Seven insurers sue Toyota over acceleration crashes

Seven insurance companies have sued Toyota Motor Corp in an attempt to recover money paid to cover crashes they blame on sudden acceleration.

The insurers cite data that blames 725 crashes on the problem and fault the Japanese automaker for failing to equip its cars with an override system that would cause a car to idle if the brake and gas were deployed simultaneously. They are seeking damages in excess of $230 000 from 14 crashes throughout the United States.

The lawsuits allege that “certain of Toyota’s cars and trucks have a defect that causes sudden uncontrolled acceleration to speeds of up to 100 mph or more”, the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday.

Toyota said the latest lawsuits were without merit.

“Toyota believes that any allegation that a vehicle-based defect is the cause of unintended acceleration in this or any other complaint is completely unfounded and has no basis,” Toyota spokesperson Celeste Migliore told the Los Angeles Times.

The insurance companies are American Automobile Insurance Co, Fireman’s Fund Insurance, National Surety Corp, Ameriprise Insurance, IDS Property Casualty Insurance, Motorists Mutual Insurance and American Hardware Mutual Insurance.

The lawsuits were filed on Thursday in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

They follow the recent disclosure that Toyota paid $10-million to the family of four people killed in a runaway Lexus crash that led to recalls of millions of the automaker’s vehicles.—Sapa-AP