TOYOTA stops production in USA (Recall)

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http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/18/j...over-economic/

Report: Judge's ruling paves way for owners to sue Toyota over economic losses *UPDATE

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on May 18th 2011 at 3:02PM

If Toyota was hoping to end its ongoing unintended acceleration-related legal issues, the latest bit of courtroom news will make the automaker quite unhappy. U.S. District Judge James Selna has ruled that vehicle owners can sue Toyota over economic losses. Some Toyota owners claim the automaker is responsible for diminished resale value of vehicles wearing the Toyota badge.

"A vehicle with a defect is worth less than one without a defect," said Selna.

Toyota, however, has stated that it remains confident it will emerge from the courtroom victorious. Selna's ruling moves the burden of proof over to the plaintiff's lawyers, and Toyota believes that no such proof of wrong-doing on its part exists. Lawyers for the plaintiffs will be tasked with proving that the automaker was aware of a defect and chose to ignore it.

One particular issue from Toyota's point of view, with regards to James Selna's ruling, is the judge has applied a California law to the case. One that may make it easier for plaintiffs to recover damages. Toyota argues that vehicle owners from all over the country are involved in the lawsuit, and therefore local state laws should be applied with respect to the owner's location. Either way, it appears that Toyota's legal drama is going to continue for quite some time.

*UPDATE: Toyota reached out to Autoblog.com for clarification. It appears the ruling has not yet come down, but that Selna is merely considering the application of California law to a case that reaches across the entire country.
[Source: Bloomberg | Images: Ramin Talaie/Getty]

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http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/24/w...erates-toyota/

Report: Watchdog group blasts report that exonerates Toyota

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on May 24th 2011 at 1:28PM

Remember the reports released by NASA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which concluded that Toyota's electronic systems were not to blame for cases of unintended acceleration? Watchdog group Safety Research & Strategies has a 51-page bone to pick with those papers.

According to The Safety Record, the advocacy group's publication, Safety Research & Strategies took a deep dive into unintended acceleration research reports. The group also obtained previously unreleased portions of the report, and the results seem to contradict the very defense that Toyota is using in its UA-related lawsuits.

The unreleased documents show that NASA was able to find electronics failures, which could cause unintended acceleration. Per The Safety Record, these research efforts were heavily influenced by Toyota and limited in scope. In fact, more of the research has yet to be revealed.

These are bold claims by Safety Research & Strategies, and you can read its findings by heading to SR&S website. This new report could spell serious trouble for the automaker, if the allegations are found to be accurate.
[Source: Safety Research & Strategies via Huffington Post | Images: David McNew/Getty]

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http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/01/t...eering-defect/

Confirmed: Toyota recalls 52,000 Prius hybrids for steering defect

by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jun 1st 2011 at 9:00AM

Toyota is recalling 106,000 Prius models built between 2001 and 2003. A total of 52,000 of those units were sold in the States.

Toyota says that if the steering wheel is strongly turned to the full lock position over and over again, the electric power steering pinion shaft nuts may become loose. Over time, that may result in the driver having to exert more force than typically necessary to turn left.

Owners can expect to be notified of the recall in early July, and the repair (in which dealers will replace the electric power steering pinion shaft nuts with new equipment) is expected to take around four hours.

In addition, the Japanese automaker is recalling a handful of Venza and Sienna all-wheel drive models for improperly heat-treated front drive shafts. The recall covers a total of 34 Venza models and 16 Sienna units produced in 2011, and owners can expect to be notified of the problem by June of this year. Hit the jump for the full press blast.

PRESS RELEASE
Toyota Announces Voluntary Safety Recall of Certain Prius Vehicles

Separately, Toyota Will Recall 50 Venza AWD and Sienna AWD Vehicles to Replace the Front Right-Hand Driveshaft

Torrance, Calif., June 1, 2011 – Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. (TMS), today announced that it will conduct a voluntary safety recall involving approximately 52,000 2001 through 2003 Prius vehicles sold in the U.S. to replace the electric power steering pinion shaft attachment nuts. This announcement is for U.S. vehicles included in Toyota Motor Corporation's global recall of 106,000 vehicles.

If the steering wheel is repeatedly and strongly turned to the full-lock position, there is a possibility the nuts securing the pinion shaft in the steering gear box assembly may become loose. If the vehicle is continuously operated in this condition, over time, the customer will gradually notice significant increased steering effort when making a left turn.

Toyota dealers will install improved nuts that secure the pinion shaft at no charge to the vehicle owner. The repair will take approximately 4 hours depending upon the dealer's work schedule.

Owner notification letters by first class mail will begin in early July, 2011.

The separate recall announced by TMS involves 34 Venza AWD and 16 Sienna AWD vehicles to replace an insufficiently heat treated front right-hand driveshaft. All of these vehicles are recently produced 2011 model year. Only 38 are expected to have an insufficiently heat-treated driveshaft.

Due to insufficient heat treatment, there is a possibility that the front right-hand driveshaft may break. If this occurs, engine power will not be transmitted to the wheels and the vehicle will coast to a stop.

No other Toyota or Lexus vehicles are involved in these recalls and the driveshaft recall only involves vehicles in the U.S. and Canada.

Owner notification letters by first class mail will begin in mid June, 2011.

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http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/01/t...sed-on-techni/

Toyota's first unintended acceleration trial dismissed on technicality
By Zach Bowman RSS feed
Oct 1st 2011 10:02AM

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna has dismissed the first unintended acceleration lawsuit against Toyota in California on the grounds that it should have been filed in Utah. Automotive News reports that the case was brought to court by the families of two people killed in a Utah crash in 2010.

Judge Selna found that a federal warranty claim in the lawsuit failed to meet a required threshold of $50,000. The warranty claim was levied toward the dealer that sold the vehicle, and since the judge ruled that the plaintiffs couldn't use personal injury or punitive damages in warranty claim, the lawsuit fell short of the threshold. That meant that the case fell back under Utah jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, Mark Robinson, the plaintiffs' attorney, said that he's already working to draft another complaint that leaves the dealer out as a defendant altogether. Doing so will allow the suit to go forward seeking full punitive damages. The suit alleges that Toyota failed to install a brake override system or otherwise prevent unintended acceleration. The case is thought to be a litmus test for similar suits around the country.

News Source: Automotive News sub. req.