Toyota Faces Class Action Lawsuit, Pittsburgh Owners Get a Lift
Pittsburgh owners affected by the Toyota recall recently got a bit of good news when the company agreed to pay for alternative transportation for a "reasonable amount of time."

April 24, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Toyota Faces Class Action Lawsuit, Pittsburgh Owners Get a Lift

Pittsburgh owners affected by the Toyota recall got a bit of good news recently when the company agreed to pay for alternative transportation for a "reasonable amount of time." While their cars are in the shop, Toyota owners throughout Pennsylvania will be able to use rental cars, loan vehicles, shuttle service and taxis, as necessary, on Toyota's dime.

While the transportation service is good news for drivers in Pittsburgh, the outlook isn't as sunny for Toyota, who, as the agreement can attest to, is not out of the woods yet.

Over the past couple months, lawsuits against Toyota have continued to roll in at an increasing rate. In San Diego, a panel of federal judges has been appointed to determine whether the lawsuits will be collected as a national, class action lawsuit.

If the cases are consolidated, the judges would have to determine the state in which to try the case. Currently, Pennsylvania is among the venues under consideration to host the potential class action lawsuit against Toyota.

A History of Problems

The Toyota recall began in late 2009, following a tragic car accident that claimed the life of an off-duty police officer and some of his family. However, this fatal collision came long after the initial recognition of acceleration problems; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had been receiving complaints about unintended acceleration since 2003, and Toyota had recalled a relatively small number of vehicles in 2007 to address this problem.

In 2009, though, Toyota recalled 3.8 million vehicles, targeting faulty floor mats that were believed to cause gas pedals to stick. It could have ended there, but it did not. Instead, the more problems Toyota addressed, the more new safety issues appeared.

By January, Toyota was taking careful steps on top of a slippery slope. First there was an extended recall for vehicle issues that could cause the gas pedal to stick -- with or without a floor mat. The company also suspended sales of the Corolla and Camry as it worked to fix problems in newer models.

On February 9, Toyota announced that it would recall nearly half a million Prius and other hybrid models in order to fix brake problems. Toyota continues to deny that any of the problems stem from the electrical operating systems. However, recent sudden acceleration cases have seen questions of electrical malfunction raised with increasing frequency.

Addressing The Problems

Clearly, anyone who owns a Toyota that has been recalled should take the vehicle in for repairs. In many cases, this should be sufficient to address the situation. However, for those who have been injured as a result of unintended acceleration, fixing the vehicle is unlikely to address all of the concerns.

If you or someone you love has been injured as the result of problems with a defective vehicle, speak to a knowledgeable personal injury attorney. An experienced lawyer can assess your case and help you understand your rights and options following a car accident.

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