New Jersey Lemon Law Lawyer Blog

On January 21, 2010 Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. issued a press release indicating there would be a recall of approximately 2.3 million vehicles to fix/correct a sticking accelerator in various specific Toyota Division models.

This press release stated that this action was distinct from an ongoing recall of approximately 4.2 million vehicles, Toyota and Lexus, to reduce the risks of pedal entrapment.
The press release indicates that Toyota had been investigating isolated reports over a lengthy period of time to determine if there was a risk under certain circumstances of danger to the drivers and the public with regard to this pedal condition. This is according to the Toyota website.

According to the Los Angeles Times reported per the internet, ‘Toyota found to keep tight lid on potential safety problems’, and that the website indicated a Times investigation shows the world largest automaker had delayed recalls and attempted to blame human error in cases where owners claimed vehicle defects.

This is per the December 23, 2009 internet posting by Ken Bensinger and Ralph Vartabedian. Apparently, this was discovered in a routine test on a Sienna minivan in April 2003 where the engineers found a plastic pedal could come loose and gas pedal could stick potentially making a vehicle accelerate beyond control.
The article asserts/alleges that in January, six years after discovering the potential hazard, the automaker recalled 26,501 vans made with this old pedal. The article states, ‘The automaker knew of a dangerous steering defect in vehicles including the 4Runner sport utility vehicle for years before issuing a recall in Japan in 2004. But it told regulators no recall was necessary in the U.S., despite having received dozens of complaints from drivers. Toyota said a subsequent investigation led it to order a U.S. recall in 2005’.

The law firm of Carton & Rudnick handles breach of warranty and other various consumer claims against both dealers and manufacturers. If you feel that the dealer and/or the manufacturer made material omissions of fact pertaining to the Toyota that you purchased, contact his office and you will receive a consultation.

The National Highway Safety Administration did an investigation on this issue

This is scary stiff taken from a NHTSA report: Be carefull

Driving home from work, I experienced a sudden uncontrollable surge in
acceleration causing my speed to increase from about 60 mph to 80+ mph.
Immediately I began to brake hard as I was rapidly approaching traffic just
ahead of me. Fortunately the inside left lane was unoccupied and I was able to
make an immediate lane change. Initially I depressed the brake pedal as hard as I
could using both feet but only managed to slow the vehicle to 40-45 mph. With
my speed reduced, I alternated between pumping the accelerator pedal and
pulling up on it from the underside with my right foot as it became clear that the
throttle was stuck in an open position. The vehicle continued to speed back up to
over 65 mph with less pressure on the brake pedal.
With traffic just ahead of me, I moved over to the left shoulder next to the
center barrier and continued to try to release the open throttle. There were
clouds of smoke around the vehicle and the smell of burning materials from the
overheating brakes. After finally getting the vehicle slowed down to about 25-30
mph, I shifted into “Neutral” and depressed the start/stop push button a number
of times hoping to stop the engine but nothing happened. Instead the RPMs
moved up into the redline range on the tachometer. I quickly shifted back into
“Drive”; the vehicle jolted and rapidly accelerated to 60+ mph.
As the brakes were fading quickly, I was certain that I would need to shift
back into “Neutral” and let the engine blow up to stop the vehicle. Suddenly the
acceleration surge stopped and I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop about 1 ½
to 2 miles from where it had started. I quickly shifted into “Park” and depressed
the start/stop push button to turn off the engine. The vehicle seemed to shutter as
I did so. Upon restarting the car, I drove cautiously to Lexus of Wayzata a short
distance away fully prepared to shift into “Neutral” if the acceleration repeated.
The car remains there over 5 weeks later.

New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs

The State has a great site dedicated to Lemon Law in the State of New Jersey.

There is a list of publications at the Division of Consumer Affairs site.

File a complaint

Licensing Board information.

Division of civil rights

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Odometer Roll Back

The Star Ledger reported that a man admitted to odometer fraud in Federal Court on a case that has been pending since 2004.

In 2004 the FBI arrested 17 in a ring that was alleged to have been rolling back odometers.

It was alleged that:

Robert FIORELLO was the financier of the following businesses and as the leader of the Criminal Enterprise, directed all activity in this illegal operation;

JPF AUTO SALES, Bloomfield, NJ
SEMI MOTORS, Garfield, NJ
TRIBUTE AUTO SALES, Bloomfield, NJ
MJS AUTO SALES, Bloomfield, NJ
RP AUTO SALES, Keansburg, NJ
BLOOMINGDALE MOTORS, Bloomfield/Bridgeton, NJ

The enterprise was purchasing cars and rolling the odometers back by hand and by using a computer. The cars would be resold for a higher amount due to the lower mileage.

Odometer roll back

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http://www.consumer-attorney.com/lawyer-attorney-1299380.html

I happened to be shopping at Whole Foods recently when I was "interviewed" by a TV reporter from News 12 regarding the beef recall.

