Seven Insurance Companies Sue Toyota Over Blamed On Sudden Acceleration

Legal troubles for Toyota continues, as a group of seven insurance companies has filed suit against the car maker, looking to recover money they paid out to policyholders involved in crashes allegedly caused by sudden unintended acceleration.

According to the suit, “certain of Toyota’s cars and trucks have a defect that causes sudden uncontrolled acceleration to speeds of up to 100 mph or more.”

From the Chicago Tribune:

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 insurance companies involved in the suit 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.

For its part, the car company calls shenanigans on the lawsuit:

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,

7 insurers sue Toyota in attempt to recover money paid to cover sudden-acceleration crashes [Chicago Tribune]

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