Stephen Stewart Receives Crime Victims Medal of Honor

Stephen W. Stewart, founder of The Stewart Law Firm, P.L.L.C. in Austin, Texas, was honored to receive the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Medal of Honor for his support of Crime Victims First and his outstanding service to victims/survivors of crime. Since April of 1981, communities throughout the country hold annual observances of national Crime Victims’ Rights Week by promoting victims’ rights and honoring crime victims and who advocate on their behalf. “It is truly an honor to have received this Medal of Honor. The Stewart Law Firm is committed to seeing that justice is served on behalf of the victim clients that it has the privilege to represent in matters,” said Stewart,

Crime Victims First is a non-profit agency with its mission being to improve the treatment of victims of crime through education, advocacy, and enforcement. For more information about Crime Victims First, visit them on the web at http://www.helpcv1.org/.

The Stewart Law Firm is an Austin, Texas based firm dedicated to serving victims in cases involving catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and defective products. The Stewart Law Firm is located at 3000 South IH-35, Suite 150, Austin, Texas 78704. Call The Stewart Law Firm, toll-free, at (877) 326-0411. Visit The Stewart Law Firm on the web at http://www.thestewartlawfirm.net/.

Walk Like MADD--Austin, Texas

The Stewart Law Firm is proud to be one of the sponsors of this years Walk Like MADD, which benefits Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The event will take place on April 24, 2010 at Austin's Barton Creek Mall. Opening ceremonies start at 8:00 a.m. The event includes a 5K walk/run, childrens' activities, live music, and much more. For information, you can visit www.walklikemadd.org. We would love for all to come out and support this wonderful event. MADD provides Eduction, Advocacy, and Victim Services through Central Texas, the State of Texas, and the nation.

The Stewart Law Firm is committed to crash avoidance. The Stewart Law is an Austin, Texas based firm that handles cases involving catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and defective product claims across Texas and the nation. The Stewart Law Firm is located at 3000 South IH-35, Suite 150, Austin, Texas 78704. You can reach The Stewart Law Firm, toll-free, at (877) 326-0411. Visit us on the web at www.thestewartlawfirm.net.

Consumer Reports Warning Regarding Lexus GX 460 SUV

Consumer Reports is warning consumers not to buy the Lexus GX 460 SUV because it is a safety risk, the magazine editors say. Despite coming equipped with electronic stability control, Consumer Reports says the SUV had trouble going through the paces of the magazine's emergency-handling tests. "When pushed to its limits on a handling course on CR's test track, the rear of the GX CR purchased slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control," reads a press release. The magazine said it "believes that in real-world driving, that situation could lead to a rollover accident, which could cause serious injury or death."

Toyota, the parent company of Lexus, did not return calls for comment. But Consumer Reports included a comment from a Lexus spokeswoman: "We're mystified by the results of Consumer Reports testing on the Lexus GX 460," spokeswoman Allison Takahashi said. "Our engineers conduct similar tests during development of all SUVs. We will look into this and we appreciate Consumer Reports bringing it to our attention."


The magazine purchases all of the vehicles it tests, and ran the Lexus through four different drivers in similar situations, and each driver experienced the same thing. To confirm the test, the magazine paid to use another Lexus GX 460. It, too, had problems. The test, called a lift-off oversteer, involves the driver taking his or her foot off the accelerator while steering through a turn. In real-world driving, drivers often do the same thing when entering exit ramps, or when driving through a large turn and encountering an obstacle, or after discovering a turn is too tight for the speed of the vehicle. "A natural impulse is to quickly lift off the accelerator pedal," Consumer Reports says. "If that were to happen in the GX, the rear could slide around far enough that a wheel could strike a curb or slide off the pavement." Either scenario could cause a rollover accident. Consumer Reports says it conducted the test on 95 SUVs in its current ratings. No other SUV "slid out as far as the GX 460," the magazine says, including the Toyota 4Runner which shares the same platform.


The Stewart Law Firm is an Austin, Texas based firm that handles cases involving catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and defective products. Put the power of The Stewart Law Firm to work for you. If you or a loved one have been injured in a rollover, call The Stewart Law Firm for a free consultation. You can reach The Stewart Law Firm, toll-free, at (877) 326-0411. Our office is located at 3000 South IH-35, Suite 150, Austin, Texas 78704. Visit us on the web at www.thestewartlawfirm.net.

Toyota Gas Pedal Problems Go Back to 2006

BLOOMBERG NEWS
Toyota Motor Corp. knew about flaws that could cause unintended acceleration more than 3½ years before it recalled cars and trucks to fix the defects, according to company timelines.
Toyota, the world's largest automaker, learned that floor mats could entrap accelerator pedals as early as Feb. 7, 2006, and that pedals could stick five months later, according to documents dated March 24 that were submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and obtained Thursday.

The timelines show what Toyota has said was a slow response that led to the recall of more than 8 million vehicles worldwide, starting last year, to repair the two types of acceleration-related defects.

The first report was from a model year 2005 Prius hybrid "regarding floor mat interference with an accelerator pedal," according to the documents, which were sent by the Japanese automaker to the safety agency.

"We are not going to elaborate on any documents provided to NHTSA," Toyota said in an e-mailed statement Thursday. "We've already acknowledged on several occasions that the company did a poor job of communicating during the period preceding our recent recalls."
After U.S. inquiries into the recalls, Toyota appointed a chief quality officer for North America and gave the regional officials more authority in making safety-related decisions.

