Toyota Recall: Legal Ramifications

Video Transcript:

Cindy Speaker: Runaway Toyotas.  How long has Toyota known about the issue of uncontrolled acceleration and why haven’t we heard about it before this?  ABC News has been investigating the runaway cars for sometime.  Some sources say that revealing ABC investigative report is the reason that Toyota finally took action and issued a recall and an apology.  But is it too little too late and can they salvage their now tarnished reputation?  Is it really possible that Toyota kept quiet with the reportedly 2000 complaints from owners, about uncontrolled acceleration because of the financial ramifications, and if so, what might be the now looming legal ramifications?

My guest today is Houston attorney, Terry Bryant and I’ve asked him to talk with us about the legal ramifications of the Toyota recall and the way it has been handled.  So Terry, thank you for joining me.

Terry Bryant: Thanks for having me.

Cindy Speaker Terry, the media seems to be uncovering new details about the runaway Toyotas almost daily and it’s quite troubling because it really looks like they’ve known about the problem for a long time and for some reason, opted not to admit it publicly.

Terry Bryant: You know, for a long time we’ve thought Toyota was a very reputable company who produced very good products without much problem.  However, over the last few days we’ve seen issues with the accelerator and breaks on a couple of their models.

Cindy Speaker: And some of those horror stories are now being told, one of the worst ones that I’ve heard resulted in a fatal crash, whereby just a minute before the crash, one of the passengers called 911 and described the uncontrolled acceleration of their vehicle, that could not be stopped.  It seems to me that once again, big business has put profits over people.  And as we’ve seen so many times before, it often falls on the legal system to stop this kind of injustice.

Terry Bryant: And this is going to be a good example of how the judicial system will work in order to effect change in the automotive industry.  That is when people discover that there are problems with their vehicles and are able to bring legal action against the big auto manufacturers, then they’re able to affect change on a very significant basis.

Cindy Speaker: And that’s one reason why the media and the legal system are so vital to this country.  Among other things, they provide accountability to big business that may not otherwise have any.  Now, tell me what role our government plays in all of these.  Have they or will they take any action regarding Toyota?

Terry Bryant: I don’t think we can depend on our government regulators to enforce these standards that they’ve set for the automotive industry.

Cindy Speaker: So, the enforcement must come from the legal system.  What do you see as the next step?

Terry Bryant: I think it will play out because there’ll be a number of lawsuits and each individual case will be handled differently around the different state courts in this country.

Cindy Speaker: And once again, in my book, you guys as lawyers are the good guys because you champion the rights of everyday people who without you, would have no voice and no recourse against a mammoth company like Toyota.

Terry, thank you for your time today.

Terry Bryant: Absolutely.  Call anytime.

Cindy Speaker: This Cindy Speaker reporting for State Law TV.