Toyota is in the hot seat once again, this time for an old problem that surfaced during litigation discovery. Documents supplied in response to a discovery request found their way to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Because of the information in these documents, the NHTSA opened a new investigation of whether Toyota reported safety defects in 1989 to 1998 Hi Lux and T100 trucks and 4Runner SUVs to NHTSA within five business days of discovering them as required by law. The opening of an investigation may be little more than a formality, as NHTSA already has evidence that Toyota knew of the problems long before reporting them. The reports document three deaths and seven injuries.
Eleven months before recalling one million 4Runner SUVs, T100 and Hi Lux pickup trucks in the United States in 2005, Toyota issued a truck recall in Japan for the same steering defects in Hi Lux trucks. Toyota contends that differing driving conditions in the two countries justified the time lapse and that it had no indication that the problem was occurring in the United States. According to Toyota, Japanese drivers put excess stress on their steering rods due to routinely making tight turns and engaging in close-quarter maneuvering.
But NHTSA says the agency has evidence that Toyota received complaints about the steering rod problem from 41 U.S. consumers prior to the Japanese truck recall, according to USA Today.
And the story gets worse. In February, Politico reported on a leaked Toyota document bragging that the company saved over $100 million by delaying and avoiding recalls. The document did not refer specifically to the vehicle classes NHTSA is now investigating.
What if you suffered an injury or lost a family member due to a crash caused by an automobile defect? A product liability attorney specializing in automobile claims will investigate design and manufacturing defects that may have contributed to injuries or fatalities. Because of the complicated nature of the claims, attorneys may work with engineers who analyze potential safety defects from a technological standpoint, engage in vehicle and component studies to put theoretical crash causes to the test, and prepare simulations and other explanatory exhibits to ensure a judge or jury understands how the manufacturing or design defect caused or contributed to the death or injury.
The current safety issues Toyota is facing provide a cogent example of how quality litigation preparation can uncover documents establishing a manufacturer's failure to take reasonable steps to prevent death or injuries from defects in its products. If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident involving a Toyota vehicle, contact an experienced personal injury attorney.
