8.5 Million Cars and Trucks Recalled, $2 Billion Lost, 30 Lawsuits to Date
Wellesley, MA (PRWEB) February 11, 2010 -- Yesterday, Toyota’s global recall for potentially faulty gas pedal assemblies ballooned to 8.5 million cars and trucks, which will cost the company an estimated $2 billion in repair costs and lost sales. As of this morning there are already more than 30 U.S. lawsuits filed against Toyota, at least one class action suit, and new details about problems with the braking system in the Prius may prompt another recall.
In the realm of product liability, this is as big as it gets, says Jim Sokolove a seasoned personal injury attorney in Wellesley, MA.
“Our firm and our co-counsel have handled thousands of product liability cases, said Jim Sokolove, Chairman of Sokolove Law. “But I’ve never seen anything quite on this scale. The Toyota recall is a perfect storm: faulty products, mixed messages from the manufacturer, unclear instructions from the government. It’s as bad as it gets.”
Since 1957, Toyota has maintained a reputation for manufacturing quality, attention to detail and customer service. Indeed throughout the automobile and manufacturing world, Toyota has been a model for perfection. As such expectations were high when word first leaked that Toyota was facing major problem last year. Consumers and industry experts anticipated executives to aggressively address the problem, admit wrong doing, apologize profusely, produce a solution and continue business as usual. Instead, Toyota executives were slow to respond, and the proposed solution caught the attention of a skeptical public.
Last week Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda and U.S. President Jim Lentz finally went to the media to address the issue, apologize to customers and offer a solution.
“It’s amazing that they were not proactive,” said Sokolove. Toyota has built up such a strong brand by being responsive to the needs of customers, now in the midst of a crisis, they go silent?”
After finally issuing an apology on February 5, Toyota received criticism from U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for being to slow to respond to the problems. LaHood said Toyota did not move on the gas pedal recall until it was pushed to do so by the U.S. government. LaHood however compounded the problems for the automaker by suggesting that Toyota owners should not drive the vehicles. He later retracted that statement saying he “misspoke”.
“Toyota is still issuing mixed messages. Customers are out there wondering what’s safe. ‘Should I drive my Prius? Corolla? Camry?’ ‘Are my brakes safe? My gas pedal?’ They aren’t getting the right information and they aren’t getting it fast enough,” said Sokolove. “The inevitable result is that because they were not proactive, and because they have failed to give adequate information to the public, many are seeking to exercise their legal rights.”
Customers who believe they may be affected by the Toyota recall can visit www.toyota.com/recall for information about the recall, and what Toyota is doing to correct the problems.
About Sokolove Law
For nearly 30 years, Sokolove Law (www.sokolovelaw.com ) has reinvented how people obtain legal services. Our mission is to provide equal access to the civil justice system while ensuring superior quality legal representation. As a pioneer in legal advertising, Sokolove Law has grown to be the largest marketer of legal services in the country. Our proven business model matches particular client needs to the more than 400 law firms that we work with. The result is success for our clients and co-counsel. Sokolove Law operates as a limited liability company in all states except Virginia, California, Michigan, and Tennessee, where it operates as a limited liability partnership. Learn more about Sokolove Law at www.sokolovelaw.com
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