Are you affected by the latest Toyota recall?

A new recall has been issued for Toyota vehicles, this time for what is being called sticky accelerator pedals or sticky throttles.  Because of a manufacturing defect, the throttles are experiencing early wear and tear, which can cause them to stick open even when pressure is removed from the accelerator pedal.

If the throttle sticks, the car’s engine will continue to rev and the vehicle will continue to accelerate even when the driver takes their foot off the accelerator pedal.  This could lead to serious accidents, like those seen last year that were blamed on Toyota’s eerily similar floor-mat recall.

The recall affects the following Toyota vehicles:

·         2009-2010 RAV4,

·         2009-2010 Corolla,

·         2009-2010 Matrix,

·         2005-2010 Avalon,

·         2007-2010 Camry,

·         2010 Highlander,

·         2007-2010 Tundra,

·         2008-2010 Sequoia

In addition, the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe is affected, as it is a sister vehicle to the Matrix and was designed and built by Toyota for General Motors (GM).

Ford expands recall to include 4.5 million more U.S. vehicles

Speed control deactivation switches made by Texas Instruments and installed in millions of Ford vehicles are the subject of yet another recall by the automaker.

The suspect part is a cruise-control deactivation switch that received power at all times from the vehicle and had the potential to short-circuit.  A short-circuit could cause the vehicle to catch fire even when not in use.  However, some switches do not receive power at all times yet are included in the latest recall.

These Texas Instruments switches have already been involved in six other recalls, starting in 1999.  Before this most recent recall, about 10 million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles from 1992 to 2004 were part of these recalls.

The current recall brings the total number to over 14 million vehicles, which according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a record for a single problem.

The latest recall is for an assortment of Ford and Mercury vehicles.  The automaker plans to send out recall notices to vehicle owners the week of October 26 with the goal of completing notification by December 7. 

The current Ford recall covers the following vehicles:

• 1992-2003 Ford Econoline vans
• 2000-3 Ford Excursion diesel vehicles
• 1995-2002 Ford Explorers
• 1997 and 2002 Mercury Mountaineers
• 1993-97 and 1999–2002 F-Series Super Duty diesel vehicles
• 1995-97 and 2001-3 Ford Rangers
• 1995-2003 Ford Windstars
• 1994 F53 Motorhomes.

Need help after a car or truck accident?  Suspect that something other than driver error caused your crash?  Contact the Warrenton or Culpeper based attorneys at Dulaney, Lauer and Thomas for help today.