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More bad news for Toyota: A class action alleging defective headlights on some of Toyota’s Prius hybrids can go forward, according to ruling from a federal judge in Los Angeles. The suit claims the automaker failed to warn customers that the headlights can turn on and off randomly in some of the cars, posing a safety risk. Toyota has recalled 8 million vehicles for various safety problems in recent months, including Prius brake system issues.

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Toyota’s reputation for quality – already battered after a series of major recalls – just took another hit.

Reuters reports that the Japanese automaker may recall up to 270,000 Toyota vehicles worldwide for faulty engines that could stall while in drive.   Toyota said the recall will start in Japan and cover 90,000 high-end sedans.

Reuters reports that the models with the engine issue include its Lexus LS 460 and Toyota Crown sedan.  No accidents or injuries have been attributed to the problem.

This latest recall  follows closely on the heels of last week’s recall of 17,000 Lexus HS 250h hybrid vehicles for possible gas leaks.

Safety issues with various Toyota models – including sudden acceleration and brake failure problems — have led the company to recall more than 10 million vehicles worldwide since last fall, reports Reuters.

Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for floor mats that may jam under the gas pedal and cause sudden acceleration in some 2010 models, according to USAToday.

The NHTSA says three complaints of “pedal entrapment” involving unsecured all weather floor mats have been filed to date. No deaths or injuries have been reported. The NHTSA says that 249,300 cars made by Ford Motor Co. could be affected, according to the article. Ford says it is cooperating with the NHTSA.

Problem floor mats that trapped the gas pedal and caused a car to accelerate sparked a recent Toyota recall of 5.4 million vehicles. USAToday writes that Toyota has fixed 1.7 million of those vehicles.

News development’s that we’re watching at Sokolove Law:

Infertility Treatments Linked to Autism: A new study finds that mothers who took infertility drugs such as Clomid were twice as likely to have autistic children as women who didn’t take these medications, reports Time Magazine.  The study, conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, also found that the longer a woman underwent treatment with Clomid or similar ovulation-inducing drugs, the greater the chance that her child had an autism spectrum disorder.  Time also reported on a second study, this one by Israeli researchers, that suggests a link between autism and IVF (in vitro fertilization).  Researchers cautioned that there are a number of factors associated with the risk of autism and that more data and study is needed.

Laxative Lawsuit Settlement Coming: C.B. Fleet Co., a maker of oral laxatives, is negotiating a settlement with lawyers for hundreds of plaintiffs who allege the company’s oral sodium phosphate (OSP) products damaged their kidneys, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Injuries claimed by plaintiffs in their Fleet lawsuit include chronic kidney disease, kidney failure and death, according to the article. Available over-the-counter, Fleet’s OSP products were used for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy, radiographic procedures, and surgery. After the FDA issued a safety alert in 2008, the company pulled the products from the market.

$14M Awarded in Asbestos Case: A Florida man who developed a rare and deadly cancer was awarded more than $14 million after a jury ruled that his condition was caused by asbestos fibers he inhaled during work he did for his family’s construction firm, reports The Miami Herald. Chemical maker Union Carbide was found negligent for selling the fibers to other firms that used them to make joint compounds used in construction. The Herald reports that Georgia Pacific and four other compound makers were also found responsible in part for the plaintiff’s peritoneal mesothelioma.

Toyota Lexus Recall: In yet another Toyota recall, the Japanese automaker announced it will pull four models of its Lexus LS series sedans due to potential steering problems. Reuters reports the recall may reach 11,500 vehicles worldwide and will include 4,500 cars in Japan and 3,800 cars in the United States. The models recalled are the LS460 and LS460L, and hybrids LS600h and LS600hL.

Pharma giant Pfizer has received a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) saying it has 15 business days to correct testing procedures that resulted in several children receiving overdoses during a company drug trial in 2007.  The Associated Press reports that the medication under study was Geodon, an antipsychotic which Pfizer investigated to treat bipolar disorder in pediatric patients.

It’s been another tough week for Toyota Motor Co. The embattled Japanese carmaker agreed to pay a record $16.4 million fine issued against it by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for being slow to report sudden acceleration problems to regulators. In a statement, Toyota denied the NHTSA’s allegations that it violated safety regulations or hid defects.

Toyota also said it would recall all 9,400 of its 2010 Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicles to update software in the Vehicle Stability Control system. The company temporarily suspended sales of the vehicle after it was slapped with a rare “Don’t Buy” warning from Consumer Reports magazine, which called out the SUV’s potential risk of rollover when making a sharp turn.

Finally, The National Law Journal (subscription required) reports that the federal judge overseeing the Toyota litigation named four lawyers as temporary lead counsel and set the first scheduling hearing for May 13.

News developments that we’ll be watching at Sokolove Law:

Going car shopping? One vehicle you won’t see on dealer lots will be Toyota’s 2010 Lexus GX 460.  The Japanese automaker today said it will temporarily suspend sales of the sport utility vehicle after it was slapped with a rare “Don’t Buy” warning from Consumer Reports magazine, which called out the SUV’s potential risk of rollover when making a sharp turn.

“We are taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue Consumer Reports identified,” said Mark Templin, Lexus Group Vice President and General Manager. Toyota said it will try to duplicate the Consumer Reports test “to determine if appropriate steps need to be taken.”

In its Cars Blog, Consumer Reports said that the rear of the Lexus GX tended to slide too far out “when pushed to its limits on a handling course’” before the electronic stability control system kicked in.

The decision to temporarily halt sales of the Lexus GX 460 comes as the automaker struggles to rebuild consumer confidence after a series of major safety recalls involving faulty gas pedal assemblies and brake system issues.

Birth-control drugs YAZ and Yasmin will get updated labels with new information about blood clot risks, according to manufacturer Bayer Healthcare.  Both YAZ and Yasmin, which are combination oral contraceptives, have been linked to serious, life-threatening side effects such as blood clots and strokes.

The new labels will state that the risk of blood clots with YAZ and Yasmin is comparable to that of other combination oral contraceptives. The labels, issued in agreement with the Food and Drug Administration, reflect the findings of two large observational studies commissioned by Bayer of more than 120,000 women in the US and Europe who took combination oral contraceptives.

Earlier this month Bayer said it would update its Yasmin warning label in Europe to include the results of four epidemiological studies – including two sponsored by the company — that looked at the risk of blood clots.

News developments that we’ll be watching at Sokolove Law:

Toyota Motor Corp. and plaintiffs’ attorneys will battle it out in a California courtroom now that a panel of judges has agreed to consolidate nearly 200 lawsuits filed against the Japanese automaker before a federal judge in Santa Ana.

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation appointed U.S. District Judge James V. Selna of the Southern District of California to preside over the class actions and personal injury cases filed in federal court involving the sudden acceleration of Toyota vehicles.  More than 8 million Toyota car and truck models have been recalled worldwide in recent months for safety concerns ranging from brake system problems to sudden acceleration issues.

In its order, the panel explained its choice of venue by noting that the district had the largest number of suits filed against Toyota and that the company’s headquarters were nearby. The ruling does not apply to lawsuits filed in state courts.

In other Toyota news, The New York Times reports that federal regulators are mulling whether to slap the company with other fines in addition to the record $16.4 million penalty faced by Toyota for failing to promptly report acceleration problems related to faulty gas pedal assemblies. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that it might purse additional penalties around gas pedal defects and floor mats that trapped the pedals.

General Motors cars and trucks are the subject of a preliminary probe by the NHTSA, which is looking into potential brake failure risks, reports Reuters.  The probe could affect 6 million trucks and SUVs from the model years 1999-2003. The NHTSA began the investigation following 110 complaints of difficulty stopping GM vehicles that had corroded brake lines, according to the story. The NHTSA said three crashes but no injuries have been reported. The NHTSA’s action comes in the aftermath of the massive Toyota recall, which has put the auto industry under the microscope with regards to safety issues in recent months.

As always, Sokolove Law is here to help protect your rights.