The purpose of this is to be fair to whole foods. I stated in the interview that I thought Whole Foods was a good store and I would continue to shop there. Although I have not seen the interview, I have been told that it was not included in the piece.

If you are curious about beef recalls and the food industry you have to read Fast Food Nation. My only major complaint is that what good is a recall after I have eaten the beef and tossed any proof of purchase? None. There should be a better system. Unfortunately beef recalls are more common than we would car to believe.

There are some good web sites addressing the issues in the beef industry.

The following numbers are staggering.

• More than one third of the world's grain harvest is used to feed livestock.
• Breaking that down a little bit
• Almost all rice is consumed by people
• While corn is a staple food in many Latin American and Sub-Saharan countries, “worldwide, it is used largely as feed.”
• Wheat is more evenly divided between food and feed and is a staple food in many regions such as the West, China and India.
• The total cattle population for the world is approximately 1.3 billion occupying some 24% of the land of the planet
• Some 70 to 80% of grain produced in the United States is fed to livestock
• Half the water consumed in the U.S. is used to grow grain for cattle feed.
• A gallon of gasoline is required to produce a pound of grain-fed beef.

USA today is reporting that there is a major BMW recall for airbags. The recall involves the 2006 3 Series, the 2004-2006 5 Series, and the 2004-2006 X3 compact SUV in the United States. NHTSA opened an investigation into the issue in September 2007 and upgraded its probe in January. In addition to the vehicles under Wednesday's recall, the ongoing investigation also includes the 2004-2006 Z4, 2006 X5, 2006 6 Series and some 2004-2006 7 Series vehicles.

To respond to the problem, BMW said it would extend the warranty to 10 years without any mileage limit for the following vehicles: 2006 6 Series, 2006 3 Series with standard seat, 2004-2005 Z4, 2004-2006 7 Series, 2006 X5, and 2004-2006 5 Series with comfort seats.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tracks and compiles recalls and Technical bulletins for all cars and you should check for issues with your car.

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Recalls

Recalls

Lemon Law

Continue reading "BMW recalling 200,000 vehicles for possible air bag defect" »

There was an article on the NY Times online that contained the following statement

"At least 30 million cars and light trucks manufactured from 1980 to 1986 are covered by undisclosed warranties for undisclosed defects, the Center for Auto Safety says."

The article continued

The center's report, which was sent to the Federal Trade Commission, asserted that such warranty programs were maintained by at least five automobile manufacturers: the General Motors Corporation, the Ford Motor Company, the Chrysler Corporation, the American Honda Motor Company and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.

What does this mean to you. You need to be aggressive in confronting the authorized dealership when they are repairing you car for repeated problems because you never know if there is a known defect for which the manufacturer is paying for claims.

You also should monitor the internet. Very frequently there will be online forums that discuss these known problems and give you information to address you authorized dealership.

Secret warranties are real and need to be addressed by any automobile owner that has confronted continued defects for which warranty coverage is denied.

The Center for Auto Safety also has a nice synopsis on Secret Warranties

There was also a book written on this matter by Clarence Ditlow.

There is a great web site that has created feed to all the recent recalls. Every manufacturer is included and this is a great resource. Go to site

You should keep this site bookmarked to check your new car purchase

According to internet news sources Volkswagen has issues a recall.

Volkswagen issued a recall of the Engine Control Module, which could cause an engine surge when the A/C is on. The same problem applies to 2008 Passat wagons.

Motor Trend also reported the recall

Used Cars

Computer Sales

Debt Collection

Internet Sales / Goods

Telecommunications

Home Improvement Repair - General

Health Spas / Health Clubs

Home Furniture / Furnishings

Car Repair

You can search for a recall for a your car. More Recalls

Search for Recalls

Continue reading "Search for a Recall on Your Car" »

This is a great site run by the government and keeps track of all the most recent recalls: Recalls-Recalls-Recalls

Recalls

Consumer Products
Foods, Medicines, Cosmetics
Motor Vehicles, Car Seats
Environmental Products
Meat and Poultry Products
Boats and Boating Safety

Manufacturers frequently have problems that need to be fixed on a wide scale basis. If you remember a few years ago there were Kia Sephia brake problems that resulted in a recall. This is not that uncommon, unfortunately..

Ford just issued on the Explorer

A new risk of fire in Ford SUVs has prompted a recall from the Ford Motor Corp. Ford is recalling about 1,500 2008 Explorer, Explorer Sport Track and Mercury Mountaineer SUVs equipped with the 4.6 liter engine and 6R transmission.

A bolt securing the oil cooler line fittings at the transmission may not have been tightened sufficiently at the Ford assembly plant.

If the bolt loosens, the transmission cooler lines can leak fluid on to the vehicle's the catalytic converter posing the fire risk.

Continue reading "Ford Recalls 1,500 Explorers, Mountaineers for Fire Risk" »