First Toyota Sudden Acceleration Trial to Begin
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TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — The first trial against Toyota on the sudden acceleration issue will kick off in Los Angeles on Monday.
Jury selection will begin in the case brought by the family of Noriko Uno, who says she died when her Toyota accelerated out of control and crashed. They claim the automaker did not install a mechanism to override the accelerator if it and the brake were pressed at the same time.
“This trial is significant because it is the first case that Toyota has gone to trial on the sudden acceleration. And they’ve settled a lot of cases in order to avoid that. That means that they think they can win this case. So, it’s going to be a landmark case,” says Joan Claybrook, the president emeritus of Pubic Citizen.
Ahead of the trial, Toyota issued a statement saying, “We are confident the evidence will show that a break override system would not have prevented this accident and that there was no defect in Mrs. Uno’s vehicle.”
Brake override systems have been included in Toyota models since 2011.
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