Motor Vehicle Manufacturing

[UPDATED with Toyota Response:] Automaker Settles Sudden Acceleration Lawsuit Brought by Orange County DA for $16 Million

See the update at the end of this post with Toyota's statement on the settlement.ORIGINAL POST, APRIL 5, 4:19 P.M.: Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas today announced Toyota Motor Corp. has settled a $16 million lawsuit with his office over sudden acceleration claims. The case, based on ... More >>

Toyota, Plaintiffs Willing to Settle Sudden-Acceleration Lawsuit in Santa Ana for $1.1 bil

Toyota will pony up $1.1 billion to make sudden-acceleration lawsuits go away, according to a proposal filed in federal court in Santa Ana today. As part of the largest settlement in U.S. history involving automobile defects, Toyota would send cash to eligible customers who sold or turned in their l ... More >>

VW Jamboree

Oak Canyon Park

Judge Issues Tentative Sanction Against Toyota in Sudden-Acceleration Trial

The federal judge in Santa Ana assigned to Toyota's nationwide sudden-acceleration trial issued a tentative sanction against the automaker for an inspection of a crashed 2008 Toyota Camry. Judge James V. Selna writes that the inspection casts "a cloud of suspicion" over Toyota Motor Sales USA's beh ... More >>

[UPDATED with Plug-In Memorial:] Doug Korthof, Enviro and Electric-Car Activist, Loses Battle with Lung Cancer

​UPDATE, FEB. 14, 2:31 P.M.: What a wonderful way to mark Valentine's Day: Adopt a Charger ("Accelerating the adoption of plug-in vehicles via fee-free electric car chargers") has established the Doug Korthof Memorial Charger Fund. Money raised will be used to install and maintain a charging stati ... More >>

[UPDATED with Correction:] Revenge of the Electric Car ALREADY ROLLED Into Long Beach

​CORRECTION, DEC. 12, 9:50 A.M.: No, it was not a bank of dead batteries that prevented filmmaker Chris Paine and his new documentary Revenge of the Electric Car from showing up as advertised (by . . . gulp . . . me) at the Art Theatre in Long Beach Sunday. As it turns out, that event was Dec. 4. ... More >>

[UPDATED with Pre-Trial Bickering:] Federal Judge in Santa Ana Sets Trial For First of Hundreds of Lawsuits Against Toyota

​UPDATE, SEPT. 9, 2:10 P.M: Earlier this week, Toyota and the lawyers representing the people suing Toyota in several unexpected-acceleration cases, presented court papers showing their disagreements on specifics of the trial. The two parties disagree on how many of the then Toyota-drive ... More >>

[UPDATED with Pre-Trial Bickering:] Federal Judge in Santa Ana Sets Trial For First of Hundreds of Lawsuits Against Toyota

​UPDATE, SEPT. 9, 2:10 P.M: Earlier this week, Toyota and the lawyers representing the people suing Toyota in several unexpected-acceleration cases, presented court papers showing their disagreements on specifics of the trial. The two parties disagree on how many of the then Toyota-drive ... More >>

Federal Judge in Santa Ana Sets Trial For First of Hundreds of Lawsuits Against Toyota In February 2013

​A Santa Ana-based federal judge has picked the bellwether case in the slew of freak-acceleration lawsuits lodged against Toyota. The trial, which will undoubtedly influence the litigation of the other cases, is set to start on Feb. 19, 2013, according to a timetable housed on the court' ... More >>

[UPDATED] Braking News! Government Report Clears Toyota Software as Cause of Sudden-Acceleration Problems

​UPDATE, FEB. 24, 12:47 P.M.: In my mailbox yesterday was a recall notice from Toyota for my wife's Highlander.Today I learned she is not alone: Having already recalled nearly 8 million of its models in the U.S., Toyota announced it is calling back another 2.17 million to correct brake and acceler ... More >>

Toyota's Record $32.4 Million Fine Settles Federal Probes But Not Suits Brought by OCDA and Others

​Toyota's agreement to pay a record $32.4 million to settle U.S. Department of Transportation investigations into the giant automaker's handling of two recalls does nothing to resolve civil lawsuits brought by the Orange County District Attorney's Office and the families of those killed or injured ... More >>

Toyota Lawsuits Can Move Forward, Judge Tentatively Rules in Santa Ana Court

​A federal judge has tentatively (double-negative alert) refused to dismiss dozens of personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against Toyota Motor Corp., despite the automaker's motion. U.S. District Judge James V. Selna issued the order last Wednesday, and then heard arguments from Toyo ... More >>

