Toyota Sudden Acceleration May Be More Than Mat Problem

Our Georgia product liability lawyers have been monitoring the Toyota recall due to uncontrolled rapid acceleration. Several weeks ago, Toyota announced the biggest recall in its history. The Japanese automaker issued a safety advisory urging Toyota owners of over 3.8 million cars and trucks to remove driver side mats from their vehicles.
It initially was announced that the floor mats were the sole cause of these sudden acceleration incidents. Now, ABC news is reporting that the cause may be something much more complicated than the floor mat design. According to ABC there have been several reports of sudden uncontrolled acceleration in Toyota vehicles in which the driver’s side floor mats had been removed. This has caused investigators to question whether there is a design defect in the electronics controlling acceleration. Toyota has denied that any such defect exists.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, issued a statement yesterday
which could lead a reader to believe that the problem goes beyond floor mats. The statement was a follows:
“Toyota has announced a safety recall involving 3.8 million vehicles in which the accelerator pedal may become stuck at high vehicle speeds due to interference by the driver’s side floor mat, which is obviously a very dangerous situation. Toyota has written to vehicle owners stating that it has decided that a safety defect exists in their vehicles and asking owners to remove all floor mats while the company is developing a remedy. We believe consumers should follow Toyota’s recommendation to address the most immediate safety risk. However, removal of the mats is simply an interim measure, not a remedy of the underlying defect in the vehicles. NHTSA is discussing with Toyota what the appropriate vehicle remedy or remedies will be. This matter is not closed until Toyota has effectively addressed the vehicle defect by providing a suitable remedy.”
Toyota’s warning affects various models from 2006 to 2010. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck on Toyota manufactured vehicles. This sudden acceleration problem has resulted in 13 crashes, 17 injuries and at least 5 fatalities.
If you drive one of these vehicles you absolutely need to be able to stop the vehicle should this situation occur. Experts advise that the engine can be stopped by pressing the Start/Stop button for several seconds or the car can be placed into neutral. Our attorneys urge you to share this advice with anyone driving one of these vehicles.