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Sticking gas pedals cause sudden accelerations
Getting the Severely Injured Toyota consumers the
Compensation that They Need
The following Toyota Division models are affected and recalled:
• 2009-2010 RAV4
• 2009-2010 Corolla
• 2009-2010 Matrix
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2010 Highlander
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2008-2010 Sequoia
• 2010 Priuses (Hybrid Braking Problem)
The following Lexus Division models are affected
and recalled:
• 2007-2010 Lexus ES 350
• 2006-2010 Lexus IS 250 and Lexus IS 350
Toyota Recall
Attorneys
Toyota, the largest car maker in the world is now
facing a host of lawsuits that is sure to cost them millions if
not billions of dollars. Just when it looked like the Ford Motor
Company was going under and Toyota's market was growing even larger,
a turn in events has seemed to occur. In 2009, the Ford Motor Company
made a profit of over 1.4 million, the first time that the company
has gone out of the red in four years. Meanwhile, in 2009 people
began filing class-action suits against the company as a result
of countless makes and models of Toyotas that have a fatal sudden
acceleration malfunction. On January 26th, the company announced
that it would have to temporarily shut down production and sales
as a result.
You may have heard in the past about Toyota's gas pedals sticking,
or that floor mats that were pushing down on gas pedals. Fatal accidents
have increased in number since 2002 and were due to neither of those
problems. In 2002, Toyota began installing an electronic throttle-control
system in their cars named the ETCS-Intelligent System. This system
malfunctions, resulting in the vehicle accelerating at random times
when the driver is not pressing on the gas pedal. In many of these
instances, drivers are unable to get their cars to stop or slow
down at all, resulting in a host of fatalities.
In September, 76-year old Jean Bookout was driving
with a friend in her 2005 Camry and exited the highway on an offramp.
However, her car was unable to slow down and sped out of control.
The woman was quick enough on her feet to engage the emergency brake,
which ultimately saved her life. However, her friend did not survive
the wreck. Bookout and her friend's families sued Toyota as a result
of the crash.
A California lawsuit against Toyota in 2007 detailed
how a woman was unable to stop and ended up accelerating her 2005
Camry over a cliff. 2005 Camrys have been involved in multiple accidents
such as these, and yet the 2005 Camry is not yet on any recall lists.
The statistics of these cars suddenly accelerating are three times
greater than they are for the models that have been recalled, and
yet Toyota has ignored this information. While the cases stack up
against Toyota, action is not being taken fast enough.
In the case of Guadalupe Alberto, her vehicle began
to speed up until she was going 80 mph down a residential street.
Witnesses who watched her rocket through an intersection noted that
the woman looked like she was standing up in the car trying to put
all her weight on the brake while still steering. The car eventually
hit a tree and Guadalupe was killed. When her case came forward,
Toyota still thought that the acceleration problem was a result
of faulty floormats. However, Guadalupe's car didn't have floor
mats in it at all.
It is possible that Toyota simply could not figure
out the cause of these sudden acceleration problems, but many are
claiming that Toyota knew about the cause and simply did nothing
to fix the ETCS-Intelligent System. Either way, the fact that Toyota
has blamed the problem first on floor mats, then on the accelerator
pedal, and are now shutting down production altogether does not
bode well as far as court settlements go. At the beginning of this
month, a class action suit was filed at a federal court in Miami
against the automaker, which cited the floormats as the source of
the problem. And while Toyota had already recalled a record 4.26
million vehicles because of floormats, they are now recalling another
1.09 million cars as a result of the sudden acceleration problem.
At least another two class action suits have been filed against
the company in other parts of the nation, and more suits are sure
to follow.
Ever since the announcement to stop sales and halt
production, Toyota's stock has been falling. On the 28th, it fell
$2.10 in the New York Stock Exchange, and stock prices are expected
to continue to fall. Toyota itself will lose about $1.1 billion
dollars a month as a result of the recalls and halted production.
The recalls are even on Toyota's most popular models, the Camry
and the Corolla. For the last several years, these car models outsell
sedans of similar make and size substantially, making them some
of the most popular cars in America. It will be interesting to see
the effect that the recalls and the bizarre accidents will have
on American consumers, as well as the rest of the car industry as
a whole.
Some Toyota owners have been lucky enough to notice
the problem in less dangerous circumstances. Seong Bae Choi and
Chris Chan Park of Los Angeles have experienced unintended sudden
acceleration in their vehicles multiple times, and filed a class
action suit against Toyota as a result of their experiences. Joseph
Hauter almost slammed into the service station where he was trying
to get his 2008 Tundra pickup truck fixed when the vehicle suddenly
started accelerating, even though he had his foot firmly on the
brake.
If you think you may have noticed that your Toyota
suddenly accelerates when you are driving, you should contact a
Toyota recall attorney immediately. These malfunctions have affected
a large number of cars, so you will need to find out if your car
may be affected. Even if your make and model are not currently on
the recall list, Toyota's as early as 2002 have had the ETCS-Intelligent
System installed in them, and thus, could be incredibly dangerous
to drive.
For more Toyota
Recall Lawyers information click
here.
Legal Services
A personal injury attorney helps replace what is lost. Sometimes,
however, there is no way that our clients will be in the same shape
that they were before. Under those circumstances, a lot more compensation
is necessary. We seek compensation for the loss of their abilities.
At the same time, we also seek a settlement or award that will cover
their future expenses. If a client has a brain injury or other permanent
physical handicap, we must consider what it will cost to obtain
physical accommodation and care over the long term.
Contact a Florida Toyota
Recall Attorneys for a free consultation.
Se Habla Español
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Sheldon J. Schlesinger, P.A. represents clients throughout
the state of Florida including the cities of Boca Raton, Boynton
Beach, Carol City, Cooper City, Coral Gables, Coral Springs, Davie,
Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah, Hollywood,
Jupiter, Lake Worth, Miramar, Miami, Oakland Park, Palm Beach, Palm
Beach Gardens, Palm Springs, Pompano Beach, and Rivera Beach
Broward County • Miami-Dade County • Palm Beach
County
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