News for the ‘automobile accident’ Category

NHTSA wants more states to ban texting while driving

nhtsa logoThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has developed a legal template that will help states develop legislation banning the act of texting behind the wheel. The sample law is modeled after the Executive Order issued by President Obama in October of last year that prohibited federal employees from texting while driving.

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18-wheeler causes multi-vehicle pile-up in Virginia

truck 100x100The operator of an 18-wheel semi truck has been cited for reckless driving after causing a multi-vehicle traffic accident in Virginia on Monday. According to authorities in Carroll County, Virginia, 46-year-old Marco Tulio Carta Jena of Morgantown, North Carolina, crashed his rig into other vehicles that had become backed up along I-77 as another accident further up the interstate was being cleared. Investigators say that the driver was not paying attention to the road when he collided with the other vehicles.

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Apple co-founder Wozniak and others find trouble with Prius

toyota logoMany Toyota Prius owners continue to experience sporadic episodes of sudden, unintended acceleration while driving their cars, even without floor mats jamming the throttle wide open or the gas pedal sticking. Toyota included all 2004-2009 Prius models in the floor mat entrapment it announced last fall, but did not include the Prius in its subsequent of Toyotas for sticking accelerator pedals.

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Transportation secretary says people should stop driving recalled Toyotas

ray lahoodToyota’s recent of 2.3 million cars and sport utility vehicles over “sticking” accelerator pedals follows a larger last October of 4.2 million vehicles for possible floor mat entrapment. The recalls have created an undercurrent of fear of confusion among Toyota owners, many of whom no longer feel their cars are safe to drive.

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Toyota pedal manufacturer says its products not to blame

toyota logoToyota has found itself in a rather sticky situation. With more than eight million cars and trucks worldwide falling under a massive due to sudden unintended acceleration, the Japanese carmaker is looking for some sort of solution to pacify a growing anxious consumer base. Last fall, it blamed floor mats for the problem. Last month, Toyota announced the problem also fell on the vehicles’ gas pedals.

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Can Toyota survive its unintended acceleration recalls?

toyota logoIt can take years for a company to build up a reputation as a maker of good, reliable products. But that stellar reputation can quickly tarnish when lives are at stake. Just ask Toyota Motor Sales (TMS). The Japanese automaker has already launched an image-mending campaign aimed at countering the negative vibe customers may have following the company’s of 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. due to reports of sticky gas pedals that have caused unintended acceleration. The Jan. 21 follows a fall 2009 Toyota of floor mats because of concerns that gas pedals could stick to the mats, causing unintended acceleration.

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Toyota recalls include the Pontiac Vibe

pontiac vibeAll the news about Toyota’s record-breaking recalls and its week-old production and sales suspension have made it easy to forget about the Pontiac Vibe, the hybrid car that General Motors manufactured for the 2009 and 2010 model years.

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Toyota begins repairing “sticky” gas pedals

toyota logoIndiana-based CTS Corporation is cooperating with Toyota by sending new gas pedal assemblies to replace the ones Toyota claims are potentially defective, but the supplier says that the new pedals won’t solve the sudden acceleration problem that afflicts so many Toyota vehicles.

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Federal government ordered Toyota production and sales suspension

toyota logoYesterday, Toyota ran full-page advertisements in more than 20 major American newspapers to tell customers that its decision to suspend production and sales of many of its top-selling vehicles is just a “Temporary pause. To put you first,” as the headline proclaims.

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Toyota adds more vehicles to sudden acceleration recall

toyota capToyota announced that it will more than a million other cars and trucks in the United States over concerns that the vehicles could accelerate suddenly and unintentionally.

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