plus 3, House Panel Wants More Safety Records From Toyota - New York Times |
- House Panel Wants More Safety Records From Toyota - New York Times
- Dead car brands - MSNBC
- Stolen station wagon escapes after 40-minute chase - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
- Toyota pushing safety on 2011 Avalon - AZCentral.com
House Panel Wants More Safety Records From Toyota - New York Times Posted: 05 Mar 2010 01:44 PM PST Representatives Henry Waxman, the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Bart Stupak, who heads the panel's oversight subcommittee, said documents that Toyota had turned over so far "did not provide convincing substantiation" exonerating the electronic system. The lawmakers asked for more information by March 12. "Despite our repeated requests, the record before the committee is most notable for what is missing: the absence of documents showing that Toyota has systematically investigated the possibility of electronic defects that could cause sudden unintended acceleration," Mr. Waxman, Democrat of California, and Mr. Stupak, Democrat of Michigan, wrote in a letter to the president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A,, James E. Lentz III. Toyota said in its response that executives "have received the letter and will, of course, cooperate." Mr. Lentz, in testifying before the committee Feb. 23, said the repairs that Toyota dealerships were making on accelerator pedals might "not totally" resolve problems with unintended acceleration. Toyota later attempted to clarify Mr. Lentz's statement to mean that cruise control, "pedal misapplication" and other factors not specific to Toyota still could cause unintended acceleration. Toyota has insisted on several occasions — to customers as well as to Congress — that it has rigorously tested and found no flaws in the electronic throttle control systems, which substitute for a mechanical link between the accelerator pedal and the engine in Toyotas and many other vehicles. But the possibility that electronics are to blame has continued to dog Toyota, particularly as federal safety regulators have begun to receive reports of vehicles experiencing problems even after the recall repairs. As of Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had received at least 60 complaints of unintended acceleration in Toyotas that supposedly had been fixed, and officials said they were trying to contact those drivers for more information. The safety agency warned Toyota that it could order a new repair process if the current one was not effective. Toyota dealers have repaired more than a million vehicles in the last month, a process that, depending on the particular model, could involve adding a metal spacer into the pedal, shortening the pedal or removing some padding under the floor to prevent the pedal from becoming trapped under the mat. It is also adding a brake-override system that allows the brakes to supersede the accelerator if both pedals are depressed simultaneously. Late Thursday, Toyota issued a statement noting that the new reports involved a "tiny fraction" of the repaired vehicles but that it was looking into them. It asserted that its vehicles "are among the safest on the road today" after being repaired. "Although most of these reports have yet to be verified, Toyota has been and remains committed to investigating all reported incidents of sudden acceleration in its vehicles quickly," the statement said. "Toyota wants to hear directly from its customers about any problems they are experiencing with their vehicles." Mr. Waxman and Mr. Stupak asked Toyota to identify employees "with personal knowledge of Toyota's efforts to test its vehicles for electronic defects that could cause sudden unintended acceleration" so the panel could interview them next week. They also requested that Toyota provide quarterly reports about allegations of unintended acceleration it has received, with the first due March 15. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Posted: 05 Mar 2010 12:32 PM PST MADISON, Wis. - A judge has ordered Mercedes-Benz USA LLC to pay $482,000 in damages and legal fees to a Wisconsin customer who was sold a defective car and not given a refund on time. Vince Megna, a Milwaukee lawyer who represents the customer, said he believes the judgment is the largest involving a single car under a state "lemon law," which protect consumers who are sold junk cars. The judge is expected to sign the final order as early as Friday. Mercedes-Benz spokeswoman Donna Boland said the company, a unit of the German car maker Daimler AG, is disappointed the judge overturned an earlier verdict in favor of the company. The spat over the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E 320 has already dragged on more than four years, and the company's lawyer on Friday asked the court to put the judgment on hold pending an appeal. While states have a variety of lemon laws, Wisconsin's is one of the strongest. It allows customers who buy cars that don't run or can't be repaired to demand a replacement or refund. Manufacturers have 30 days to respond and can be ordered to pay double the purchase price plus legal fees for violating the law. Bob Silverman, a prominent lemon law attorney in Ambler, Pa. who was not involved in the case, agreed it was one of the largest judgments for a car he's seen and was an important victory for consumers. "This one result is very important to the entire auto industry," Silverman said. "It teaches them a lesson they ought to comply with the law promptly or they are going to have to pay in the end." 