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Toyota Problems Continue – Automaker to Repair 4 Million Gas Pedals for Unintended Acceleration Issues

Toyota’s problems don’t seem to stop. The ongoing controversy over the cause of the unintended acceleration in several of the automaker’s vehicles continues with Toyota announcing that it will fix gas pedals in about 4 million vehicles. The repair is being billed as a solution to the problem of unintended and uncontrolled acceleration in several Toyota vehicles, including the Camry.

The announcement comes just three weeks after the company announced that it would recall 3.5 million vehicles because of defective floor mats that, it then said, were responsible for the unintended acceleration. The floor mats, according to the automaker, could get stuck on the accelerator and cause it to jam. However, since that recall announcement, the automaker has faced strong pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has asked the automaker to do more to identify the problem and find solutions.

California product liability lawyers have been no strangers to the uncontrolled acceleration issue. However, the problem only gained nationwide notoriety after an accident in San Diego in August this year, in which four people were killed. 911 tapes show that the driver of the car, an off duty California Highway Patrol officer, tried desperately to stop the vehicle as it accelerated to uncontrollable speeds and crashed.

Soon after the accident which shocked Americans, Toyota announced a recall of the vehicles because of floor mat issues. The company likely hoped the matter would end there, but federal regulators have not been so willing to declare an end to the matter. On the 2^nd of November, the company said it would recall floor mats which could possibly jam the pedal. Toyota also hastily announced that the NHTSA had found no other defect that could contribute to uncontrolled acceleration. It was swiftly rebuked by the agency, which said Toyota needed to do more to deal with the problem.

Now, Toyota has announced that it will fix these vehicles. The repairs will involve shortening the gas pedals by ¾ inch in some vehicles.  Repairs will also involve removing the floor padding to prevent the gas pedals from getting stuck on the mats. The repairs will begin in January. Several popular Toyota models are included. These include the Camry and Tundra from 2007 to 2010, Avalon sedans and Tacoma pickups between 2005 and 2010, Prius hybrid from 2004 to 2009, Lexus ES-350 from 2007 to 2010, IS-250 and IS-350 from 2006 to 2010.

Many safety experts believe the unintended acceleration incidents could be to Toyota what the rollover crashes were to Ford. That automaker suffered a severely tarnished reputation after defective Firestone tires on hundreds of its Explorer SUV’s burst, causing the vehicles to roll over. Several motorists and occupants were killed, and hundreds were seriously injured in these crashes. Toyota in contrast, has had a solid and reliable reputation, and is currently the largest automaker in the country. The unintended acceleration scandal, however, will be hard for the automaker to be brush off.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of recalled products. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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