The Chicago Sun Times reported recently that the Toyota Motor Company has relieved over 100 complaints about the brakes on their Prius automobile needing assistance from brake services.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received about 100 complaints involving the brakes of the Prius new model. Two involved car crashes resulting in injuries.
Japan’s transport ministry said Wednesday it has also received 14 complaints since July last year about brake problems with Toyota’s new Prius hybrid.
The 14 complaints included an auto accident in July 2009, in which a Prius crashed head on into another car at an intersection. Transport ministry official Masaya Ota said two people were slightly injured in the auto accident.
The ministry ordered Toyota, the world’s No. 1 automaker, to investigate the complaints. The other 13 cases happened from December to January 2010. Ota said the ministry has yet to receive a formal report on the complaints from Toyota.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told The Associated Press Tuesday that federal officials had to alert Toyota to the seriousness of the safety issues that eventually led to the recalls.
“They should have taken it seriously from the very beginning when we first started discussing it with them,” he said. “Maybe they were a little safety deaf.”
LaHood also said the U.S. government was considering civil penalties for Toyota for having dragged its feet on safety concerns.
I will be monitoring these issues closely as the investigations continue. Click here to read the entire article.
If you or someone you know has been involved in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation on your case at 312-588-3384.