Toyota seems to have problems that never end, as more and more safety issues come to light. Toyota faced accusations that it had concealed safety issues concerning several of its vehicles from federal investigators from one of their former lawyers in 2009. The accelerator issues that are perhaps the most serious crisis Toyota has ever faced has raised questions about when the automaker actually knew there were serious safety problems with the cars. Another question is how long it took Toyota to inform federal regulators of these concerns in order to initiate a recall.
California product liability lawyers are interested in the questions that will now be posed by the NHTSA to Toyota, and particularly in the answers to these questions. The agency has announced that it will be seeking documents that show when Toyota actually became aware of serious problems with its vehicles. Automakers are required to inform the NHTSA about any problems with automobiles within 5 days of learning of the defect under federal law. A recall must begin immediately, and any automaker that fails to act swiftly to inform the agency and begin a recall is subject to be fined up to $16.4 million. If the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does indeed find that Toyota covered up their knowledge of existing defects in its vehicles, Toyota may face the maximum $16.4 million in fines. Up to now, the maximum fine levied against any company has been $1 million.
Toyota’s problems seem to be bringing to light problems at the NHTSA, according to the New York Times. As the problems for Toyota have continued to increase over the past couple of months, the agency has come under fire. It is curious that the agency has been slow in responding to the serious issues regarding unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles. In fact, State Farm has confirmed that attention had been brought to the NHTSA concerning unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles way back in 2007.
Later this month, three Congressional hearings that focus on new recalls are certain to bring increased scrutiny of the agency. 6 million vehicles have been recalled in the US, with the first recall being initiated in November due to sticky floormats causing unintended acceleration. Earlier this year, an extended recall named faulty gas pedals, but still it seems that Toyota is avoiding the real issue that many consumers feel is the cause of sudden acceleration, which is problems with the electronic throttle control systems.
This week, two separate wrongful death lawsuits were filed against Toyota in a Los Angeles county court. Nebraska and Mississippi were the states where two accidents occurred, one involving a Camry and one a Prius. Both accidents were due to sudden acceleration, and one accident took the plaintiff’s husbands life while the other took the plaintiff’s sons life. It’s probably safe to say we can expect more lawsuits of this type against Toyota over the next few weeks.
The Reeves Law Group has offices across California and is dedicated to representing Los Angeles personal injury and auto accident victims, including victims of product liability. Please contact us for a free consultation at (800) 644-8000.