TOYOTA ACCIDENTS | PRIUS–LEXUS-TOYOTA RECALLS | “SUDDEN ACCELERATION”
Never before in the history of the automobile has there been a manufacturer’s recall even remotely approaching the 10,000,000 recall notices issued by the Toyota Motor Company. It is a number that staggers the imagination and, inevitably, will lead to an avalanche of lawsuits.
The lawsuits will probably vary in kind. Some lawsuits will involve class actions concerning the significant reductions in the resale value of cars affected by the recall.
The most serious lawsuits will be brought by those injured in accidents involving recalled vehicles.
There has even been a report of an individual, involved in a serious accident attributed to him, that resulted in his being imprisoned when his story that there was sudden, unintended acceleration was not believed. Presumably, if a review of the evidence indicates that a Toyota defect was actually the cause of that accident, there could be a lawsuit based upon the unjust incarceration.
While those whose cars have been recalled undoubtedly suffered enormous inconvenience, it would require a serious injury before a personal injury lawsuit would be entertained by a Personal Injury Attorney. Calls to our office from those receiving recall notices and who suffered no injury, have had to be informed that, barring a serious injury, the costs to our office to bring a lawsuit would outweigh the recovery we could anticipate, even assuming the best of circumstances.
With new evidence becoming public, that relates to the “sudden acceleration” problems of the various Toyota vehicles including Prius and Lexus, the advantage to the injured litigant becomes more pronounced. To those who have not yet had a chance to have their vehicles “repaired”, and even to those who have had their “repairs” completed pursuant to the recall, any accident, involving both “sudden acceleration” and an injury, should be the subject of a call to a Personal Injury Attorney. ( There is significant basis to believe that Toyota may not have fully developed a total “fix” for the problems their cars have experienced.).