Legal news for product liability attorneys. Toyota complaints on the rise since recent recalls.
Product liability attorneys-Toyota Motor Corp. has increased consumer complaints about sudden acceleration that has led to crashes, injuries, and deaths.
Washington, D.C.—In the wake of Toyota’s massive recalls, complaints of sudden acceleration that led to death and injuries have spiked in recent weeks with a total of 34 deaths since 2000. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) http://www.nhtsa.gov/ reported that in just over a week, complaints about Toyota’s Prius hybrid increased by 1,000, as reported by MSNBC.
Since Toyota Motor Corporation recalled 8.5 million vehicles across the globe over the last four months due to problems with the gas pedal, floor mats and brakes, the reputation of the world’s No. 1 automobile manufacturer is in jeopardy. Some claimed that the increased complaints show awareness of the massive recall and pending lawsuits among consumers, but the government stated they usually get an increased amount of complaints following a recall. After NHTSA began their investigation into the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid on February 3, 2010, they have received 124 consumer complaints. NHTSA also reported “through Feb. 11, the government had a total of 1,120 complaints alleging 34 crashes, six injuries and no deaths.” So far testing conducted by Toyota, NHTSA and Exponent, which is an outside consulting firm that was hired by Toyota, has revealed that there is no evidence of problems with Toyota’s electronics.
MSNBC reported that analysis of government data revealed “In 2009, Toyota received the most complaints that year — a total of 130 for Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles. Ford and its Mercury brand received the second-highest with 14, followed by General Motors and Honda vehicles with 9. Among Toyota vehicles in the 2009 model year, the Camry led the list of models with 52 complaints, followed by Corolla (17), Tacoma (16) and Prius (13). The AP found eight of the top 10 vehicles with complaints over vehicle speed control were manufactured by Toyota. In the 2008 model year, Toyota vehicles received 176 complaints of vehicle speed control, followed by Ford with 44 and Chrysler with 25. In that year, Prius had 31 complaints, followed by Tacoma with 28 and Camry with 25. Since Jan. 27, NHTSA has processed 686 complaints from consumers about problems related to “vehicle speed control” on cars and trucks manufactured by Toyota, nearly all of them submitted through NHTSA’s Web site or by e-mail.”
Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for product liability lawyers.
