With its defect troubles and bad publicity far from over, Toyota Motor
Corp. has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury over possible defects
involving its vehicle steering rods. They jury is asking the automaker
to provide documents related to the auto defect.
Toyota had recalled 977,839 Toyota Trucks, 4Runners, and Toyota T100s
in the US in 2005 because the steering-relay rods were at risk of cracking
during certain driving situations. However, the recall did not come until
nine months after the automaker not only issued a similar recall in Japan
but also, after it told the US government that a US recall was unnecessary.
In May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a
probe to determine whether Toyota intentionally delayed the recall, which
would have been a violation of US law. There also have been reports that
the auto manufacturer may have known as early as 2000—based on customer
complaints—that the steering rods were causing total or partial
vehicle control loss. At least two families are suing Toyota for auto
products liability causing the wrongful death of a loved one related to
the steering rod defect.
This particular safety issue is just one of several involving Toyota,
which has recalled millions of vehicles in the last nine months because
of numerous auto defects. If you are someone who is a victim of a car
crash that you believe was caused by a Toyota parts defect, our auto products
liability law firm would like to offer you a free case evaluation.
In other recent Toyota safety news, the Wall Street Journal recently ran
a story reporting that a government probe has found that some drivers
may have been at fault in certain Toyota sudden acceleration accidents
that are being pinned on the automaker. However, the US Department of
Transportation has since issued a statement saying that the NHTSA never
provided WSJ with any information about its continuing investigation and
no conclusions or data have been released.
Toyota subpoenaed again, this time over faulty steering components, Los
Angeles Times, July 20, 2010
Are drivers to blame in Toyota unintended acceleration cases? It may be
too early to tell, Consumer Reports, July 20, 2010
Early Tests Pin Toyota Accidents on Drivers, Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Our Values, Toyota
NHTSA
US Department of Transportation
