Toyota issues recall announcement affecting 880,000 vehicles
May 2005- Toyota Motor Corp. said it is recalling about 880,000 sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickup trucks worldwide because of a defect that could affect steering. In the United States, 774,856 Toyota SUVs and pickup trucks have been recalled, including the 2001-2004 model years of the Tacoma, the 2001-2002 versions of the 4Runner and the 2002-2004 model years of the Tundra and Sequoia. Toyota's recall announcement also affects 22,000 vehicles in Japan, 22,000 vehicles in Europe, 14,000 vehicles in Australia and 10,800 vehicles throughout the rest of the world. Read More
Ford SUV rollover liability could create PR nightmare and financial losses
Ford Motor Co.'s gamble to outpace legal costs may end up backfiring. As many as 500 lawsuits claiming defects in Ford Explorers have been filed against Ford, and internal company documents and employee depositions may end up putting Ford's potential liability at over $1 billion by the end.
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15 Passenger Van Rollovers: A Serious Risk
Scott Pelley reports on one of the most dangerous vehicles on the
road, widely used by schools, daycare centers, and churches.
Read More
Toyota 4Runners
Recalled
In an unusual move Toyota submitted a defect information report to
NHTSA on January 18, 2002, stating that it was recalling more than 273,000
1996 through early model year 1998 4Runner SUVs to replace rear suspension
components to remedy "directional stability" problems. The Toyota
recall is unique because the company is addressing a stability defect
in the absence of a failed component.
SUV Design Changes May Increase Safety
February 6 , 2006
According to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the number of side-impact SUV accident deaths decreased by nearly half when automakers were forced to lower SUVs from the ground by as little as half an inch and/or equip them with hollow impact-absorbing bars below the bumpers.
Industry seal on SUV rollover documents challenged
December 2 , 2005
Trial lawyers for Public Justice and consumer watchdog group Public Citizen filed a legal challenge today to a Florida court order sealing "smoking gun" exhibits from a SUV rollover case decided last spring involving fatal injuries. At the request of Ford, documents showing that throughout the late 1990s Ford weakened the roof of its popular Ford Explorer SUV and has an extremely low margin of safety in rollover crashes have been sealed.
DANGERS
FOR SUV ROLLOVER ACCIDENTSUnderstanding the risks involved in driving a sport utility vehicle may help prevent unnecessary SUV rollover accidents.
· Center of Gravity
A high center of gravity/narrow track width is one of the most important factors in determining a potential SUV rollover. Since SUVs have a higher center of gravity than other vehicles on the road it makes them top heavy. A corrective action puts an SUV in a rollover position.
· Added Weight
SUVs are supposed to be able to carry a heavy load of people, equipment, etc, over any type of terrain. This fact has made SUVs a family car, rather than for simply off-roading. More weight increases the chances of an SUV rollover accident occurring, despite the belief that added weight will add stability.
· Roll Protections
An SUV without roll protection is what makes an SUV rollover accident so dangerous. Although SUVs were made for the purpose of off-roading manufacturers realized the use of SUVs as a family car and did not include roll bars. While the body of an SUV remained the same as it would if used for off-roading, the removal of the roll bars combined with the high clearance and high center of gravity make rollover accidents that much more fatal.
· Contact us to learn more about your legal rights.
SUV WARNING LABEL
"This is a multipurpose passenger vehicle which will handle and maneuver differently from an ordinary passenger car, in driving conditions which may occur on streets and highways and off road.
As with other vehicles of this type, if you make sharp turns or abrupt maneuvers, the vehicle may roll over or may go out of control and crash. You should read driving guidelines and instructions in the Owner's Manual, and wear your seat belt at all times."
-Manufacturers required to place this warning label in each sport utility by the driver.
SUV Stability Formula
While many vehicles have safe ratios , the addition of passengers, cargo and a full tank of gas all occurs above the center of gravity , increasing the chance of a rollover accident. Given a real world scenario, the SUV would probably have cargo, multiple passengers, etc. This extra weight would definitely lower the ratio to dangerous levels if an accident were to occur at normal highway speeds.
Sport utility vehicles have the highest rate of deaths occurring in rollovers. Cars such as the Ford Explorer, Toyota 4 Runner, Isuzu Rodeo, and Honda Passport have been involved in SUV rollovers that have ended up in serious injuries and death. SUV rollovers are almost three times more likely to occur than the average passenger car, and government tests indicate the most stable SUV is still more unstable than the most unstable car. What does this say about the safety of SUVs on the road?
To find out how you can receive legal help CLICK HERE .
COMMON
QUESTIONS ABOUT SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE ROLLOVERSWhat are my legal rights?
Why do consumers need to know about SUV rollovers?
How do most SUV rollovers occur?
What does the NHTSA'S rollover resistance rating mean?
Do vehicles with higher rollover resistance ratings mean it is safe from SUV rollovers?
Does electronic stability control affect SUV rollovers?
Learn more about...
... the legal rights your SUV may entitle you to
... why rollovers do not occur as often as other types of crashes, but when they do occur, they often result in a serious injury or death
... how studies of real-world single-vehicle crashes show that more than 90% of rollovers occur after a driver runs off of the road
... how the NHTSA'S rollover resistance rating measures how top heavy a vehicle is
... if a five-star vehicle has a risk of rolling over
... how the Rollover Resistance Ratings estimates the risk of rollover
... any additional information about SUV Rollovers
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Crashes in which a vehicle rolled over accounted for more than half of all single-vehicle crash deaths. (NHTSA)
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Vehicle rollover crashes are especially serious because they so often result in head injuries. Head trauma is the most frequent type of fatal and nonfatal injury in rollovers. (NHTSA)
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The rate of serious injury in passenger vehicle rollover crashes is 36 percent higher than in crashes where there is no rollover. (NHTSA)
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More than 90 percent of passenger vehicle rollover crashes are single-vehicle crashes, and 8,345 of the 10,142 occupant deaths occurred in single-vehicle rollover crashes. (NHTSA)
SUV Rollover
June 22, 2005, "Consumer group says four-star rating does not mean greater SUV safety"
May 18, 2005, "Toyota issues recall announcement affecting 880,000 vehicles "
May 10, 2004, "Seven die in SUV accident"
August 11, 2003, "Ford SUVs Recalled"
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Rollovers are among the most dangerous types of vehicle crashes due to the high incidence of occupant ejection and head injuries.
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More weight increases the chances of an SUV rollover accident occurring, despite the belief that added weight will add stability.
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Studies of real-world single-vehicle crashes show that more than 90% of rollovers occur after a driver runs off of the road.