Fighting Auto Manufacturers
If you have been injured in a Toyota sudden acceleration accident in California, contact our product liability attorneys to discuss your case.
Our firm has gone after and won against vehicle manufacturers that put money before safety. We have successfully litigated auto defect cases and have the experience and resources to take on these expensive and complicated lawsuits.
For over 35 years we have been helping victims seek justice. Call 949-203-3814 for a free consultation.
If you suspect sudden acceleration has taken place, it is important that you preserve your vehicle. An experienced auto products liability attorney will be able to not only preserve your vehicle, which is the most important piece of evidence in your case, but also obtain vital information from the vehicle's event data recorder or "black box" to determine what exactly occurred.
Independent Testing and National Experts
The experienced and knowledgeable auto product liability lawyers at Bisnar Chase have many years of experience fighting large corporations including automakers on behalf of injured victims and their families. We perform independent testing of the vehicles utilizing leading national experts. We get to the core of the problem so we can determine the facts and help you obtain fair compensation for your losses.
We are all too familiar with stalling techniques and strategies employed by large corporations and their legal defense teams. We have the courage, conviction and the tenacity to fight and emerge successful in these types of complex, challenging cases. We do not collect any fees until we have recovered compensation for you. Please contact us at 949-203-3814 to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights.
What Has Gone Wrong With Toyota?
Toyota vehicles are the top-selling brands in the United States. Over the decades, this Japanese automaker has worked on building a reputation for quality, efficiency and reliability. However, over the last few years, the automaker has been dealt a severe blow with several recalls involving more than 10 million vehicles for a problem known as "sudden or unintended acceleration." The problems involving mechanical and software issues included components such as sticky gas pedals and faulty floor mats.
In many cases, sudden acceleration or loss of vehicle control led to serious injury or even fatal accidents. There were even instances where individuals received prison sentences for causing fatal accidents when in fact the drivers had lost control of their Toyota vehicles due to sudden acceleration. It is unclear how these accelerator issues have affected Toyota sales, but many experts say that the recalls involving sudden acceleration turned into a "PR nightmare" for Toyota tarnishing the image of the company, which had stood many years as the bastion of safety and reliability.
In December 2012, Toyota agreed to pay $1.3 billion to settle multi-district litigation over financial damages associated with Toyota and Lexus acceleration problems. The attorney for the carmaker claims that the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing but rather a way to turn "the page on this legacy legal issue." In 2010, Toyota paid nearly $49 million for three violations relating to stalling auto safety recalls.
What Exactly is Unintended Acceleration?
If your vehicle has ever sped up beyond your control, or accelerated when you weren't even pressing the gas pedal, it may mean that you have experienced unintended acceleration. There are many instances, however, where a defective auto part, mechanical malfunction, a software glitch or an electrical issue makes the vehicle accelerate beyond the control of the driver. This can be extremely dangerous because it is often impossible to stop the vehicle when it accelerates out of control. Many victims of unintended acceleration find themselves unable to slow down or stop until they crash. Often, this has devastating consequences because of the high speeds involved.
Toyota and Unintended Acceleration - A Timeline:
Since 2001, Toyota has allegedly struggled with unintended acceleration malfunctions resulting from electronic issues, poorly designed floor mats and sticky accelerators. Here is a timeline of the Japanese automaker's struggles with sudden acceleration:
