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Toyota found not at fault in alleged unintended acceleration crash

Toyota has already paid out millions and billions of dollars in settlements surrounding unintended acceleration, but the first lawsuit in the matter, which headed to a California court in July, has reached a verdict. Following the 2009 death of Noriko Uno, whose 2006 Camry was hit by another car and then sped out of control before crashing into a tree, the jury found that Toyota was not at fault in the crash.
Even though the 2006 Camry (shown above) wasn't involved in any of the unintended acceleration-related recalls and it was not equipped with a brake override, Automotive News reports that the jury's verdict says there was no defect in the car and actually blames the entire incident on the driver that ran into Uno's car - to the tune of $10 million. The accident started when the other driver ran a stop sign and hit Uno's car, and the report says that medical conditions (including diabetes) caused Uno to fail to stop her Camry.
The AN article also states that this lawsuit was a bellwether case for around 85 other personal-injury and wrongful-death suits against Toyota, but there are still many impending suits across the country. Scroll down for an official statement on this particular case from Toyota.

GM repairing 40,500 Pontiac Vibes as part of Toyota airbag recall

General Motors has confirmed to Autoblog that the Pontiac Vibe is included in Toyota's just-announced recall action. The Vibe and the Toyota Matrix share a large number of parts, including the affected cable to the airbag.
"About 40,500 Pontiac Vibes from the 2009-2010 model years are included in the Toyota recall. Toyota designed and engineered the Vibe for Pontiac. GM will service customers with these vehicles when Toyota makes the parts available," said GM recall spokesperson Alan Adler to Autoblog in an email.
The recall covers 1.3 million Toyota units in the US, including 2009-2010 Corolla, Matrix and Tacoma, the 2008-2010 Highlander, the 2006-2008 Rav4 and 2006-2010 Yaris, plus the addition of the 2009-2010 Vibe. The models all have their airbag module attached via a spiral electrical cable. The connections on this cable can be damaged when turning the steering wheel. Once broken, the airbag deactivates and the airbag warning light comes on. Toyota has an improved part, but it's still making preparations to begin repairs. It will begin notifying owners soon.

Toyota, Mazda $1.6 billion plant goes to Alabama, sources say

Alabama will be the site of a new $1.6 billion Toyota and Mazda auto plant, a victory for President Donald Trump who had prodded manufacturers to build new U.S. facilities and threatened tariffs on foreign production, sources said on Tuesday. The plant, which will employ up to 4,000 people and produce about 300,000 vehicles a year, will be located in Huntsville, Ala., and is a boon for the state, where Toyota has a large engine plant and an existing network of automotive suppliers. A formal announcement by company and state officials is expected on Wednesday in Montgomery, sources briefed on the matter said. The new plant — in a state Trump won by 28 points in 2016 — could be a political boost to the Republican president, who has urged automakers to build plants in the United States and add jobs. The companies said they expect the plant to open in 2021. Trump tweeted in March he wanted "new plants to be built here for cars sold here." The White House did not immediately comment on Tuesday. The announcement also comes at a time of declining U.S. auto industry sales, so it could exacerbate overcapacity and add pressure to cut prices. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017, after hitting an all-time record high in 2016, and are expected to fall further in 2018. Details of an anticipated tax and incentive package for the investment were not yet known. It has been reported the companies sought at least $1 billion in incentives. A Toyota spokesman declined to comment, except to say an announcement was expected soon. A Mazda spokeswoman also declined to comment. In recent months, the companies had narrowed their choices down to sites in Alabama and North Carolina. Local media last month said the leading site under consideration was in northern Alabama's Limestone County, near Toyota's large engine plant in Huntsville. In September, Toyota announced a $106 million technology upgrade for the Huntsville plant. A Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville website for the "Huntsville Mega Site" touts the fact it has been "certified as development-ready." The commerce chamber, local and state officials declined to comment on Tuesday on plans for the plant. A year ago, President-elect Trump criticized Toyota and threatened hefty tariffs against the Japanese automaker if it built its Corolla sedan for the U.S. market in Mexico. "Toyota Motor said will build a new plant in Baja, Mexico, to build Corolla cars for U.S. NO WAY! Build plant in U.S.