The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) now reports there may be as many as 34 deaths connected to problems with Toyota vehicles. Since January 27, the total has jumped by 13 deaths, often from sudden acceleration and braking problems. More than 8 million vehicles have been recalled and the automaker suspended the sale of eight different models in the U.S. for a short while. The death incidents date back to 2000, based on a consumeraffaris.com article. So far about 500,000 of the troublesome Toyotas have been “fixed” as the company calls it. Toyota has consistently said that it cannot find a problem with electronics that many believe to be the source for the runaway vehicles. That has allowed Toyota dealerships to resume selling some of the vehicles that had been named in a worldwide recall.
Last October, Toyota recalled millions of vehicles, blaming floor mats for pinning the accelerator to the floor. But when that explanation became nonsensical, Toyota was forced to concede the floor mats may not be the only problem. The automaker says it has been unable to replicate the sticky accelerator that causes cars to runaway out of control and may have contributed to the 34 deaths.
The company has lost about $8 billion so far. The latest recall is for the 8,000 four-wheel Toyota Tacoma trucks, that maybe defective in the front drive shafts. Remember that the 2010 Prius and certain Lexus vehicles are affected. The 2008-1010 Highlanders need to have their floor mats fixed along with the 2009-2010 Corollas, Venzas and Matrixes.
A January recall covers the following 2.3 million cars for a sticking accelerator pedal.
- 2007-10 Camrys,
- 2009-10 Corollas,
- 2009-10 RAV4s,
- 2009-10 Matrixes,
- 2005-10 Avalons,
- 2010 Highlanders,
- 2007-10 Tundras and
- 2008-10 Sequoias.
And the original recall from September is for 3.8 million vehicles that may have a floor mat problem. They include:
- 2007-2010 Camry,
- 2005-2010 Avalon,
- 2004-2009 Prius,
- 2005-2010 Tacoma,
- 2007-2010 Tundra,
- 2007-2010 ES 350,
- 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS350
If you or a loved one has experienced a problem with your Toyota, even those not listed in the recall, please contact an experienced Florida accident attorney to determine whether NHTSA has any reports of problems with your particular model.