'A complete nightmare' It all started when Marquez, who owns Mexican restaurants in Waukesha and Janesville, purchased the E 320 for $56,000 from a Milwaukee dealership in 2005. Almost immediately, the car often would not start. The battery was replaced multiple times, but the problem continued. After several repair attempts, the dealership said the problem could not be fixed. Marquez hired Megna, who sent the company a refund demand in October 2005. After a few weeks, an employee tried to talk Marquez into taking a replacement instead. He declined and again asked for a refund. At one point, the employee said he should fire his lawyer and deal with them on his own. The company finally agreed to the refund, but failed to provide one within 30 days. On the 31st day, Megna filed the lawsuit on behalf of Marquez seeking double damages and attorneys' fees. Mercedes-Benz has acknowledged the car was defective, but for years has accused Marquez of acting in bad faith. The company says an employee asked Marquez for information about his auto loan on the 30th day so the refund could be granted, but Marquez failed to follow through. Megna said Mercedes-Benz had the information it needed for the refund but was stalling. Ruling overturned A jury sided with the company last year, agreeing Marquez acted in bad faith. But in a rare move, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren overturned the verdict, saying it was not backed up by evidence. He ruled in Marquez's favor, citing a clear "lack of urgency" by Mercedes-Benz to refund his money. A series of rulings by Bohren have calculated the damages for Marquez at roughly $168,000 (double the purchase price plus interest), plus $314,000 in costs and legal fees for Megna and other lawyers. In the meantime, Marquez has continued to drive the vehicle in question, which now has 56,000 miles. He said it was back in the shop for repairs twice last year but has been "working fine" lately. Still, he can barely contain his anger at the company he once admired. "Frustrated is really an understatement," he said. "You put that much faith in a car company and you give your hard-earned money to that company and then you are basically let down. You drop $50,000 for a car that doesn't work." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Stolen station wagon escapes after 40-minute chase - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Posted: 05 Mar 2010 02:20 PM PST Waukesha - Work has started on determining the environmental and social impacts of a west-Waukesha bypass, and a committee of about 20 people representing citizen, government and business interests has been organized to participate in the process. Initial work under way involves gathering information on wetlands, soil, groundwater and traffic counts. The first advisory committee meeting - one of about five planned this year - will be from 4 to 6 p.m. March 24 at Retzer Nature Center. The public can attend for information, but not participate with comments or questions, said Allison Bussler, public works director for Waukesha County. A Web site, www.waukeshabypass.org, has been set up to keep the public informed. The long-planned bypass would extend 4.5 miles from I-94 on the north to Highway 59 on the south, generally along Meadowbrook and Merrill Hills Roads. Construction is anticipated from I-94 to Northview Road in 2012 or 2013 and from Northview Road to Summit Ave. in 2012 or 2013. The longest stretch, from Summit Ave. to Highway 59, would be constructed in 2015 or 2016, according to the tentative schedule Alternative designs and routes, as well as a no-build alternative, will be considered during the environmental study, Bussler said. Public informational meetings will be held during the process, with a final environmental impact statement due by May 2011 and a decision on the project in July 2011. »Read Full Article(6) Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
Toyota pushing safety on 2011 Avalon - AZCentral.com Posted: 05 Mar 2010 02:27 PM PST CHICAGO - Mired in recalls, Toyota emphasized safety features as the automaker unveiled a face-lifted version of its Avalon large sedan at last month's Chicago auto show. "Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of our vehicles," said Bob Carter, general manager of Toyota's U.S. sales operation, adding that the automaker already has repaired more than 220,000 of the 2.3 million vehicles affected by its recent recall to address faulty accelerator pedals. "If a customer experiences a pedal issue, they should contact a dealer," Carter said. "If not, we're confident they're safe." Toyota dealers got a software update to fix the antilock brakes in Prius hybrids last month, and Carter said a similar repair to brakes in the Lexus HS 250h hybrid will be available soon. The 2011 Avalon will feature a new pedal assembly developed to remedy that problem and an electronic brake system required to fix Toyota's earlier recall, which accounts for about 5 million other vehicles. The next Avalon, Toyota's largest car, is to go on sale this spring. Other safety features will include seven air bags. The Avalon should have an EPA rating of 20 miles per gallon in the city and 29 on the highway, Carter said. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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