Defective Automobile
Lawsuit (Automobile Product Liability Lawsuits & Design
Defect Lawsuits)
Defective
automobile product liability lawsuits include defective
accelerator, defective floor mats, defective air bag, defective
seat belts, defective brakes, defective tire, defective safety
design, and rollover claims. As automobile accidents are one of
the most common killers of people under the age of 65, it is
important to drive a safe vehicle. Unfortunately, some
automobile manufacturers place profits over safety in the
product of vehicles.
If you have lost
a loved one in a fatal collision or have been injured by a
defective automobile including defective brakes, accelerator,
design, tires, or floor mat, feel free to
submit
an inquiry or
send an e-mail to designdefectlawsuits@texaslawyers.com.
Defective Accelerators,
Defective Brakes, and Defective Floor Mats Cause Accidents (Product
Liability Lawsuits)
The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration
has announced it is opening a formal investigation of the Toyota
Prius Hybrid model year 2010 to look into allegations of
momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over an
uneven road surface, pothole or bump. The agency received 124
reports from consumers, including four alleging that crashes
occurred. Investigators have spoken with consumers and conducted
pre-investigatory field work. “Safety is our top priority,” said
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA)
has also issued a consumer advisory on the recall of several
models of Toyota vehicles and the Pontiac Vibe involving pedal
entrapment and sticky accelerator pedals. In issuing this
advisory, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) has confirmed 102 known incidents of
2004-2009 model year vehicles where the vehicles' accelerator
and/or defective floor mats caused problems with the operation
of the vehicle. A notice was posted on Toyota and Lexus’ web
sites explaining to Toyota and Lexus owners that, “Recent events
have prompted Toyota (and Lexus) to take a closer look at the
potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open
position due to an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle
speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could
cause a crash, serious injury or death.” According to the NHTSA,
42 of the 102 known accidents involved a 2007 Lexus ES350. The
confirmed events included a 4-person fatality crash in Santee,
CA on August 28, 2009, involving a 2009 Lexus ES350 (a Lexus
dealer loaner vehicle).
According to Sean Kane, an
independent automotive safety expert and founder of Safety
Research and Strategies, Inc. says that 19 deaths and 341
injuries can be attributed to 815 separate crashes involving
Toyotas that had accelerated suddenly and unexpectedly. 2,262
incidents involving Unintended Acceleration have been reported
since 1999.
Toyota Motor Corp’s recall of 3.8 million
cars (the largest recall in company history) affects the Toyota
Camry (2000-2010), Toyota Avalon (2005-2010), Toyota Prius
(2004-2009), Toyota Tacoma (2005-2010), Toyota Tundra
(2007-2010), Lexus ES 350 (2007-2010), Lexus
IS 250 (2006-2010),
and the Lexus IS 350 (2006-2010). A recall was issued in 2007
for an all-weather accessory floor mat sold for some 2007 and
2008 Lexus ES 350 and Toyota Camry models.
Secretary Ray LaHood of the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration made the following statement on
the Toyota recalls: “I want to encourage owners of any recalled
Toyota models to contact their local dealer and get their
vehicles fixed as soon as possible. NHTSA will continue to hold
Toyota’s feet to the fire to make sure that they are doing
everything they have promised to make their vehicles safe. We
will continue to investigate all possible causes of these safety
issues.” Read NHTSA’s consumer advisory on the Toyota recalls
from Monday below.
Owners of the recalled Toyota and Lexus
vehicles should are advised to contact their Toyota and Lexus
dealers as soon as possible for a safe replacement.
Defective Air Bag Claims
(Product Liability Claims)
Defective Air Bag Claims may arise out of
serious automobile accidents where a defective air bag was the
cause of death or a catastrophic injury. An air bag injury may
result when an air bag deploys at low impact or no impact. The
defective airbag will deploy at tremendous force which is
necessary to protect passengers from forward momentum of a
high-speed crash. However, if the air bag deploys At low speed,
deployment can snap the head and neck back severely, resulting
in spinal damage, brain injury and soft tissue damage. Facial
lacerations and even broken bones in the face are also common.
Sometimes air bags fail to deploy when they should, resulting in
chest, head, face and or neck injury as the body is propelled
against the dashboard, windshield or seatback.
Defective Seat Belt Claims (Product Liability Claims)
Serious abdominal, head, neck, shoulder,
facial and leg injuries are common results of seatbelt failure.
The cause may be poor design of the seat latch, failure of the
belt to catch when brakes are applied, poorly designed pressure
points where the lap or shoulder harness cut into the body, or
weakness or tears in the seat belt itself. |