Toyota's U.S. sales unit is creating "rapid response" teams of engineers and technicians to evaluate customer reports of unintended acceleration after record recalls, the company said Thursday.

The Swift Market Analysis Response Teams will try to get in touch with customers involved in such incidents within 24 hours of a complaint.

The teams will draw on 200 technical staff members in the company's North American operations and will work with dealers, Toyota said.

"There has been a great deal of confusion, speculation and misinformation about unintended acceleration in the past several weeks," said Steve St. Angelo, Toyota's new chief quality officer for North America. "Judgments should be based on reliable evidence," which the teams can help provide.

Toyota began recalls for the two pedal-related defects after a Lexus sedan crash last year killed an off-duty California police officer and three members of his family when a floor mat jammed down the accelerator pedal.

The U.S. Department of Transportation this week proposed a record $16.4 million fine on Toyota after concluding the automaker "knowingly hid a dangerous defect." Under U.S. law, companies have five days after learning of safety defects to report them to the auto safety regulator.

Toyota didn't act on the first sticky pedal report because the "problem was not reproduced and no other similar" reports were received, according to the timeline. "Toyota decided to monitor the situation in the field."

A Toyota executive on Jan. 16 urged the company to "come clean" about accelerator pedal mechanical failures in an e-mail to communications staff after some in Toyota's public relations office suggested a more cautious approach.

Irv Miller, then a vice president for Toyota's U.S. sales unit, said in the e-mail to company executives "the time to hide on this one is over." A week later, Toyota recalled 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. for accelerator pedal flaws.

"We are not protecting our customers by keeping this quiet," said Miller, who announced his retirement on Dec. 16 and left the company in January after sending the e-mail to executives in the U.S. and Japan.

If you or a loved one have been harmed by a defective product...put the power of The Stewart Law Firm to work for you. The Stewart Law Firm is an Austin, Texas based law firm that handles cases involving catastrophic personal injuries, wrongful death, and defective products. The cases handled by The Stewart Law Firm are prosecuted on a contigent fee basis, meaning that we charge an attorney fee only if we are successful in obtaining our victim client a recovery. Call for your free consultation today. The Stewart Law Firm handles cases on a nationwide basis. You can reach The Stewart Law Firm, toll-free, at (877) 326-0411. Our office is located at 3000 South IH-35, Suite 150, Austin, Texas 78704. Visit us on the web at www.thestewartlawfirm.net.

Toyota Hit With Record Fine For Defect Problems

According to an article from the L.A. Times, Toyota's problems continue to grow. Signaling that the federal government is getting tougher on auto safety enforcement, the Transportation Department has levied the maximum civil fine of $16.4 million against Toyota Motor Corp. for delays in notifying authorities about defects in its gas pedals.

Additional fines for other legal lapses in Toyota's handling of recent safety recalls are also under consideration, the department said Monday, potentially subjecting the automaker to millions of dollars in additional penalties. It could also expose Toyota to greater legal liability in more than 100 lawsuits across the country, legal experts said.
Toyota failed to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for at least four months that accelerator pedals in eight of its models could become stuck, potentially causing vehicles to race out of control. Under federal law, automakers have five business days to notify the government about such safety defects.
"We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. "Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from U.S. officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers."
The sticky pedal problem erupted in January, when Toyota was already dealing with the largest recall in its history for incorrectly installed floor mats linked to sudden acceleration. The accelerator problem led the company to an unprecedented factory shutdown and a temporary suspension of sales of the affected models. Toyota has issued nearly 10 million recall notices worldwide in recent months for problems related to sudden acceleration.
Transportation officials said Toyota knew about the sticky pedal defect at least since Sept. 29, when it issued repair procedures to distributors in Europe and Canada. In fact, the company has acknowledged in legal filings that it first noticed the problem in its Tundra pickup in early 2007.
But the company waited until Jan. 21 to notify U.S. authorities about the problem and begin a recall. Within weeks, the traffic safety administration opened three investigations into the recalls, one of which involved the sticky pedal.

Experts said the penalty announced Monday is likely to send shock waves through the auto industry. "The fine is a watershed in the sense that NHTSA has never before sought the maximum penalty against an automaker," said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety. "The agency is telling the auto companies that we are going to throw the book at you for violations." Carl Tobias, a professor of law at the University of Richmond who specializes in torts and product liability, said the announcement sends a message to the industry.
"The government believes that Toyota wasn't forthright," he said. "Unless that's disproved by Toyota, it's going to have a big impact on litigation against the company."

In a statement, Toyota said that it had not received formal notification about the fine but that it has taken "a number of important steps to improve our communications with regulators and customers on safety-related matters." The steps include appointing a new chief quality officer.
Toyota is also being investigated by a federal grand jury in New York and three congressional committees. And the traffic safety administration is still conducting two other investigations.

Under federal law, Toyota has five days to agree to the fine or negotiate a different agreement. If it fails to reach an agreement, it can appeal in federal court.
Until now, the largest fine ever levied against an automaker was $1 million against General Motors in July 2004 for a defective windshield wiper.

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The Stewart Law Firm is steadfast in the pursuit of justice for victims who have been injured by defective motor vehicles. If you or a loved one have been injured or harmed by a defective motor vehicle, put the power of The Stewart Law Firm to work for you. You can reach The Stewart Law Firm, toll-free, at (877) 326-0411. Our office is located at 3000 South IH-35, Suite 150, Austin, Texas 78704. Visit us on the web at www.thestewartlawfirm.net.