News developments that we’ll be watching at Sokolove Law:

Toyota was hit today with a record fine of $16.4 million by the US Department of Transportation (DOT), which accused the Japanese automaker of failing to promptly report acceleration problems related to faulty gas pedal assemblies. Toyota waited about four months before informing the federal agency that the pedals might stick on some of its vehicles, according to the DOT’s news release. Companies have five business days to report safety issues.

“We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement. “Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from U.S. officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers and their families.”

Toyota officials did not immediately respond to the announcement. The company has recalled 8 million cars worldwide for acceleration issues in certain models and brake system problems in its Prius hybrid.

An accidental overdose of the blood thinner Heparin may have led to the death of a 2-year-old child at the Nebraska Medical Center, according to a report from ActionNews3.com. The center released a statement saying it is investigating the death of the girl, who received a multi-organ transplant in December and was re-admitted in February with an infection. This is only the latest instance of an infant being killed, or dangerously harmed, by an incorrect dose of heparin. In 2007, the twins of actor Dennis Quaid were administered quantities of heparin 1,000 times the appropriate dose by doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. In 2008, the U.S Joint Commission filed a report on anti-coagulant use among pediatric patients. The commission noted that “pediatric patients are problematic to treat, specifically because the medications are formulated and packaged primarily for adults.”

A federal complaint filed by an Indiana Army National Guard unit accuses Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) of exposing soldiers to hexavalent chromium at Qarmat Ali, a water treatment plant in Iraq, reports the Court House News Service.  The article says some soldiers who provided security for the plant may have developed respiratory tumors or possibly died from exposure to the chemical.  KBR allegedly downplayed concerns about safety and contamination at the plant. In its complaint, the unit wants exemplary and punitive damages for negligence, gross negligence, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

News developments that we’ll be watching here at Sokolove Law:

Nursing home patients and their families are among the winners in the aftermath of the historic passage of the health care reform bill, according to a non-profit group that advocates for long-term care residents.

The new legislation will create more choices and greater transparency for consumers, according to the NCCNH (formerly the National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform). “The health care reform bill will give consumers more choices about where and how they receive long-term care and services, and every long-term care setting—from one’s nursing home to one’s own home—will be safer when it is implemented,” said NCCNHR executive director Sarah F. Wells in a statement.

Several bills incorporated in the new legislation – including the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act, the Elder Justice Act, and the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act – were championed by the NCCNHR.

Under the legislation, consumers will be able to get access to important nursing home safety data such as accurate information about staffing levels and turnover rates, sanctions against facilities, and inspection reports. It also will help improve training of nursing home staff and extend public coverage of long-term care beyond nursing homes.

Toyota warned dealers of accident risks related to improperly installed floor mats as long ago as 2007, according to a report from Reuters.  Toyota sent a “technical service bulletin” about the problem in 2007 and 2008 to its dealers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The bulletins were more explicit about the risk of a crash than any public announcements later made by the carmaker or federal regulators, writes the news service. Sending such notices to dealers to address safety problems is an industry practice that is now under scrutiny in the aftermath of the recent recalls by Toyota and other automakers, according to Reuters.

Long-term use of osteoporosis drugs such as Fosamax and Reclast does not significantly increase the risk of hip fracture, according to a study published yesterday by the New England Journal of Medicine. The study’s leader, Dr. Dennis Black of the University of California, San Francisco, told the Associated Press that the drugs prevent more fractures than they cause. The drugs, known as bisphosphonates, are taken by millions of American women. Some case reports have tied the drugs to a rare type of hip fracture, writes the AP.

Last month, Toyota recalled more than 400,000 2010 Prius and other hybrids for braking issues.

Now the question arises: Does the Prius also have an accelerator problem? Acceleration issues with a number of Toyota models led the automaker to recall millions of cars in January.

Recent news reports suggest that there may be acceleration issues with the Prius. USA Today writes that there have been two alleged sudden-acceleration incidents involving the vehicles: one in California, where the highway patrol had to assist the driver in stopping his 2008 Prius, and the other in New York, where a woman ’s 2005 Prius suddenly accelerated and smacked into a stone wall.  The alleged incidents occurred as the automaker insisted that its accelerator problems are mechanical and not electronic, according to 24/7 Wall St.

If you or someone you know has been injured by a Toyota recall model, please contact us.