Toyota Recall

San Antonio Toyota Recall Lawyers – (210) 298-6666 - (800) 519-2800

Auto manufacturers, like Toyota, are responsible for designing and manufacturing vehicles that are safe and reliable. As consumers, we purchase these vehicles under the guise that they are free of defects and will shield us in the event of a collision. We assume that the vehicles we buy have been thoroughly tested, that all defects have been discovered and corrected, and that there are no hidden risks in operating them. However, as the recent influx of Toyota vehicle recalls has exhibited, automobiles are sophisticated pieces of machinery, and vehicle defects can arise unexpectedly. When Toyota chose to ignore consumer complaints, or qualify those complaints as having been caused by one issue when they very well could have been caused by a variety of other issues, innocent motorists were put at risk of suffering injury and even wrongful death.

On September 29, 2009, Toyota Motor Corporation announced the largest vehicle recall in company history with 3.8 million vehicle models potentially affected by floor mat entrapment under accelerator pedals. On January 21, 2010, the manufacturer declared that another 2.3 million vehicles were being recalled, this time due to unintended acceleration without the presence of a floor mat, totaling 8.5 million recalls as of today. However, while many motorists are under the impression that these issues have only recently arisen, Toyota vehicles have been under scrutiny for quite some time. Concerns over acceleration issues date back to February 2, 2002 when NHTSA received the first complaint of a 2002 Toyota Camry's engine surging when the brakes were depressed. Toyota Motor issued a technical service bulletin to update the Electronics Control Module calibration to address "engine surging". Complaints of the acceleration issue continued on an annual basis, multiple models of affected Toyota vehicles were tested, and all results garnished by the NHTSA revealed no vehicle defects.

At this point in time, Toyota Motor Corporation maintains the claim that a floor mat issue is to blame for its vehicle malfunctions, although some studies are indicating that an electrical issue is the cause of the unintended acceleration. One such theory states that electromagnetic interference (EMI) may be responsible for causing the electronic throttle system to malfunction. This system replaces the mechanical cable-operated throttle control with an electronic version with inputs from the accelerator pedal and engine control module. In essence, it is supposed to make the system more precise, more efficient and quieter. The following Toyota vehicles are equipped with Electronic Throttle Control with intelligence (ETCS-i):

SUVS

2007-2009 Toyota FJ Cruisers
2002-2010 Toyota 4Runners
1998-2010 Toyota Landcruiser
2005-2010 Toyota Rav-4
2002-2010 Toyota Sequoias
2004-2010 Toyota Highlander
2002-2010 Lexus RX350
2006-2010 Lexus RX450h
1998-2010 Lexus LX470

TRUCKS

2003-2010 Toyota Tacoma
2000-2010 Toyota Tundras

CARS

2002-2010 Toyota Camry
2005-2010 Toyota Avalons
2005-2010 Toyota Corollas
2001-2010 Toyota Prius
2002-2008 Toyota Solara
2003-2010 Toyota Celica
2004-2010 Toyota Yaris
2005-2010 Toyota Matrix
2005-2010 Scion tC
2008-2010 Scion xB
2008-2010 Scion xD
2009-2010 Toyota Venza
1998-2010 Lexus IS 250
1998-2010 Lexus IS 350
1998-2010 Lexus ES 300
1998-2010 Lexus GS 300
1998-2010 Lexus LS 430
1998-2010 Lexus LS 460
1998-2010 Lexus SC-300
1998-2010 Lexus SC-400
2009-2010 Lexus IS-F

VANS

2004-2009 Toyota Siennas

While Toyota denied such action, the overall percentage of Toyota vehicles linked to unintended acceleration issues continued to rise on an annual basis. According to NHTSA, Toyota vehicles accounted for a mere 4% of total issues discovered in the year 2000, and, an overwhelming 33% of all unintended vehicle acceleration issues in December of 2009. For a list of customer complaints against Toyota Motor Corporation filed with the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), please click here:

If evidence was in fact concealed by Toyota, then it would appear as though the ever rising percentage of incidents involving unintended acceleration was of little concern, and that consumer safety was the last thing on the mind of Toyota Motor Company executives. In fact, during his testimony before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation, admitted the following, in regard to Toyota's safety standards:

"Toyota has, for the past few years, been expanding its business rapidly. Quite frankly, I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick...Toyota's priority has traditionally been the following: First; Safety, Second; Quality, and Third; Volume. These priorities became confused...and our basic stance to listen to customers' voices to make better products has weakened somewhat."

(testimony given February 24, 2010)

Toyota originally made the claim that unintended acceleration problems were caused by faulty floor mats becoming lodged underneath the gas pedal. The company then argued that the unintended acceleration was caused by gas pedals that simply tended to stick. Regardless of the cause, consumers may be at risk of being in an accident caused by unintended acceleration if they own and operate any of the following recalled Toyota models:

Toyota Prius (2004–09 Models)
Avalon (2005-2010 Models)
Toyota Avalon (2005–10 Models)
Toyota Tacoma (2005–10 Models)
Lexus IS 250 (2006–10 Models)
Lexus IS 350 (2006–10 Models)
Lexus ES 350 (2007–10 Models)
Toyota Camry (2007–10 Models)
Toyota Tundra (2007–10 Models)
Camry (2007-2010 Models)
Highlander (2010 Model)
Tundra (2007-2010 Models)
Sequoia (2008-2010 Models)
Toyota Rav4, Corolla, Matrix (2009-2010 Models)
RAV4 (2009-2010 Models)
Corolla (2009-2010 Models)
Matrix (2009-2010 Models)
Highlander (2010 Model)

The Texas Toyota recall attorneys at Cichowski & Gonzalez are monitoring these issues as more information regarding accidents involving recalled Toyota vehicles comes to light. If you feel as though you’ve been a victim of a defective Toyota vehicle, possibly even sustaining injury as a result, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (210) 298-6666 or toll free at (800) 519-2800, visit us at our office (map), or fill out our intake form on our Contact Us page. Discover how we earned our reputation for legal excellence and our track record of success, and give yourself peace of mind knowing that we will hold negligent auto manufacturers accountable for their actions in a court of law.