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NHTSA Opens Investigation
NHTSA opens an investigation into driver reports of “surging” in Camrys, which it closes 7 months later, saying that it found no defects. -
NHTSA Asked Toyota to Install Software
NHTSA had asked Toyota to consider installing software to prevent sudden acceleration in its vehicles after receiving complaints that vehicles could race out of control. However, the automaker only began installing the software, known as brake override, only this January in 2010 after a CHP Officer and his family were killed in their Lexus. -
State Farm
State Farm Insurance said it alerted NHTSA about a rise in reports of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles. A NHTSA spokesperson said the agency received the report which it then reviewed and added to its complaint database. -
NHTSA Probes Tacoma Pickups
NHTSA opens a probe into reports of unintended acceleration in Tacoma pickups which it closes 7 months later, saying that it found nothing suggesting a vehicle defect. -
CHP Officer Killed
Just about a year later, CHP Officer Mark Saylor and his family were killed when their Lexus ES 350 accelerated out of control in the San Diego area and crashed. -
3.9 Million Vehicles Recalled
Toyota says it will recall 3.9 million US vehicles because floor mats could cause the accelerator to get stuck. -
NHTSA Accuses Toyota
NHTSA accuses Toyota of providing owners with “inaccurate and misleading information” about its floor mat entrapment recall. -
4 Million Vehicles Recalled
Toyota recalls at least 4 million vehicles to reconfigure their gas pedals due to the risk of floor mat entrapment. -
2.3 Million Vehicles Recalled
Toyota says it’s recalling 2.3 million vehicles to fix a problem that could cause accelerator pedals to stick even w/o presence of floor mats. The recall involves popular models like the RAV4, Corolla, Camry, and Highlander. -
Sales Suspended
Toyota says it’s temporarily suspending sales of eight popular models including the Corolla and Camry as it works to fix the problem that’s causing gas pedals to stick. Less than a week later, Toyota says it's come up with a solution and starts shipping parts to dealers, some of whom stay open 24 hrs a day to day to perform the fixes. Meanwhile, Toyota halts production at five manufacturing facilities for a week. -
Prius Brake Complaints
NHTSA says it has received more than a hundred complaints about brake problems from Prius owners, and it opens a formal investigation the following day. Six days later Toyota recalls over 400K Prius and other hybrids worldwide to fix these brake issues. This announcement raises the number of recalled vehicles to worldwide to more than 8.5 million. -
CEO Apologizes
Toyota President and CEO Akio Toyoda publicly apologizes for the recalls after initially refusing to come to the U.S. -
Internal Document Found
In a recently discovered presentation, Toyota officials took credit for saving hundreds of millions of dollars by persuading federal regulators to limit or avoid safety recalls. -
Toyota Rebutts Findings
At a hearing before the House Committee, Professor David Gilbert claimed that he could induce unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles. However, tests conducted by Toyota found that Gilbert’s claims were inaccurate. One had to cut and rewire the electronics in a way that is virtually impossible in the real world. Manipulating the electronics in this way would induce unintended acceleration in many different cars, not just Toyotas. -
Runaway Prius
In San Diego, Prius owner James Sikes claimed he reached uncontrollable speeds of 90 mph before a CHP officer helped him slow down. However, officials eventually believe he may have had a financial reason for lying about the whole incident because he had filed for bankruptcy before and had over $700K in debt. -
Toyota Fined
NHTSA is seeking the maximum fine of $16.4 million against Toyota for failing to notify that it had a "sticky pedal" defect in its cars for at least four months. Under federal regulations, automakers are required to notify the agency within five days of determining a safety defect. -
Lawsuits Consolidated
More than 150 lawsuits against Toyota over alleged sudden-acceleration problems and related injuries have been consolidated before a single judge in Santa Ana, CA.
