Tag Archive: safety defects

Stroller Company announces major safety recall; Maclaren umbrella strollers pose risk of injuries to children’s fingers

Maclaren umbrella strollers are being recalledMaclaren is recalling at least 1 million umbrella strollers because of a potential hazard to children’s fingers. A side hinge mechanism poses the risk of cutting or amputating a child’s fingers when the stroller is being opened or closed, the British company said Monday.

The voluntary recall applies to all Maclaren strollers sold in the U.S. since they were introduced in 1999.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Maclaren have received reports of 15 incidents in which children were hurt over the past ten years.

The affected models include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller, according to the stroller company. The strollers, which are manufactured in China, are sold nationwide.

Maclaren, in cooperation with the CPSC, is providing consumers and retailers free repair kits which will cover a joint on the faulty hinge mechanism.

Consumers should stop using the strollers immediately and call Maclaren toll-free at (877) 688-2326, the company said.

If your child has been injured while you were using a Maclaren umbrella stroller give us a call for a free consultation at 800-816-1529 ext. 1.

California Products Liability Attorney & Defective Product Causing Injury Attorney

Share

Biggest Recall in Toyota History; Stuck Accelerators; Important Info for Toyota and Lexus Owners!

Toyota recallYou may have read an article we wrote below about a fatal accident involving a family test driving a lexus and allegations that there may have been a defect that caused the accident.

Federal investigators have said of the 102 accidents caused by stuck gas pedals on Toyota vehicles, there are four possible causes involving the floor mats: The mats are too long or too thick, they weren’t properly secured, the gas pedal design is flawed or the floor geometry is defective.

The wide array of causes presents a challenge to Toyota engineers who are trying to come up with a way to fix the problem that is leading to a recall of 3.8 million vehicles, including the Camry, the top-selling car in the U.S.

“We’ve evaluated a number of different years, makes and models of Toyota and don’t believe that there is a one-size-fits-all answer as to why these incidents are occurring,” said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesman Rae Tyson on Tuesday. “I think Toyota is going to have a challenge on its hands to come up with a remedy that is going to address the problem.”

Toyota spokesman John Hanson acknowledged the problem is more complex than vehicle floor mats alone, but involves the way the floor mat interacts with other parts of the vehicle.

“Other factors may be coming into play here,” he said. “That’s why we feel that probably the remedy could be different from vehicle to vehicle.”

On Tuesday, the Japanese automaker issued a safety advisory urging owners of 3.8 million car and trucks — including popular models like Camry, Prius and Tacoma — to remove driver-side mats. It wants drivers to watch out for loose or incorrect mats that could slide out of position and cover pedals.

Toyota is still studying the problem. Once it comes up with a fix, it will issue a recall of the models. It will be Toyota’s largest-ever U.S. recall, accounting for about 15 percent of all the automaker’s vehicles on U.S. roads, the company said.

The safety advisory was prompted by an accident last month killing four people near San Diego. In that incident, a floor mat trapped the gas pedal on a 2009 Lexus ES 350, causing it to accelerate out of control, strike an SUV, launch off an embankment, and burst into flames.

NHTSA said it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck on the Toyota vehicles involved. The problem has led to 13 crashes, 17 injuries and 5 fatalities in Toyota vehicles, according to NHTSA.

Toyota’s warning affects the following vehicles:
2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry;
2005-2010 Toyota Avalon;
2004-2009 Toyota Prius;
2005-2010 Tacoma;
2007-2010 Toyota Tundra;
2007-2010 Lexus ES350; and
2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350.

If you, your family, or friends have been in a Toyota vehicle, and had the accelerator stuck resulting in an injury accident in the State of California, you may be entitled to compensation, under California product liability laws.

Please call our Personal Injury Hotline at 800-816-1529 or click here now.

By California Product Liability Attorneys

Share

Fatal crash continues to raise questions as to whether the Accelerator Stuck. What do you do when a Car Accelerator Sticks?

California Fatal Car Accident Attorney and LawyerSAN DIEGO, California –

A horrible car crash that killed a California Highway Patrol officer and three of his family members continues to raise questions as investigators try to determine whether their loaner car’s accelerator stuck and what – if anything – could have prevented Friday’s tragedy.

The 2009 Lexus ES 350 came from Bob Baker Lexus El Cajon, where CHP officer Mark Saylor of Chula Vista had dropped off his regular vehicle for servicing.

