Earlier this month, an employee at a California plant run jointly by General Motors and Toyota — where the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix are produced — claimed that company officials allowed for defects to go unchecked, including faulty seat belts and braking. The allegations were brought to light by the employee — Katy Cameron, a certified auditor who has worked for 23 years at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. — who recently filed a law suit against New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., Toyota and General Motors. While it remains unclear if the allegations are true, a new lawsuit filed against Toyota could give the claims more credence.
Gurinder Singh filed a lawsuit against Toyota that claims a faulty seatbelt in the family’s Corolla caused the death of his father. Singh claims the seatbelt failed to unlatched after a crash that caused the vehicles to catch fire — trapping his father inside, where he burned to death.
Singh is suing for $5 million.
Toyota ’s defense attorney said that the crash, while tragic, was not the company’s fault. “This is a case about responsibility for your actions,” Patrick Becherer told jurors. “The evidence will show that this tragic death was unnecessary, and the crash was caused by the driver’s misjudgment.”
The Toyota Corolla is made along side the Matrix and Pontiac Vibe at the same California plant where Cameron says management let cars with defects — including faulty seat belts — roll off the production floor.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the original lawsuit “demands unspecified damages for retaliation against a whistleblower and intentional infliction of emotional distress.” Earlier this week, the Associated Press obtained documents stating that management at the California plant intentionally overlooked defects that included broken seat belts, faulty headlights, inadequate braking, mirrors falling off, engine oil leaks and steering wheel alignment problems.
Cameron, a trained expert at spotting defects, often informed her superiors of the defects but was demoted twice and accused of being “crazy and violent.”
“NUMMI has done everything in its power to try to break Cameron psychologically and force her from the workplace,†the lawsuit said. “Cameron is an American hero who will not be silenced by multibillion dollar corporations at the expense of hardworking American consumers and families.â€
