Car Auto Design

Beginning in 2009 and extending into 2010, the automobile manufacturer Toyota issued three recalls that aimed to address safety concerns over their product's ability to come to stop. The overarching problem that has faced Toyota during these recalls and beyond has been complaints targeted at solving a sudden acceleration problem. In response, Toyota recalled floor mats that supposedly jammed accelerators down. After this recall did little to stop complaints, the company pushed an accelerator pedal recall that was meant to reduce pedal confusion problems. Finally, Toyota issued a voluntary recall in February of 2010 to fix problems with their anti-lock brake system in a limited number of vehicles.

According to consumer reports and a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the anti-lock brake system installed in the Toyota Sai, 2010 Prius, and 2010 Lexus HS 250h would briefly fail under certain conditions. The study stated that hitting a significant bump in the road, namely potholes or similar road defects, would cause a very temporary malfunction within the brakes. While not cutting the brakes altogether, the NHTSA was careful enough to note that brake times were increased under these circumstances.

As Toyota offers this latest recall, one which directly addresses a mechanical error, there is still doubt overshadowing the company's claims that sudden acceleration is primarily consumer-caused. The company has previously stated that confusion over the brake and accelerator pedals has caused drivers to accelerate instead of braking, which prompted their pedal recall. However, some consumers and drivers are not so certain that this explains the problem.

For these consumers, sudden acceleration is an issue with the car's design, making Toyota completely responsible for the accidents that were caused by out-of-control vehicles. If you would like to discover more about the legal side of driver concerns with Toyota, contact a sudden acceleration attorney.