recalls

When DePuy Orthopedics launched its recall of thousands of their ASR hip implant models about two months ago, preliminary discussions indicated that San Francisco was on the short list of potential centers for the pending state and federal lawsuits. This week, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation told the hundreds of plaintiffs lining up to sue the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary for their faulty hip implants that the federal cases would all be referred to Judge David A. Katz in Ohio’s northern district.

Just under two months ago, the Food and Drug Administration began recalling hip implants manufactured by DePuy Orthopedics, citing complaints it has received for more than two years about unusually high (and quick) failure rates of the implants requiring additional surgeries. Since, complaints about the recalled models have flooded in, leading some to predict that the total number of faulty hip surgeries could reach 12,000, and based on past faulty surgeries, lawyers have estimated that DePuy Orthopedics could be on the hook for more than $5 billion.

Regardless of how you feel about Toyota, the embattled auto giant that has recently recalled nearly 9 million vehicles worldwide, the company can be credited taking the crisis and turning it into an effort to boost quality standards. This week, for example, Toyota has recalled more than 1.5 million vehicles not because of accidents or complaints, but as a preemptive strike.

A front-page story in the San Francisco Daily Journal yesterday predicted that plaintiffs filing lawsuits against Toyota based on unintended acceleration problems could be disappointed by the results. The article points to past acceleration-related lawsuits, mostly against German automaker Audi, which failed to convince juries that electrical problems were to blame for the accidents rather than driver error.

Congress has made clear that it intends to launch a safety overhaul for the country’s fledgling auto industry. And despite years of heightened safety complaints and automobile recalls, Detroit, along with leading international automakers, appeared set to resist such restrictions, which they say will drastically increase the consumer cost of new cars.

At a Congressional hearing today, lawmakers had some harsh words for Toyota, which has recalled nearly 9 million vehicles worldwide, including 6 million here in the United States. “Toyota has repeatedly told the public it has conducted extensive testing for electronic defects,” said California Rep. Henry Waxman, chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee. “We can find no basis for these assertions.”

A national survey conducted by Consumer Reports and the National Research Center found that Americans’ faith in the quality and safety of Toyota vehicles has evaporated, while confidence in other leading automobile manufacturers has improved. This is no doubt the result of Toyota’s constant stream of recalls spanning the past few years, which prompted the Department of Transportation to fine the Japanese automaker $16.4 million, the largest penalty ever sought by the agency. But Toyota’s reputation in the gutter hasn’t stopped it from posting impressive profits already this year.

The country’s top auto safety regulator put his rubber stamp on legislation introduced in congress this week that would increase the power of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to force automobile recalls. Responding to the legislation, the NHTSA’s head hancho David Strickland said “whether it’s negotiating with manufacturers or the ability for the agency to move forward in a mandatory fashion — those are the core of what we want to achieve.” With that in mind, we bring you This Week in Automobile Industry Recalls and a Toyota recall rap video.

Toyota’s in damage control mode. Feeling the backlash from their delayed recall of on vehicles with faulty brakes, the company now seems to be pulling any model with reported safety issues, whether or not they’ve caused accidents, injuries, or deaths. Toyota announced today that it will add 50,000 2003 Sequoia SUVs to its list of recalled vehicles to fix stability control issues that arise when accelerating from a stop. Knowing that the public relations damage has already set in, the company is taking steps to emerge as a leader in auto safety.