Preventing Toyota Car Crashes
A new Toyota recall was announced today, this one involving the brakes in 2010 Prius and Lexus hybrids covering almost 450,000 vehicles worldwide. When combined with the previous major recall for certain Toyota models with accelerator pedal issues with and without floor mat complications, a total of around 8 million vehicles are impacted. Both recalls involve vital functions of a car that when malfunctioning have the potential to cause a serious car crash. If you drive a Toyota being aware of how to handle either case can help you remain safe while on the road until you can get to your dealer for the required repairs.
Unresponsive Brakes
If you own a Toyota hybrid that is named in the latest recall and experience a delayed braking response, Toyota says to continue to depress the brake until it engages appropriately. Hopefully that will be before your Toyota causes a crash, so to be safe, you may also want to drive a bit more cautiously (i.e. slowly) and leave extra room between you and the car in front of you until you have the necessary repairs completed.
Stuck Gas Pedal
It is reported that the Toyota accelerator issue gets worse over time and thus, drivers should be mindful of how their car is behaving and get to the Toyota dealer immediately at the first whiff of a problem.
But if it is too late for that, Consumer Reports tested what to do to avoid a car crash if your gas pedal is already stuck--regardless of the brand of car you are driving.
- Brake hard, but do not pump the brakes.
- Put car in neutral
- After stopping, turn off the engine. Without the engine, you will lose power steering and power braking and may have difficulty controlling the car so if possible, wait to do this last.
If the above driving tips come too late and you have already been involved in a car crash with a Toyota, please call an attorney experienced in handling car crashes to ensure your case is handled appropriately and professionally.