Toyota, which makes Lexus cars, had recalled the “all weather” floor mats in its 2008 version of that car model because of complaints about them sliding forward and jamming the accelerator. A sales manager at Bob Baker Lexus said he wasn’t sure which mats were in the Lexus loaned to Saylor.

On Monday, Toyota issued a statement saying the company is deeply sorry to hear about the Saylor incident.

“We are unable to comment on this tragic accident until all the facts are known,” the statement said. “It is important to avoid speculation and allow any investigation to run its course.”

It’s not known whether Saylor, a 19-year CHP officer whose job entails vehicle safety inspections, tried to shut off the engine or put the car in neutral – the two most common ways to slow down a vehicle with a stuck accelerator.

Car experts said it’s not always that simple.

An electrical or mechanical failure could have made it impossible to shift into neutral, said Daniel Vomhof III, a vehicle accident reconstructionist with La Mesa-based Expert Witness Services.

Shutting off the engine also can be tricky because most modern vehicles will then lock the steering wheel, leaving the driver unable to steer, Vomhof said.

Asked if drivers have a third option, he replied: “Pray a lot.”

Another complication: A report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that some Lexus drivers with stuck accelerators tried to turn off the car with the engine control button but didn’t know the button must be held for three seconds.

The agency’s researchers recorded seven crashes, 12 injuries and 40 complaints involving the recalled floor mats in Toyota vehicles.

They also said that when the throttle pedal is fully open unintentionally, some drivers react by hitting the brakes multiple times. This action depletes the vehicle’s vacuum-based power assist, and without that assistance, the brakes must be applied with much more force. Continued driving in that manner can result in overheating the brakes, further diminishing their effectiveness.

Toyota acknowledged the complaints and created new instructions for installing the mats properly. There have been no recalls of the 2009 ES 350, the traffic safety administration said.

On Friday, someone in the Saylors’ Lexus called 911 just after 6:30 p.m. to report the stuck accelerator. Witnesses said the car was traveling northbound on state Route 125 in Santee at more than 100 mph when it entered a T-intersection with Mission Gorge Road.

The vehicle slammed into the rear end of a Ford Explorer and then plowed over a curb and through a fence before hitting an embankment and going airborne. It rolled several times before stopping and bursting into flames in the nearby San Diego River basin.

The CHP said those killed were Saylor, 45; his wife, Cleofe, 45; his daughter, Mahala, 13; and his brother-in-law, Chris Lastrella, 38.

The accident was a wake-up call for some Lexus owners.

Marcelle Khalil of Del Mar, a pharmacist who drives a 2006 Lexus GS 300, said she had a problem with her accelerator two weeks ago. It stuck as she drove into her employer’s parking lot and she narrowly missed a truck before slamming into a curb.

Khalil said she was positive she didn’t step on the gas instead of the brake, but began to doubt herself until she read about the Saylors.

“This could happen to anybody,” she said. “I’m scared to drive my car.”

Blair Carter, a sales manager at Bob Baker Lexus, said “our hearts sunk when we heard” about Friday’s accident.

He said the vehicle had a double redundant fail-safe system that should have shut the car off if there were a major malfunction, and that he had never heard of a situation in which the accelerator was stuck and the car couldn’t be stopped.

“I would get in any of our cars today with my family and drive to Maine,” Carter said.

Product Liability Law –

If it can be proven that the vehicle had a manufacturing or design defect, the family of the persons who were killed in the car crash would be able to sue for wrongful death for a defective product, and not have to prove negligence in Court.

However, if the vehicle which was loaned to the decedent’s had the mats that were recalled by Toyota, then the dealer could be sued under negligence or product’s liability law.

In the end, this is a horrible tragedy for the family of the victims. We have posted this story to provide education to the public on stuck accelerators, and what can be done pursuant to California law if you are the victim of a defective product.

What do you do when your Car Accelerator Sticks?

Car experts recommend trying the following actions if the accelerator becomes stuck while a vehicle is moving:

  • Repeatedly step on the gas pedal to jar it loose.
  • Step on the clutch to disengage the gears or shift the vehicle into neutral.
  • If all else fails, turn the vehicle off. This option could cause loss of power steering or lock the steering wheel in place.

