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Numerous Toyota vehicle owners have been involved in accidents after the gas pedals in their cars became stuck to the floorboard beneath floor mats that slid out of place. During the past several months, Toyota has recalled nearly 6 million vehicles in the United States due to unexpected acceleration, which may occur due to sticky gas pedals and floor mat interference.

On March 12, 2010, prosecutors in Orange County, California filed a lawsuit against Toyota because of continuing problems with its vehicles, according to a recently Associated Press news report.

The district attorney’s office accuses the automaker of knowingly selling hundreds of thousands of vehicles with acceleration defects. The office says it has the right to bring consumer protective action on behalf of Orange County residents. Regulators have linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems.

At least 89 class-action lawsuits have been filed against the Japanese auto giant, which could cost it $3 billion or more. Additionally, Toyota has recalled some Prius and Corolla models due to brake and steering column problems.

On March 11, 2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Hitachi Koki U.S.A., Ltd. announced a voluntary recall of the following defective products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Coil Nailers

Units: About 50,000 in the United States

Importer: Hitachi Koki U.S.A., Ltd., of Norcross, Georgia

Manufacturer: Hitachi Koki Co. Ltd., of Japan

Hazard: The nailers could have a faulty feeder that can allow nails to be ejected sideways, posing a serious injury hazard to the user or bystanders.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 37 reports of nails being ejected sideways, including 15 reports of injuries. The injuries were primarily in the eye region, including five reports of partial blindness.

Description: The coil nailers are used to project nails into drywall, wood or other materials. The model number is NV83A2 and can be found on the body of the product. Only those units manufactured between October 2002 and September 2005 are included in this recall. The manufacturing date can be identified by the serial number engraved at the end of the handle, the first digit representing the month (1 for January, 2 for February, 3 for March, 4 for April, 5 for May, 6 for June, 7 for July, 8 for August, 9 for September, O for October, N for November and D for December) and the second digit representing the year (2 for 2002, 3 for 2003, 4 for 2004 and 5 for 2005).

Sold at: Lowe’s, Home Depot, other home improvement and building supply stores and online at Amazon.com nationwide from November 2002 through March 2006 for between $350 and $400.
Manufactured in: Japan

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled coil nailer and contact Hitachi Koki U.S.A., Ltd. for a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Hitachi Koki U.S.A., Ltd. at (800) 706-7337 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.hitachipowertools.com

According to a recent Associated Press news report, safety regulators in the United States are pondering whether to make “black boxes” mandatory for all new vehicles in response to recent unintended acceleration problems in Toyota Motor Corp vehicles. During the past several months, Toyota has recalled more than 8.5 million vehicles globally for unintended acceleration since October, due to sticky gas pedals and floor mat interference.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief David Strickland told a congressional hearing the agency would be looking at the possibility of requiring the devices that can capture data on speed, braking effort and other details.

Additionally, Strickland said he was conducting a full review of NHTSA’s legal authority and whether it had the tools necessary to oversee automakers at a time when vehicles are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Toyota has also said it will install brake override technology on new vehicles and some older models, to ensure the engine returns to idle if the brake is pressed.

Strickland said the NHTSA may make that feature, already found in some other makes, mandatory for all new cars. It is also assessing the need for performance standards for gas pedals.

U.S. officials have linked the unintended acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles to five deaths and are examining whether 47 other fatalities may be involved.

Most new vehicles are equipped with electronic recorders and the information can be vital in reconstructing accidents. But their installation is voluntary and the ease of accessing the data varies widely.