The California Highway Patrol has released a recording of a cellphone call from a family car, seconds before the occupants were killed in a crash caused when the accelerator pedal in a Lexus (Toyota's premium brand) became stuck.
Mark Saylor, 45, his Cleofe, also 45, their daughter Mahala, 13, and Mrs Saylor's brother Chris Lastrella were all killed when the hired Lexus they were travelling in accelerated out of control on a highway in San Diego, apparently due to a faulty accelerator pedal.
In the emergency call Mr Lastrella is heard saying: "We're in a Lexus and we're going north on 125 and our accelerator is stuck there's no brakes we're approaching the intersection. Hold on hold on and pray pray."
The recording adds to the public relations disaster that has enveloped the Japanese automaker since
The company has also been hit by nearly 200 complaints about brake problems in its hybrid Prius.
The recording was released by the California Highway Patrol in September 2009, soon after the August 28 crash.
Tim Pestotnik, a lawyer acting for Mr Saylor, said the Lexus had been rented to another customer three days previously but had been returned with a complaint that the accelerator was sticking.
Lexus has not been included in the current recall but was linked to a separate problem where accelerator pedals became stuck under floor mats.
Pestotnik said: "The sheriff's report in San Diego said the mat was a factor but it was not able to rule out an electronic malfunction.
"Toyota has claimed all along that there's no evidence to support a contention that there was an electronic problem but also said there were no other problems when they issued the floor-mat recall on November 2 and they have taken that back."
Lawyers claim Toyota could be liable for prosecution if it was proved that car parts were faulty and the company did not act quickly enough to recall defective vehicles.
Toyota has yet to confirm how many cars are affected in Britain but the company has admitted knowledge of 26 incidents involving defective accelerator pedals in Europe.
The company came under fire on Thursday from Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents because of its handling of the crisis. A spokeswoman said: "Toyota needs to look at how this problem came about and why it wasn't picked up at the start in post-production checks."
PEUGEOT 107 AND CITROEN C1 ALSO AFFECTED
One driver, Catherine Block, 28, told how her Aygo careered down a freeway onramp with its accelerator stuck.
"It was only luck that I wasn't injured or killed because I eventually figured out for myself how to unjam the pedal while driving," she said.
Toyota has issued 8.1-million recalls worldwide but claims the problem has not affected its vehicles sold in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, excluding China.
A further 7000 Peugeot and Citroen cars are being recalled in the UK due to a faulty accelerator problem they share with the stricken Toyota Aygo.
The Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 models are produced at a plant they share with Toyota in the Czech Republic. The move will affect 97 000 Peugeot and Citroen cars across Europe. - London Daily Mail
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