California and San Diego Products Liability and Personal Injury Lawyer and Attorney Website

Share

Suzuki Issues Urgent Recall For GSX-R1000 Motorcycles

Product Liability Attorney Norman Gregory Fernandez discusses the urgent recall of Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycles.Chatsworth, California –

American Suzuki Motor Corporation announced that an extraordinary safety defect in 2005 and 2006 GSX-R1000 model sport bikes has been causing cracking and breakage in the front wheel/fork assembly and behind and below the steering neck of the motorcycle. Frame fractures are serious safety defects that destabilize and otherwise adversely affect the handling and maneuvering characteristics of motorcycles so as to make it nearly impossible for even the most experienced and talented riders to avoid a catastrophic crash.

This is a urgent safety problem. If you have one of these motorcycles DO NOT RIDE IT. CALL YOUR LOCAL SUZUKI DEALER NOW. IF YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED DUE TO THIS DEFECT CALL US NOW AT 800-816-1529 EXT. 1.

The defect in the frame of the Suzuki GSX-R1000 sport bikes is so significant that it has caused the entire front steering assembly to completely separate from the body of the motorcycle while unsuspecting drivers were in the act of operating this dangerous machine! If you or a family member has sustained injury while operating one of these Suzuki sport bikes, call the our law office at (800) 816-1529 ext. 1, so that our experienced team of trial lawyers can help you pursue compensation for your harm.

Suzuki, perhaps unsurprisingly, has refused to take responsibility for manufacturing and selling such an incredibly defective sport bike. Suzuki Motor Corporation has instead attempted to point the finger at the purchasers and drivers of their motorcycles, claiming that the cracking and breaking of these frames is attributed to reckless drivers who engage in dangerous stunts and illegal driving activities which places an unusually high amount of stress on the frame of the motorcycle.

However, Suzuki has initiated a recall campaign as of late January, 2009, in which the company will either replace broken and cracked frames or retrofit affected bikes with a brace to minimize the potential for frame cracking and breakage. This massive recall covers more than 26,000 model year 2005 and 2006 GSX-R1000 motorcycles!

If you own or ride one of these Suzuki sport bikes, you should have already received a notification letter from Suzuki explaining the possible safety defects in the frame and requesting you to return your motorcycle to a Suzuki dealership as soon as possible. Suzuki also asked its individual dealerships to attempt to personally contact customers and inform them of the recall initiative. It is of the utmost importance for all owners of a recalled sport bike to trailer the motorcycle to a Suzuki retailer before any future operation of the bike is undertaken.

A word to the wise: Do not be fooled! The frames of the recalled GSX-R1000’s may have cracks that are so faint they are not visible to the naked eye. Even the slightest of hairline cracks can lead to partial or total separation of the frame while driving. Furthermore, frames that are currently defect free may, at any moment, sustain a crack or break which can cause you and your bike to become painfully familiar with the asphalt.

Under the rules governing this recall, Suzuki must abide by guidelines approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for inspecting and remedying the dangerous sport bikes. Specifically, if Suzuki does detect any sort of crack or breakage anywhere in the frame, the company must replace the frame with a new frame that is equipped with a reinforcement brace. In the event that Suzuki does not detect any damage to the frame, a reinforcement brace must be attached to the current bike frame using bolts and epoxy adhesive. In order to provide for the safety of yourself and others, it is critical that owners of 2005 and 2006 model year GSX-R1000’s take immediate action in response to Suzuki’s recall campaign!

Suzuki claims that the reinforcement brace is made of lightweight, slender aluminum that will not affect the appearance, handling or performance of your motorcycle. Additionally, the company is providing a five-year warranty covering the frame and brace, effective as of the date of the brace installation.

If you own a motorcycle that is covered by this recall initiative, the inspection and appropriate repair or replacement will be done free of charge. However, Suzuki has noted some forms of service and repair that will not be covered under the recall. For example, customers will have to shoulder the cost of repairs attributable to crashes or other similar incidents caused by the safety defect.

If a family member has died or you or a family member has been njured while operating a Suzuki GSX-R1000 sport bike, my law firm, The Law Offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez can see to it that your legal needs are fully and carefully represented, so that you can get the compensation you are entitled to. You may call our hotline at 800-816-1529 ext. 1 for a free consultation now.
Visit the links listed below to view the Suzuki Customer Notice and Consumer Affairs Information regarding Suzuki’s recall campaign.

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Recalls/pdf/GS_GSX_GSXR_192_WebsiteLetter.pdf

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04/2009/suzuki_gsx.html

By Defective Motorcycle Personal Injury Attorney

Share