Toyota Charged with Class-action Lawsuit over Defective Brake System

November 6, 2009

Redlands, California - Carmaker giant Toyota Motor Corp. was charged on Thursday with class-action lawsuit over its defective brake design and floor mats which may cause unintended acceleration.

Toyota owners Seong Bae Choi and Chris Chan Park have filed the lawsuit on behalf of thousands of consumers who experienced unintended acceleration which has allegedly killed 16 people and injured 243 others.

The latest fatalities which involved Toyota happened in August when California Highway Police Officer Mark Saylor has crashed his Lexus to an SUV, killing him and his wife, daughter, and brother-in-law.

In a statement, lawyer David Wright, who represents the complainants, said the class-action lawsuit against Toyota aims to prevent further deaths and injuries.

“For years, the carmaker blamed driver’s error as the main cause of unintentional acceleration. The company then admitted that it was the floor mats that caused the accidents and immediately announced a massive recall that covers approximately 4 million cars”, Wright said.

“However, several investigations revealed that it was not just the floor mats. The uncontrolled acceleration was caused by more complex problems in the cars’ mechanical and electronic systems”, he added.

According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the braking system of the recalled vehicles has a defective design that increases the braking distance fivefold if the throttle is fully opened.

NHTSA investigators also found that Saylor’s Lexus has a safety feature that allows drivers to press the power button for three full seconds to turn off the engine while the car is moving. However, there is no label on the dashboard which could have informed the police officer about the emergency stop feature.