Filed under: Government/Legal , Japan , Recalls , Toyota With Toyota’s woes seemingly multiplying by the day, you knew it was just a matter of time before the lawyers arrived on scene. Cue two law firms, Parker Waichman Alonso and the Becnel Law Firm, that are joining forces in a bid to sue Toyota’s pants off. The suit hopes to attain class action status and is “intended to benefit all residents of the …

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Autoblog

Topics: toyota pedal, toyotacamry, image, toyota, unintendedacceleration

Filed under: Government/Legal , Nissan , Electric Department of Energy Secretary Chu announced the closing of Nissan ’s $1.4 billion Advanced Technology Vehicle Loan Program loan ( originally , the amount was for $1.6 billion) today during the Washington Auto Show . As expected, this money will used to kick off production of the Leaf in the U.S. While the news, such as it is, is about the all-electric Leaf and the 1,300 jobs this loan is expected to create in Smyrna, TN, Chu’s …

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Autoblog

Topics: doeloans, doeloan, nissan leaf, money, press

Filed under: Government/Legal , Safety , Toyota We knew this would happen, and it didn’t take long at all. A Pennsylvania woman has crashed her 2007 Toyota Camry into a Montgomery County laundromat on Wednesday, and she’s blaming the ordeal on unintended acceleration . It was the unruly accelerator, officer! The 68-year-old woman was attempting to park her Camry when the sedan allegedly took off all by itself. The vehicle crashed through a window into a bank of washing machines and thankfully…

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Topics: driver, unintended acceleration, toyota

Toyota’s big recall problem just keeps getting worse by the day. The latest blow to the company, which stopped the sale of eight models that it said are “involved in the recall for sticking accelerator pedal,” is that Consumer Reports has suspended its recommendation of the models involved. Over the years, CR has lavished recommendation on Toyota’s cars and trucks in large part because they have been very reliable. I don’t need to tell anyone that quality is the cornerstone…

David Welch

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Auto Beat - BusinessWeek

Topics: government, japanese, models

Filed under: Government/Legal , Plants/Manufacturing , Recalls , Safety , Toyota In an effort to stem the flow of potentially defective accelerator pedal parts at the source, Toyota announced earlier this week that replacement pedal components had begun shipping directly to its factories . While the announcement was a welcome step in the right direction towards a long-term resolution, Toyota retail dealers - face-to-face with millions of concerned customers seeking a fix - were understandably angered that the automaker had apparently left them …

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Topics: repair, toyota dealer, toyota fix

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is finally preparing to take his car company public. On Jan. 29, Musk’s company filed for an initial public stock offering, which he has talked about as a possibility for a couple of years. He wants to sell $100 million worth of stock, which could help fund a new factory or some acquisitions as Tesla prepares to launch its Model S sedan in 2012. The company originally planned to launch the car…

David Welch

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Auto Beat - BusinessWeek

Topics: power, price, model, prius

Filed under: Government/Legal , Recalls , Toyota What’s that, a scandal?!?!?! Time for everyone and their mother’s legislator to seek the spotlight at Toyota’s expense. This time it’s House Representative Ed Towns, D-N.Y., who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He’s scheduled a hearing on Toyota’s current recall for defective accelerator pedal mechanisms for February 4th, the second hearing scheduled so far after the House Energy and Commerce Committee scheduled a …

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Topics: image, traffic, ed towns

Filed under: Government/Legal , Recalls , Toyota As it’s wont to do, the U.S. House of Representatives has decided to investigate Toyota over its recent recalls involving possible unintended acceleration caused by both floor mats and defective accelerator pedal mechanisms. The House Energy and Commerce committee will hold a hearing on February 25 to “examine the persistent consumer complaints of sudden unintended acceleration in vehicles manufactured by Toyota Motor Corporation,” this according to …

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Topics: traffic, house toyota, house hearing toyota

Filed under: Government/Legal , Safety , Toyota From the “This story just keeps getting uglier” department comes a new bit of information concerning Toyota and its growing sticky pedal problem . The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Toyota and the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration were looking into the problem back in 2004, but an interesting twist led the investigation down a path that ultimately turned up nothing. The Freep says that this early investigation was strictly limited to incidents of unintended acceleration…

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Autoblog

Topics: unintended acceleration, safety, image

Filed under: Sedan , Etc. , Government/Legal , Safety , Ford When we look at Motor Trend magazine’s golden calipers, we think of a prestigious trophy awarded each year to the publication’s top car and truck of the year. Apparently, the Transportation Security Administration officials at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport see a weapon of mass destruction. Or something. The proud engineers at Ford have been taking their well-deserved 2010 Ford Fusion Car of the Year award all over town, taking pictures and having …

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Topics: detroit metro, safety, disneyworld, 2010 ford fusion