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Toyota Accelerator Recall: Toyota Responds To LA Times Article

By Brett Emison

Autoblog.com has reported that Toyota has attempted to respond to a critical LA Times article that I reported on last week.

The LA Times found that Toyota's recent sudden acceleration problem was on the most recent and most public of several critical safety problems and attempted cover ups over the last decade.

The automaker has responded to the recent Los Angeles Times article concerning its safety record by issuing a statement and posting the entire e-mail Q&A document it gave the Times. Not surprisingly, Toyota calls the article an "attack" and says the "questions were couched in accusatory terms."

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[S]ome of Toyota's answers left us wondering. Its response regarding the steering relay rod issue in the company's 4Runner SUVs, in which Toyota asserts that it's up to a jury to decide whether it knew about the problem in the U.S., struck us as odd.

At the very least, Toyota might want to dial back the polemics. Any corporation that has gone through a steadily-expanding PR nightmare can tell you that we're heading to the point where mere words, and perhaps even the historical and scientific data, do no good. Just ask Johnson & Johnson.. or General Motors... or Audi.

Even though Toyota's sudden acceleration problem only recently came to the public's attention, Toyota has been quietly making sudden acceleration recalls for nearly a decade.

• Two years ago, a NHTSA investigation found that Camry and Lexus ES gas pedals could be trapped by rubber all-weather floor mats (the same problem addressed by the current recall). Toyota recalled 55,000 vehicles, but its only repair was place a warning label on the underside of the mat.
• In 2005, Toyota recalled more than 3,500 Lexus IS 250 vehicles because the gas pedal was likely to stick on a floor pad.
• In 2006, Toyota recalled more than 360,000 Highlander and Lexus RX SUVs after complaints that an interior cover could interfere with the accelerator pedal.
• In 2003, Toyota recalled 408 Toyota Celicas in Canada because of floor mat interference with the accelerator pedal.
• Toyota has an ongoing Sienna recall to replace a hard plastic trim panel over the center consoles that could cause accelerator pedal entrapment. This Sienna recall came long after Toyota discovered the problem.

Toyota has a history of delaying the recall a safety defect until long after it had discovered the problem.

You can learn more about the Toyota sudden acceleration defect by reading these previous reports of Toyota's sudden acceleration problem:

Toyota Sudden Acceleration Recall: Company Vows To "Make Better Cars"

Toyota Sudden Acceleration: Safety Experts Want Toyota Recall Expanded

Toyota Sudden Acceleration Recall: Company Focuses On Wrong Problem

Toyota Recall Won't Fix Accelerator Problem

Toyota Denied Sudden Acceleration Problem For More Than 5 Years

"Inaccurate and Misleading" Statements On Toyota Sudden Acceleration Problem

Toyota Sudden Acceleration: Case Is Not Closed

Safety Group Responds To Toyota On Sudden Acceleration Defect

Toyota Has More Troubles Than Just Sudden Acceleration

You can learn more about Toyota's dangerous sudden acceleration defect at our auto safety blog or by visiting our web site.

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Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Brett Emison

Full post as published by Kansas City Personal Injury Lawyer on December 28, 2009 (boomark / email).