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In June 2006, Koua Fong Lee was driving his pregnant wife and other family members home from church when he says his 1996 Toyota Camry accelerated on its own and the brakes stopped working. Lee struck another vehicle, killing three people in that car. A Minnesota jury convicted Lee of vehicular homicide and the native of Laos was sentenced to an eight-year prison sentence even though there was no evidence of alcohol or drugs involved in the incident. Fast-forward to over three years later, and Toyota's recall woes for unintended acceleration are casting doubt on the jury's decision to convict Lee. But while the 1996 Camry isn't involved in the current recall, some 1996 models were recalled for unintended acceleration. Further, ABC News says that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received at least 17 other complaints of unintended acceleration in 1996 Camrys with comments like "couldn't stop" and "had to crash into a tree and another car to stop." Brent Schafer, the lawyer for Lee, has asked for a new trial, and for his client to be set free until the time of a new hearing. The prosecution in the case told ABC News that it supports examining the 1996 Camry involved in the crash to determine if the car is at fault instead of Lee. For its part, Toyota has chosen not to comment to ABC News due to the fact that there could be a future lawsuit brought against the company.

It will happen in any car and any make this guy explained everything . so if you are not driving a toyota or if you are , just becareful .

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now estimating that 89 deaths may be attributable to unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles here in the United States between the year 2000 and May of 2009. Previously, it was reported that 52 deaths were possibly related to the throttle defect. This figure has been extrapolated from NHTSA's database of the roughly 6,200 complaints it has received over that same time period. In addition to the 89 deaths, 57 injuries have also been tallied. Toyota reminds us that these figures are estimates, saying in a statement: Many complaints in the NHTSA database, for any manufacturer, lack sufficient detail that could help identify the cause of an accident. We will continue to work in close partnership with law enforcement agencies and federal regulators with jurisdiction over accident scenes whenever requested. According to Toyota, some 1.67 million sticky accelerator pedals and 1.62 million floor mats have so far been fixed under recall, with roughly 120,000 being performed per week on average. [source: The Washington Post]

Volvo is warning its customers of the possibility of sudden acceleration in eight different models using the five-cylinder diesel engine. Vehicles involved in the warning include the 2006-2010 S40 and V50, 2007-2009 S80, 2007-2010 C30 and C70, 2008-2009 V70 and XC70, and the 2009 XC60. A recall has not yet been issued for those vehicles. Volvo will be sending a letter warning owners of the 158,000 units sold across Europe. In an interview with CNN, Volvo Cars spokesman Per-Ake Froberg said that the issue is engine oil leaking into the combustion chamber. This works in the same way as fuel and causes an acceration burst. "This has caused the engine to maintain or even increase its speed, even though the driver has removed his foot from the gas pedal," he said. Froberg says that biodiesel mixed with conventional diesel is the primary cause, as it does not evaporate in the same manner as normal diesel fuel. This leads to extra fuel injected through the particle filter, which does not combust, and instead winds up combined with the engine oil. The oil level subsequently rises, and overflows into the combustion chamber. Thus far, Volvo claims 55 incidents of sudden acceleration have been reported to the automaker. "We have not had any accidents reported as a result of this, though. In the instances when this has occurred, the drivers have put the gear in neutral and stopped on the side of the road," Froberg said. Volvo does not yet have a solution to the problem. Source: edition.cnn.com