Toyota first acknowledged that there was a problem with its vehicles in September of 2009 when it warned its customers to remove the floor mats from certain models. They claimed that the floor mats may have been trapping the accelerator in the depressed position. Finally acknowledging that there was a defect in its vehicles, Toyota recalled 3.8 million vehicles in October of 2009 and millions more in November of 2009. On January 21, 2010, Toyota announced a recall of another 2.3 million vehicles, this time claiming that the vehicles had a potentially defective accelerator. Days later, Toyota stopped the production and sales for several models with gas pedal problems.

The following Toyota vehicles are affected by the most recent accelerator pedal recall:

• 2009-2010 RAV4;
• 2009-2010 Corolla;
• 2009-2010 Matrix;
• 2005-2010 Avalon;
• 2007-2010 Camry;
• 2010 Highlander;
• 2007-2010 Tundra;
• 2008-2010 Sequoia,

Clearly, there is an overlap with the recall of the vehicles with floor mat problems recognized in the fall of 2009 and that of the accelerator defect in 2010. It is unknown whether Toyota’s recall for the floor mat problem was in fact a result of faulty analysis; that the real problem was the defective accelerator. In any event, Toyota has been aware of sudden acceleration problems with their vehicles for years. If you are driving a Toyota and have experienced acceleration problems, please call us for more information about your Pennsylvania Lemon Law and New Jersey Lemon Law rights at 1-800-MY-LEMON
(1-800-695-3666).