Let the lawsuits begin in the sticky-pedal cases against Toyota. 

A southern California personal injury attorney has filed a class action suit against the automaker, in addition to the pending lawsuit he already had against Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.  There is also a pending suit against Toyota filed by a Milwaukee law firm.   

In the California complaint, the personal injury lawyer alleges violations of the Consumer Legal Remedies Acts, as well as Unfair Competition Law, both under California law.  The suit also alleges breach of implied warranty, negligence and false advertising.

The sticky-pedal situation is not new to San Diego residents nor to San Diego personal injury attorneys.  There have been several reported cases of accelerator pedals sticking, including one fatal accident near San Diego.  Last week, there was a major recall due to this very problem, the second major recall by the auto-maker within the span of a few months.

One huge problem for Toyota is that the lawsuits allege a defect in design, specifically in the vehicles sold after 2001, where Toyota began installing electronic throttle systems.  These systems allegedly lack a fail-safe measure that triggers when the brake is applied, which in turn prevents the driver from overriding the throttle to slow the car, or to stop it.