OVERVIEW
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Myth/Fact
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FAQ
On April 9, 2010, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation transferred 11 lawsuits filed against Toyota over claims of unintended acceleration into consolidated Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) to be heard by Judge James V. Selna in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Since then, the Panel and Judge Selna have added over 250 cases to the consolidated proceeding. The District Court has, in turn, divided the cases into two distinct groups of legal claims: those which allege wrongful death or personal injury stemming from alleged unintended acceleration, and those which claim vehicles have lost value because of unintended acceleration issues.
Many of these lawsuits are based on one single, wholly unsubstantiated claim: that there is a defect in Toyota’s electronic throttle control system that can cause unintended acceleration. But even after months of intense publicity and multiple investigations, the plaintiffs’ attorneys have neither identified any specific defect in Toyota’s electronic throttle control system nor offered any scientific evidence to support this allegation.
Since it was first introduced, Toyota has sold more than 40 million cars and trucks featuring its version of an electronic throttle control system called ETCS-i, and we remain confident that it is not a cause of unintended acceleration.
Toyota and Lexus vehicles feature an ETCS-i system designed with multiple failsafe strategies and sensors that are tailored to maximize safety by preventing unintended throttle openings and shutting down the system immediately at the first sign of trouble. Furthermore, Toyota tests its vehicles extensively to make sure that these design strategy and fail safes work. Further, Toyota’s ETCS-i has been subjected to comprehensive testing over more than a decade without a single unintended acceleration event.
Toyota firmly believes that its electronic throttle control system is safe, well designed, thoroughly tested and robust. We believe the allegations being made against the company in the MDL to be without merit, and we look forward to the opportunity to contest each of them vigorously. We are confident that the evidence will confirm what millions of Toyota drivers prove every day: that they can depend upon their vehicles to provide safe, reliable transportation.