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Prius recall after software fault increases RTA risk (13 February 2014)

Date: 13/02/2014
Duncan Lewis, Personal Injury Solicitors, Prius recall after software fault increases RTA risk

Toyota has announced a widescale recall of its Prius hybrid car, after a fault which may cause the car to slow down unexpectedly was reported.

Toyota is a market leader in environmentally-friendly cars. The car-maker said that although no road traffic accidents (RTAs) had so far been recorded in relation to the fault, potentially the problem involved a health and safety issue.

The fault involves a potential error in software controlling a power converter in the eco-friendly car. It is thought the call-back will involve 1.9 million vehicles globally, including 997,000 cars in Japan – and 713,000 vehicles across North America.

Prius car owners in Europe, China and the Middle East will also be affected.

So far, around 400 cases of the error have been reported to the Japanese car maker – 300 have occurred in Japan and a further 90 in North America.

The company said that, although the error could potentially cause an RTA, the software fault would most likely trigger the car’s warning lights and cause it to operate in failsafe mode, causing it to slow down automatically – although still enabling a motorist to continue driving.

“Because in the worst case the car could stop while driving, we do consider this a potential safety issue – and that's the reason why we are implementing this recall," said a spokesman from Toyota’s Tokyo operations.

The Prius manufacturer also had to recall vehicles in 2013 and 2010. Last year, Toyota was absolved from liability by a US court after a fatal car accident which was allegedly caused when a Toyota car suddenly accelerated without warning.

As a result of the allegation, however, Toyota had to recall millions of vehicles and paid US$1.1 billion in compensation to Toyota owners as a result, after a class action involving 16.3 million Toyota customers was launched against the car giant. The claimants alleged that because of the Toyota recalls, the value of their own Toyota cars had been adversely affected.

Toyota was later found liable for a fatal car accident in the US as a result of a vehicle fault.

The Prius was launched in 1997 as the world’s first hybrid car widely available to consumers and using a combination of petrol and electricity.

Electric or hybrid vehicles have been praised for their eco-friendly credentials, but motorists sometimes complain hybrids or electric cars run out of power unexpectedly – especially in motoring situations involving more acceleration, such as motorway driving and hills.

The current call-back is Toyota’s biggest recall of Prius models to date.

Duncan Lewis Road Traffic Accident Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of personal injury solicitors and can advise victims injured in road traffic accidents on how to make a road traffic accident claim, if the accident was the fault of another driver or party, such as a car manufacturer or supplier.

Passengers injured in road traffic accidents and pedestrians can also make road traffic accident compensation claims.

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) fall under the area of law known as personal injury – and low-value RTA compensation claims under £10,000 can be fast-tracked via the RTA Claims Portal.

RTA claims involving life changing or catastrophic injuries can also be made through the civil courts on a no win no fee basis.

For expert legal advice on making a no win no fee claim for RTA injuries, contact Duncan Lewis road traffic accident solicitors on 020 7923 4020.


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