Legal News

The safety issues and recall troubles are not yet over for Toyota. On June 25, the Japanese car company announced it was recalling and halting delivery on its new 2010 Lexus HS250h hybrids. This time the issue is not one of acceleration, but concern that fuel might leak after a crash.

USA Today reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that Lexus failed to meet its fuel leakage standard in a test that involves rotating the vehicle after crashing it. Even more troubling for the company, and owners of the Lexus hybrid, is the fact that Toyota has not yet come up with a solution for the fuel leakage problem. The company said in a statement, "At the present time, Lexus has not identified a remedy to address this issue, but it is working hard to do so promptly and will notify owners as soon as one is developed."

The details of exactly which Lexus models are effected by this recall are as follows:

• Vehicle Make / Model: LEXUS / HS
• Model Year(s): 2010
• Manufacturer: Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
• Mfr's Report Date: JUN 25, 2010
• Component: Fuel System, Gasoline: Storage
• Potential Number of Units Affected: 17,000

Since no remedy has yet been identified by Toyota, it is also unclear at this point when the recall will start. USA Today reports until then, as required by federal law, dealers will not deliver any new vehicles in their inventory that are covered by this recall.

"Even though our own testing of the Lexus HS250h shows full compliance with federal fuel system integrity standards, we are working intensely to duplicate the noncompliance issue that the NHTSA identified and to determine the reason behind the different test results," Steve St. Angelo, Toyota chief quality officer for North America, told USA Today.

Owners of this model Lexus with concerns or questions can contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

Related Resources:

• Toyota recalls Lexus HS 250h hybrids for fuel leakage, halts sales (USA Today)
• Toyota Recall and Lawsuits (FindLaw)
• What happens if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) orders a recall? (FindLaw)
• Car Safety Recalls (FindLaw)
• Toyota Recalls Millions of Vehicles (provided by The Breslo Law Firm)
• Auto Accident Injuries and Compensation (provided by Griffin & Linder, P.A.)