Car crash compensation news
29/03/2010

Safety bulletin proves Toyota knew of problems

Likely to further damage Toyota's reputation is news that a safety bulletin was released by Toyota in 2007 to dealers across America warning of the dangers of the cars - two years before the string of recalls following car crash compensation claims.

The leaked safety guidelines warned Toyota and Lexus dealers across the U.S of the dangers the floor mats could pose including interference with the brake and accelerator pedals.

Circulated to dealers as a "technical service bulletin", the warning was never passed on to the general public. A "consumer advisory" was later sent out to owners of the Camry and the Lexus ES 350 to swap out the recalled all-weather floor mats for new ones and make sure they were secured properly to prevent the mat from slipping and "causing the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably."

However, there was nothing in the public message warning of the other problems the Toyota models had including brake failure and uncontrollable acceleration unrelated to the floor mats.

Former U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Chief Joan Claybrook who was called to testify on the Toyota safety crisis said, "I call it a cover-up myself."

Reported incidents involving uncontrollable acceleration in Toyotas have been linked to 51car accident deaths in the U.S alone.

The car manufacturer has recalled 8.5 million vehicles worldwide following the recent safety fears but they are confident that the recalls will fix the risks in the vehicles which have been identified and prevent further car crash compensation claims being made.