyota indicated that it will continue with the investigation and that a recall could be on the horizon.
If you have been involved in an accident and believe that any of the recent recall issues were at fault, or partially at fault, for your accident, then you may be entitled to compensation from the manufacturer for damages suffered as a result of the accident. Under the law, a negligent party must compensate a victim for damages that are a direct cause of that negligence. Negligence is a legal term that essentially means “fault”. Proving negligence, especially in the case of a defective part – as in an automobile – can be very complicated. Only an experienced California personal injury and product liability attorney can evaluate the facts of your accident and advise you whether or not you have a valid personal injury and/or product liability lawsuit. The fact that a vehicle has been the subject of a recall does not, in and of itself, prove that the manufacturer was negligent. The laws of negligence are much more complex and require the training and knowledge of an experienced California personal injury and product liability attorney. If you have questions regarding what options you may have if you believe you have suffered injuries as a result of an accident, call the experienced attorney at Ledger & associates at 1-800-300-0001 or contact them online at www.ledgerlaw.com.
