Toyota Issues Statement on Amended Consolidated Complaint

Recent news reports have stated that Toyota dealership technicians were able to duplicate customer claims of unintended acceleration; that Toyota repurchased the vehicles in question; and that Toyota failed to properly inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the situation. 

 

Toyota quickly and thoroughly investigates any customer reports of unintended acceleration in its vehicles through its rapid-response SMART evaluation process.   Field technical specialists (FTS) and engineers were deployed in response to reports of two acceleration events that dealer technicians reportedly observed.   At these dealerships, Toyota FTS and engineers were unable to duplicate the condition and the vehicles were repurchased from the customers for further engineering analysis. 

 

After having thoroughly analyzed these vehicles and driven them for thousands of miles, Toyota FTS and engineers have not been able to replicate the customers’ acceleration concerns nor found any related issues or conditions in these vehicles.  In fact, test driving of these vehicles is ongoing and they are operating safely.

 

Toyota has also confirmed that the NHTSA was informed three separate times of the two vehicles in question: first, in timely compliance with the TREAD Act (for the Corolla – May 2010 and for the Tacoma – December 2009); second, in a Spring 2010 response to NHTSA’s document request in connection with its Recall Query and finally, in a voluntary response to an informal NHTSA request on October 20, 2010.

 

Toyota looks forward to defending against the allegations made in the plaintiffs’ amended consolidated complaint that was recently filed in the ongoing multidistrict litigation class action.

 

Toyota Canada is exploring any relevance to the Canadian market.

 

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