Santa Ana is Ground Zero for Toyota Legal War

​Santa Ana will be ground zero for sudden-acceleration lawsuits against Toyota Motor Corp. after a panel of judges last week consolidated the cases to the federal court there. The world's largest automaker faces at least 177 consumer and shareholder lawsuits seeking class-action status and at le ... More >>

[UPDATED:] Twilight Star Taylor Lautner Challenged to Pushup Contest to Resolve Lawsuit

​UPDATE: Taylor Lautner responds to the pushup challenge (see end of post) . . . We just told you about Taylor Lautner suing an Irvine motorhome company over the late delivery of a $300,000 trailer the Twilight star wanted on the set of his latest movie.Brent McMahon, the 47-year-old owner of McM ... More >>

John Campbell Explains His Car Industry Conflict-Of-Interest Flip Flop

​Kudos to D.C. newspaper the Hill for asking U.S. Representative John Campbell the question that's been in the back of our minds ever since we read that the Office of Congressional Ethics was investigating him: Didn't Campbell, a former car salesman and auto executive, do a 180 on own conflict-of- ... More >>

The Love Me Nots

Alex's Bar

Toyota's Record Fine From the Feds Does Not Let Automaker Off the Hook in OC

​Toyota agreeing today to pay a $16.4 million fine imposed by the Transportation Department does not change anything as far as a lawsuit filed against the world's largest automaker by the Orange County District Attorney's Office goes.

[UPDATED:] DA Sues Toyota

UPDATE: The Orange County District Attorney's Office this morning stepped up pressure on Toyota, unveiling a consumer complaint hotline, an online complaint form and access to its first civil complaint against the automaker (details after the jump) . . . Courtesy of Elizabeth JamesThis is where Eliz ... More >>

What Do Futuristic Cars, Hooters Girls and 18-Foot-Tall Autobot "Bumblebee" Have in Common?

"Futuristic concept cars, eye-popping exotics, pre-production models, interactive ride and drives and the latest alternative fuel options" are promised at the OC Auto Show, which opens for a four-day run at Anaheim Convention Center this afternoon. Swell. When will our flying Jetsons cars roll ... More >>

Garden Grove, Foothill Ranch Dealers on Chrysler Shitcan List

As part of bankruptcy proceedings today, Chrysler LLC says it wants to eliminate 789 of its 3,200 U.S. dealerships, including Union Dodge in Garden Grove and Urban Automotive Group in Foothill Ranch. In its motion filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, Chrysler said sales are too low at m ... More >>

Hugh Hewitt Says "Tit" on the Air?

Sorry for not reporting as diligently on O.C. conservative yakmouth Hugh Hewitt as I did last year, but got a gem for you: yesterday, I do believe Baby Hewie said "tit" on the air!!!The context: Hewie was interviewing former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich near the 3 p.m. hour, mostly so the two ... More >>

Last Night: Belt Sander Races in Anaheim

By Deborah Song Rob Russell was all smiles posing for cameras in front of the racetrack with umbrella girls and trophy in hand. The 38-year-old purchasing manager for Kitchen and Connection might have placed third in the national championship race in Las Vegas, but his spruced up, sleek belt sande ... More >>

Burning Bush (almost)

We were moments away from President Cheney last week, it seems. The Detroit News reports: Credit Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally with saving the leader of the free world from self-immolation. Mulally told journalists at the New York auto show that he intervened to prevent President Bush from plugg ... More >>

Electric Vehicle Charging Station at Mainplace Mall

Seemed like a good idea at the time . . .

OC Drivers on the Pipe

According to the for-profit Orange County Automobile Dealers Association, the top new retail car and truck registrations this year through May: Toyota: 29.3% GM: 12% Honda: 11.5% Ford: 9.7% DaimlerChrysler: 6.3% Nissan: 5.6% According to the nonprofit Environmental Defense, the percentage of ... More >>

All Charged Up

Who Killed the Electric Car? filmmaker Chris Paine turned anger to action

Gentlemen, Start Your Suns...

After a polite email exchange with Seal Beach environmental/electric car/anti-Bush activist Doug Korthof -- he was catching This Ticking Time Bum up on what he's been up to lately (lots more than us, that's fer sure) -- it occured to us that if the automakers are telling the truth, our heads will al ... More >>

Dude, Wheres My Electric Car!?!

Can one activist fight off Detroit, Japan, Big Oil and the Bush administration to keep EVs alive?

Coming Soon to Westminsters Giant Screen

Want Sushi, Slacks and a Massage With That Mercedes?

How the rich buy cars

Heal the SUV

Ford's partnership with Heal the Bay not as weird as it sounds