New Toyota Recalls in Japan

Attempting to address any potential problems with their vehicles, Toyota has issued a number of new recalls in Japan. Japan's rules regarding recalls are less strenuous than those of the US, allowing companies to delay or prevent recalls which may have been required in the US. Toyota has taken the initiative to push forward on past complaints and issue recalls for affected vehicles. Other Japanese automakers have followed suit, such as Daihatsu, Nissan, and Suzuki. These automakers are evidently realizing that they must do something to alleviate customers' growing concerns.

Toyota Quality Issues May Have Put Minnesota Man in Prison

Koua Fong Lee, a Hmong refugee from Laos living in Minnesota, was convicted of criminal vehicular homicide and is serving an 8 year sentence due to what he claimed was a breaking problem in his 1996 Toyota Camry. On his way home from church driving with his family, his vehicle smashed into the back of another vehicle while traveling at speeds of 70-90 miles per hour, killing three people. The jury did not believe his defense of a mechanical malfunction and sent him to prison. His attorney is now calling for his case to be reexamined due to the recent Toyota recalls, and the victims' families support the reexamination. Hopefully the local prosecutor will honor their pledge to reexamine the case.

Mr. Toyoda Taking "Full Responsibility" But Current Recalls Will "Not Totally" Fix the Problem

In a statement made prior to the testimony he will give before Congress today, Akio Toyoda, Toyota's president and grandson of the founder, said that he is prepared to take "full responsibility." What this means is anyone's guess. He went on to say, "My name is on every car. You have my personal commitment that Toyota will work vigorously and unceasingly to restore the trust of our customers." These comments come the day after the head of Toyota's North American division, Jim Lentz, testified before Congress that current recalls regarding sticky pedals and carpet entrapment would "not totally" fix the problem, though he carefully states that they have not found a problem with the electronic accelerator control system. See the video above for the actual testimony of Lentz.

Toyota May Face Criminal Charges

The company revealed yesterday that it received a federal grand jury subpoena regarding its handling of safety recall issues. Toyota was also subpoenaed by the Securities and Exchange Commission to produce documents relating to its disclosure of safety issues. Though neither of these disclosures mean that Toyota will be prosecuted or sanctioned, they do certainly open up the possibility.

Toyota's CEO, Mr. Toyoda Will Appear Before Congress

After informing the Japanese press on Tuesday that he, Akio Toyoda, would not appear before Congress, but would send the head of the North American branch instead, Toyoda bent to Congressional pressure yesterday and agreed to testify before Congress next week. Toyoda will be appearing before the House Oversight Committee and also Chairman Edolphus ("Ed") Towns (D-N.Y.). Toyoda will not be the only one testifying before Congress, but will be accompanied by experts and the families of victims who suffered injuries in recall related crashes.

Toyota Considering a Recall of Corolla Vehicles, Toyoda Not Appearing before Congress

In a statement by Mr. Akio Toyoda this morning, the grandson of Toyota's founder, the company disclosed that it is considering a recall of their Corolla line of vehicles due to complaints regarding its power steering system. Mr. Toyoda also claimed, regarding the company, that "We are not covering up anything, and we are not running away from anything" but also said that he would not be appearing before Congress, but would instead be sending his head of North American operations, Yoshimi Inaba, whom Toyoda said had his "highest personal trust."

Toyota Adding Break Override System

Toyota today announced its intention to add a break override system (also known as a "smart brake" or "smart throttle") to new vehicles to prevent the problems that have spurred recalls of millions of Toyota vehicles. The system causes the automobile's computer to automatically slow the engine when the break is applied. The vehicles are currently set up in such a fashion that if one were to press the brake pedal and gas pedal at the same time, the car would simultaneously increase the engine speed and apply the breaks, creating a potentially unsafe condition. This technology could prevent accidents due to stuck accelerator pedals and jammed floor mats. Other manufacturers, such as Chrysler, Mercedes, and Volkswagon, already employ this technology. For Bloomberg's report on the news, see the embedded video.

NHTSA's Expanded Probe into Toyota

With the growing public concern over the Toyota accelerator pedal recalls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has demanded files from Toyota regarding the timeliness of their recent recalls. Manufacturers are required to notify NHTSA within five days of determining that a safety defect exists and to promptly conduct a recall. The probe seeks to determine how Toyota became aware of the defects, such as through consumer complaints or factory testing. Investigators also wish to determine whether the defects were discovered pre-production or post-production.

NHTSA's press release claims that Toyota may be liable for $16 million in civil penalties. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood characterized recalls such as these as "serious matters," and appears to be treating them as such. If you or a loved one has been injured by an automobile safety defect, call the attorneys of Stripling & Stripling, P.A. at 800-226-8898 for a free consultation regarding your potential claim.

The full NHTSA press release can be found here.

Slippery Conditions Across the Nation

With the unseasonably cold weather most of the United States has been experiencing lately, the number of automobile accidents has been on the rise. Google news has a whole section devoted to stories related to auto accidents due to cold weather in the Midwest, and it has nearly 70 different news sources contributing on this one topic! No joke, check it out here.

If you are one of the millions of drivers currently traveling over America's slippery roads, make sure to educate yourself on how to be safe. The number one rule of safe driving while traversing dangerous roads is to maintain a safe driving distance. Whatever you do, don't tailgate. Slippery conditions reduce a vehicle's ability to stop quickly making an extended driving distance imperative. The Weather Channel lists a number of tips for improving your slippery weather driving technique here. I would highly suggest navigating over there and educating yourself on how to safely navigate this winter's icy roads.

The Toyota Recall

Toyota is currently swept up in a wave of allegations regarding its propriety in the implementation of numerous recent recalls. The recalls range from braking problems and sticking gas pedals to power steering problems. Nearly a million vehicles are affected at this point, but there continue to be new recalls issued. Somehow, these issues failed to surface until very recently, catapulting Toyota's credibility as a premier auto manufacturer into the public consciousness.

How this all came about is one of the questions many are asking. What is sure, however, is that many are upset. Mr. Toyoda, the grandson of the founder, is even being asked to testify before Congress to explain himself. Indeed, Toyota is even airing advertisements acknowledging that it has not been living up to people's expectations, and assuring people that it is a trustworthy company. How could so many issues from so many different vehicles just slip by? Hopefully we will know some answers soon.

If you or someone you love has been injured due to defective automobile manufacturing, please feel free to contact Stripling & Stripling, P.A. at 800-226-8898 or email us. We can help.

Do Women Need More Sleep than Men?

According the the foremost British sleep expert, Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, yes. In our continuing effort to raise awareness of the need for proper rest to promote safe driving, we bring you the latest science on the role of gender and sleep. According to Horne, women need an average of 20 minutes more of sleep per night than men. Horne suggests that this is due to women using their brains more. According to the study, women tend to multitask more, leading to the need for more rest to allow the brain to recover. According to Horne:

"Women tend to multi-task - they do lots at once and are flexible - and so they use more of their actual brain than men do. Because of that, their sleep need is greater... A man who has a complex job that involves a lot of decision-making and lateral thinking may also need more sleep than the average male - though probably still not as much as a woman"

So there it is ladies, you need to get more sleep. The truth is, most of us probably fail to get the proper amount of sleep each night and put ourselves into dangerous situations by driving in an impaired state. Lets all take the professor's advise and get some more shut-eye.

Read the full press release at the Daily Mail.