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The accident named in the suit occurred one year ago when off-duty Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor could not stop the vehicle from accelerating. The vehicle reached speeds of up to 120mph at one point. The vehicle later collided with another on the highway and landed in a ravine nearby. The 45-year-old police officer died as well as his wife, 45-year-old Cleofe Saylor, and their 13-year-old daughter. In addition, Cleofe Saylor’s brother died in the accident as well. The report reveals Toyota eventually recalled roughly 8 million vehicles total following this and several other incidents. According to the report, Toyota could potentially lose billions if they lose any other lawsuits that may be filed against them.

Although the lawsuits that Toyota has faced obviously demonstrate negligence on their part to properly repair or maintain certain vehicles, their compliance with any settlements and recalls shows their good faith in trying to remedy the situation. While settlements may alleviate the financial damage that these accidents cause, it will never alleviate the loss of loved ones that the victims in these incidents suffer. That is the biggest loss that these automobile accidents cause.
 

According to the report, the subpoena was issued 3 weeks ago on June 29^th and requested documents related to broken or otherwise malfunctioning relay rods for the vehicles. The malfunctioning relay rods caused either partial or total loss of control in steering. An incident with the relay rods occurred as far back as 2004 in Japan which injured five people. In an unrelated incident, in April Toyota was forced to pay $16.4 million in fines because they failed to announce a recall of gas pedals that were sticking.

Toyota has faced a huge amount of scrutiny because of the issues that have been increasing with many of their vehicles. This subpoena is not the first that Toyota has faced according to this report. In addition, Toyota has also faced several recalls and product liability lawsuits since September because of many defects and malfunctions with their vehicles.

According to the report, three complaints have been filed, however, no accidents or injuries have occurred in these incidents. This is similar to the malfunction that affected several Toyota vehicles in the past which led to 5.4 million vehicles being recalled. The review from the NHTSA could potentially lead to a recall.

If this recall does occur, it will be one of many that have plagued the automotive industry in the last year for various malfunctions and defects in the vehicles. Toyota, Chevrolet, Porsche and several other automobile companies have been forced to recall vehicles for incidents ranging from stuck accelerator pedals to defects in the frame of certain vehicles that caused a spare tire to fall onto roadways. In many cases, some of the defects or malfunctions have resulted in accidents of varying severity. If the NHTSA deems it necessary for a recall to occur, it is very important for automobile companies to abide by that recall in order to ensure the safety of their consumers.

For more information on how auto defects can cause automobile accidents, visit Solomon & Relihan's Auto Defects Information page.

The investigation on the Corvette resulted from 30 complaints from consumers of leaking fuel tanks. The report states that no injuries or accidents in the Corvette have been reported at this time; however, two minor incidents have been reported with the Ford Windstar. A recall of both vehicles could potentially occur if the NHSTA deems it necessary.

 It is no secret that the automotive industry has been plagued by recalls of all kinds. The most recent, and most significant, is the Toyota recall of several thousand cars of differing models for various reasons. As a result of Toyota’s delay in their recall, they were forced to pay fines of around $16.4 million. Since that time, automakers have been voluntarily recalling vehicles for various flaws and malfunctions in a timely manner seemingly in order to avoid a similar fate.

 It is very important that automakers follow all government enforced rules regarding recalls in order to prevent injury to consumers. Although incidents of accidents or injuries are minimal in the case of the Windstar, there could potentially be more serious incidents if no action is taken to remedy the situation in their vehicles. Although many accidents on roadways occur due to driver error, there are still cases when an auto accident can be caused by a malfunction in the vehicles involved.

If you are involved in an accident, a manufacturer malfunction may be one of the causes, but the malfunction may not be readily apparent.  For more information on manufacturer malfunctions and how to identify them, visit the Solomon & Relihan Auto Defects page.

The New York Times reports that Toyota has ordered its dealers to stop selling the model until the problem can be corrected.  According to Consumer Reports, "When pushed to its limits on our track’s handling course, the rear of the GX we bought slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control.”

This is the latest in a string of toyota safety problems.  The company was recently fined a record $16.4 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for failure to disclose information regarding sticky accelerator pedals.  This is another black mark for the company that was once known for safety and reliability but has no become a symbol for car safety problems.

Arizona Toyota owners and drivers should be careful and keep up-to-date on the latest Toyota safety problems.  A good place to check is the Toyota website's official recall page. In addition, Toyotarecall.org is also a good site, not associate with Toyota, which provides news and information on all Toyota recalls.

If you or someone you love has been involved in an accident involving a Toyota and you believe a manufacturer error may be a factor, you should contact an experienced Arizona auto accident attorney immediately.

For more information on auto defects, visit the Solomon & Relihan Auto Defects information page.

Old cases being reopened include lawsuits for accidents that may have been caused, at least in part, by Toyota equipment malfunctions.  They also include a Minnesota man who was sentenced to 8 years in prison after causing an accident that killed 3 while driving a Toyota Camry.  The man's lawyers are arguing that the crash may have been caused by the sudden acceleration problem.

The ongoing Toyota safety scandal illustrates the often-hidden role that equipment malfunction and faulty manufacturing can have in car accidents.  Even if the causes of an accident seem apparent at first, equipment malfunction may play a role that is not always obvious.  That is why it is important that you contact an experienced auto accident attorney whenever you are involved in an accident.  An experienced attorney can fully investigate an accident to find all possible causes.

For more information on the Toyota recalls, you can visit Toyota's official recall page or Toyotarecall.org.

For additional information, you should visit the Solomon & Relihan Auto Defects information page.