RECENT TOYOTA® RECALL NEWS
Toyota lawsuits consolidated in the Central Court of California.
Summary:
The parties have suggested a number of very acceptable transferee districts and judges.
However, for the following reasons, we have settled upon the Central District of California as the
most appropriate choice. Toyota maintains its United States corporate headquarters within this
district, and relevant documents and witnesses are likely located there. Far more actions are pending
there than in any other district. Among the cases pending there are potential tag-along cases that
assert personal injury or wrongful death claims.4 After consulting with Chief Judge Audrey B.
Collins, we have selected Judge James V. Selna as the transferee judge. He is a well regarded and
skilled jurist. Moreover, Judge Selna's 28 years of private law practice at the very highest levels
and in some of the most complex cases leaves him well prepared for a case of this magnitude.
Complete PFD here:
http://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/Recent_Orders/Recent_Orders/MDL-2151-TransferOrder.pdf
Update: 4/9/2010: A report posted on a CNN news blogs gives insight and timelines on the Toyota problem with accelerator pedals. Click each to view
Emails a PDF file
Timelines PDF
Timelines part 2 PDF
NEWS: March 12, 2010
A CNN new story reports that an ex-Toyota lawyer says he has documents prove company hid damaging information.
Former Toyota defense attorney Dimitrios Biller claims he has has 6,000 internal documents, including memos and e-mails that could be potentially damaging to Toyota.
A few quotes from the CNN Report:
Dimitrios Biller: "Not potentially, they are. They are very damaging,"
"There is a regular pattern and practice of not producing memos, minutes, reports, and e-mails," Biller said. "These documents can be used to establish liability against Toyota in product liability and negligence cases."
Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-New York, whose committee subpoenaed Biller's documents, said "The material, I must admit, is very, very disturbing."
Toyota defends its actions, saying, "We are confident that we have acted appropriately with respect to all product liability litigation."
In response to Biller's documents and his allegations, Toyota spokeswoman Cindy Knight released this statement: "Mr. Biller continues to make inaccurate and misleading allegations about Toyota's conduct that we strongly dispute and will continue to fight against vigorously."
New statements made today in Washington DC on the Toyota sudden acceleration problem.
Mr. James Lentz, head of Toyota Motor Sales addressing the House panel; “"We have designed our electronic throttle control system with multiple fail-safe mechanisms to shut off or reduce engine power in the event of a system failure,"
"We have done extensive testing of this system and have never found a malfunction that caused unintended acceleration."
Meanwhile a new video that has surfaced on the Internet shows an ASA certified mechanic in Illinois was able to recreate the sudden acceleration problem in a lab and while driving. He points to the problem as the electronic control device, and not a stuck pedal.
According to a CNN report on Thursday February 18, 2010
Toyota president Akio Toyoda accepted on Thursday a formal invitation to testify at a hearing to be held next Wednesday.
Mr. Toyoda released this statement: "I have received Congressman Towns' invitation to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on February 24 and I accept. I look forward to speaking directly with Congress and the American people."
More developments and problems for Toyota:
The entire Prius line is now being recalled for an anti-lock brake problem. Sales of other Toyota's were stopped as the car maker scrammbled to deal with this massive recall. Dealers where to first fix the owner's cars before the dealer's car stock could be fixed. This is the first Toyota Stop Sale order to their dealer network.
Toyota® said Thursday it is recalling 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix accelerator pedals with mechanical problems that could cause them to become stuck.
The announcement comes just months after it recalled 4.2 million vehicles due to gas pedals that could become trapped under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. That problem was the cause of several crashes, including some fatalities.
Toyota® said Thursday's recall is due to potential problems with the gas pedal mechanism that can cause the accelerator to become stuck - regardless of whether the vehicle contains a floor mat. Toyota® said in certain rare cases, the gas pedal mechanism wears down, causing the accelerator to become harder to press, slower to return or, in some cases, stuck.
Toyota® spokesman John Hanson said the automaker does not yet have a solution to the latest problem but is working to develop one. Toyota® will soon be contacting owners directly about the recall, he said.
Hanson said the company is unaware of any accidents or injuries due to the gas pedal problems associated with Thursday's recall, but could not rule it out for sure. He said the recall "came together very quickly."
He added that all of the vehicles involved in the latest recall contain a gas pedal system that comes from a single supplier. He declined, however, to identify the supplier or say whether Toyota® would continue doing business with the supplier.
"Responsibility for this in the end is ours," he said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement that the problem is "a serious safety issue and we are pleased Toyota® is taking immediate action to address it."
Toyota® said drivers in the recalled vehicles whose gas pedals become stuck should firmly apply their brakes, drive the car to a safe location, shut off the engine and contact the nearest Toyota® dealer. Drivers who experience the problem should not pump their brakes, Toyota® said.
Toyota® 's last recall, announced in November, was blamed for several crashes, including an accident involving a Lexus that accelerated to more than 120 mph before crashing in San Diego, killing four people. It was the sixth-largest recall ever in the U.S.
