Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Personal Injury Law Blogs -> New York City Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal Injury Law

: New York City Personal Injury Lawyer

Toyota Recalls Millions of Cars

By Alan Ripka

Toyota announced on Thursday that it will recall an additional 1.09 million vehicles in the United States because of problems with gas pedals and floor mats, which comes only a day after Toyota announced that it would suspend U.S. sales of eight models - including the Camry, America's top-selling car - to fix faulty gas pedals that could stick and cause acceleration without warning. Last week, Toyota issued a recall for the same eight models, affecting 2.3 million vehicles. In late 2009, Toyota recalled 4.2 million vehicles over concerns that floor mats could bend across gas pedals, causing sudden acceleration.

The affected models are: 2009-2010 RAV4, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander except hybrid models, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2008-2010 Sequoia.

Toyota stated that it would fix or replace the accelerator pedals for the recalled vehicles to avoid the risk of floor mat entrapment. The company said that it would replace floor mats as well for the latest recalled vehicles. Toyota has suspended sales of the affected models and halted production at six North American plants, with no date yet announced for production restoration.

In March of 2007, Toyota started getting reports of gas pedals being slow to rise after being depressed for acceleration. Engineers fixed the problem in the Tundra pickup early in 2008. Other private reports state that there have been thousands of incidents since 1999, but Toyota would not confirm any numbers.

Safety experts said drivers should watch for warning signs, such as when the act of pressing the gas pedal starts to feel rougher or when the pedal does not fully return to its regular position. The best thing to do if this happens to you is to hit the brake hard and hold it firmly, then shift into neutral and steer the car off the road, and drivers with affected gas pedals are advised not to pump the brake.

No doubt, there have likely been thousands of injuries related to this faulty gas pedal, and many pending lawsuits. If you, a friend, or loved one has been injured as a result of a faulty gas pedal in one of these affected car models, please contact our law office. The professional team of lawyers at Napoli Bern Ripka law firm can evaluate your situation and determine the next steps to gain justice for you and your family. Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP has fought against large companies in other matters and will fight for you if we believe you have a potential case for product liability, personal injury, or medical malpractice, and is prepared to go to court and have a trial if necessary. Please contact our office and ask for Alan Ripka, one of our partners. Please specifically mention that you read the blog when contacting our office.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Alan Ripka

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on January 28, 2010 (boomark / email).