Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood tells Toyota owners to bring their cars to a dealer.

Online PR News – 11-February-2010 – Cherry Hill, NJ – Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in Congressional testimony last week that owners of recalled vehicles should ‘stop driving it, take it to a Toyota dealer because they believe they have a fix for it.’ LaHood later retracted his statement and rephrased the recommendation to Toyota owners to bring their cars to their dealership for assistance. By that time, Toyota stock had fallen 5%.

After recalling 2.30 million vehicles, Toyota announced Monday that they are shipping parts to dealers and beginning training to repair sticky accelerator pedals, which may lead to uncontrolled acceleration events in compliance with lemon laws. The proposed solution reinforces the pedal assembly to reduce friction that Toyota says may cause the pedal to stick.

Owners of recalled vehicles can expect notifications explaining how to contact dealers for servicing. Toyota promises customers that dealers will be open extended hours to handle the repairs. Toyota and Pontiac vehicles included in the recall are 2009-2010 RAV4, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2008-2010 Sequoia, 2009-2010 Vibe. Camry, RAV 4, Corolla and Highlander vehicles with VINs that begin with ‘J’ are not affected.

Owners who have concerns about their vehicle or its repair should keep documentation of repair orders, dealer conversations and any technical service bulletins. It is important to keep records of repair work including dates and times of all dealer or technician conversations. Owners who are unable to drive their cars should document the dates and times the vehicle was out of service.

Anyone who has experienced injury or loss of use of their vehicle from a sticking accelerator pedal should contact a lemon law professional in their state to see what remedies are available. Lemon laws exist to help resolve disputes between customers and manufacturers in the repair of defects in new motor vehicles.

“Anyone who has experienced injury or loss of use of a vehicle due to a sticking accelerator pedal safety defect should contact a qualified attorney who is experienced handling lemon law cases,” recommends lemon law attorney David Gorberg. “Lemon laws can vary greatly from state to state. New Jersey lemon law allows for time out of service claims. An experienced lemon law attorney can help you with the laws in your state.”

The Lemon Law Attorneys at David J. Gorberg & Associates have arbitrated, settled and litigated thousands of Pennsylvania and New Jersey lemon law claims, recovering millions of dollars for their clients. Find more information at www.mylemon.com or call 1-800-MyLemon.