sudden acceleration

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Sources: Toyota to Pay $1.2B to End Criminal Probe
 Toyota Pays $1.2B 
 to End Criminal Probe 
UPDATED
Mar 19, 2014 9:15 AM CDT

Toyota Pays $1.2B to End Criminal Probe

It's an unusually large settlement for an automaker

(Newser) - Toyota will write a hefty $1.2 billion check to end a four-year Justice Department investigation into its unintended acceleration scandal , Attorney General Eric Holder announced today. It's the largest criminal penalty against a car company in US history, according to USA Today . "Today we can say for...

Toyota Not to Blame in Calif. Crash Death: Court

Fellow driver owes $10M in damages

(Newser) - A key case in Toyota's sudden-acceleration saga has been found in the car maker's favor. A jury found that Toyota wasn't to blame in the death of Noriko Uno, 66, who lost control of her 2006 Camry in a 2009 incident, Bloomberg reports. Toyota opponents held that...

Ford Recalls Escape for Sticking Accelerator

Almost 500k vehicles recalled

(Newser) - At long last someone will feel Toyota's pain. Ford today announced a recall on 484,600 Ford Escapes over a potentially deadly sticking accelerator defect. The recall will affect all 2001 to 2004 models with 3-liter, V-6 engines, ABC News reports. It comes following a local TV investigation into...

Feds Demand System to Ensure Brakes Work

Brake override proposal a response to Toyota, Lexus crashes

(Newser) - Are you terrified of your car suddenly and uncontrollably accelerating, Toyota-style ? Well, federal regulators are at last moving to put your mind at ease. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has put forward a proposal to require all new vehicles to include a brake override system , the LA Times...

Toyota Recalls Yet Another 2.17M Vehicles

To fix accelerator problems

(Newser) - Toyota issued yet another massive recall today, calling in 2.17 million US vehicles to deal with—you guessed it—accelerator problems. The company intends to fix “various flaws” that could cause floor mats to interfere with the cars’ accelerator pedals, the Wall Street Journal reports. The recall will...

US: Toyota Was Right About Acceleration

NASA report finds no electronic cause for runaway cars

(Newser) - Maybe it was the floor mats after all? A government investigation has concluded that Toyota was right: there was no electronic glitch causing its cars to accelerate uncontrollably. “The jury is back, the verdict is in,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declared. “There is no electronic-based cause for...

Toyota Settles Runaway Lexus Crash for $10M

Automaker had sought to keep amount confidential

(Newser) - Toyota agreed to pay $10 million to the family of four people killed in a runaway Lexus crash that led to recalls of millions of vehicles, attorneys said today. The automaker had sought to keep the settlement amount confidential, but a judge ruled in favor of arguments by the AP...

Toyota Slapped With Max Fine Over Recalls

Company to pay $32.4M in addition to $16.4M already paid

(Newser) - Toyota has agreed to pay $32.4 million in fines for dragging its feet in recalling millions of defective vehicles, the maximum fine allowable by law. Together with the $16.4 million paid earlier this year, the fines amount to roughly $30 for every car the company sold in the...

Toyota Secretly Bought Back Cars to Hide Flaws: Suit

Customers allegedly had to sign confidentiality agreements

(Newser) - In an effort to hide its unintended acceleration problems from the public and safety regulators, Toyota secretly bought back faulty cars from customers, making them sign confidentiality agreements in the process, according to a new class action lawsuit. The lawsuit, which is more than 700 pages long, not including hundreds...

Early Tests Blame Toyota Acceleration Woes on ... Drivers

(Newser) - Early results of a Department of Transportation investigation into crashes involving Toyota and Lexus vehicles found that driver error was the most likely explanation for some of its acceleration issues, reports the Wall Street Journal . Analysis to date of data recorders of cars involved in accidents that happened while drivers...

Toyota to Pay $16.4M US Fine
 Toyota to Pay $16.4M US Fine 

Apr 19, 2010 1:19 AM CDT

Toyota to Pay $16.4M US Fine

But automaker won't admit hiding defects from feds

(Newser) - Toyota is expected to agree today to pay a record $16.4 million US fine after a 4-month delay in reporting the "sticky pedal" defect that led to a massive recall. Toyota has decided not to challenge the government penalty, but will not admit it knowingly hid evidence of...

Feds Fine Toyota $16.4M

 Feds Fine Toyota $16.4M 
Apr 5, 2010 4:18 PM CDT

Feds Fine Toyota $16.4M

Automaker has the right to appeal penalty

(Newser) - Toyota is still paying for its decision to wait 4 months before announcing a recall and notifying federal regulators of the "sticky pedal" defect—and the automaker will pay even more: a $16.4 million fine imposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this afternoon. Toyota has 2...

Behind Toyota's Acceleration Woes: Cosmic Rays?

Now NASA is on the case

(Newser) - Of all the potential culprits behind Toyota's acceleration woes, this has to be the most far-fetched sounding: cosmic rays. Thing is, it may be true. Cosmic radiation can mess with the chips found in electronic components, Wired reports. Federal regulators are investigating whether or not radiation is causing Toyota's problems—...

Runaway Prius Driver's Account 'Inconsistent': Toyota

James Skies' car was operating properly, automaker says

(Newser) - Toyota is casting doubt on a California man's claim that his Prius sped out of control, saying the report is inconsistent with the findings of the company's preliminary investigation. The automaker said today the accelerator pedal was tested and found to be working normally and a backup safety system worked...

Feds Question 'Runaway Prius' Driver's Story

Investigators can't replicate incident; brake-wear patterns inconsistent

(Newser) - Investigators have not been able to replicate the incident of uncontrolled acceleration a Prius driver says he experienced last week, and the condition of the car's brakes is raising suspicions with federal investigators and Toyota engineers, the Wall Street Journal reports. James Sikes said he lost control of his car...

Older Drivers May Be to Blame, Not Toyota
Older Drivers May Be to Blame, Not Toyota
analysis
Mar 13, 2010 4:22 PM CST

Older Drivers May Be to Blame, Not Toyota

Toyota malfeasance may actually be 'driver errors' by senior citizens

(Newser) - The knock against Toyota goes something like this: Greedy executives ignored evidence of serious acceleration problems, putting profit ahead of their customers' lives. "Maybe so, but I doubt it," writes Megan McArdle. Building on the work of Ted Frank at the Washington Examiner , she took a closer look...

Toyota Dismisses Prof's Claim of Faulty Electronics

Experiment by David Gilbert, ABC was 'completely unrealistic'

(Newser) - Toyota fired back today at the professor who claimed before Congress and in an ABC News report that faulty electronics are to blame for the acceleration problems plaguing an ever-increasing numbers of the company’s vehicles. David Gilbert sent an extra charge into a Toyota, which caused the engine to...

Toyota Fix Fixes Nothing: Drivers

Owners report sudden acceleration even after recall service

(Newser) - Some Toyota owners who should be at ease after recall service to repair sudden acceleration issues are anything but. Seven complaints have been filed with the NHTSA complaining that the problem is still occurring even after the fix. Seven more owners have reported other wackiness following service. There’s “...

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