In Re: Takata Airbag Products Liability Litigation: BMW, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota

PLEASE GO TO THE LINK BELOW TO SEE IF YOUR VEHICLE IS INCLUDED

In Re: Takata Airbag Products Liability Litigation

BMW, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota Settlements

Welcome to the Official Informational Website for the Takata Settlement

This is the informational website for the proposed economic loss class action settlements with BMW, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota in a class action lawsuit styledIn Re: Takata Airbag Products Liability Litigation, Master Case No. 1:15-MD-02599-FAM. The Court preliminarily approved the settlements with BMW, Mazda, Subaru, and Toyota on June 9, 2017 and issued preliminary approval orders that were docketed on June 12, 2017. The Court preliminarily approved the settlements with Honda and Nissan on September 19, 2017.

For more information, please select the appropriate Settlement below referencing the automobile manufacturer of your Subject Vehicle.

Important Note: Some vehicles included in the Settlement will be recalled at a later date and others may not require a recall. Your receipt of a Settlement Notice does not mean your vehicle is subject to a recall. Please refer to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, www.safercar.gov, for the latest information about Takata recalls and to determine if your vehicle is subject to a recall.

https://www.autoairbagsettlement.com/en

Takata adds 3.3 million faulty airbags to largest automotive recall in U.S. history

By Jessica Vomiero
National Online Journalist  Global News

The Japanese airbag maker Takata continues to expand its massive parts recall by recalling an additional 3.3 million airbags.

According to reports from CBS, the latest addition to the recall includes airbags from some 2009, 2010 and 2013 vehicles made by Honda, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Daimler, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Jaguar-Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Tesla.

WATCH: Class action lawsuits against Takata

Takata is an automotive parts supplier that filed for bankruptcy in June after sparking the largest automotive recall in U.S. history with a recall of three million vehicles in 2014. Since then, the recall has been intermittently expanded.

Forbes reports that defective Takata airbags could potentially explode in a crash and spray vehicle occupants with small metal shards.

WATCH: Recall impact on Japanese car maker Takata

The bags have been linked to over 180 injuries and 18 deaths, including the most recent one identified in Louisiana last month.

Just a few days into 2018, the judge overseeing the bankruptcy of Takata Corp’s U.S. unit cleared the way for the company’s creditors to vote on its chapter 11 plan — which critics say limits the legal rights of those who’ve been injured by the faulty airbags.

READ MORE: Airbag manufacturer Takata files for bankruptcy in United States, Japan

Criticisms include claims that the plan favours automakers over vehicle owners. The trust would pay compensation based on the injury, ranging from $10,000 to $5 million USD for death or loss of eyesight, according to hearing documents.

However, car owners would be barred from suing Honda, and other auto makers who opted to join the trust arrangement.

READ MORE: Ford’s Takata airbag recall will affect 161,000 Canadian cars

Currently there are plans for a supplier owned by China’s Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp., plans to acquire the Takata Corp.

These recalls have included Takata airbags in Canada, two of which took place in December 2017.

The first recalled faulty airbags on 2004, 2005 and 2006 Ford Rangers and the second involved faulty airbags on 2016 and 2017 Mitsubishi I-Mievs.

WATCH: Takata airbag recall becomes largest auto recall in U.S. history

Approximately 30,000 Ford Rangers were affected, while just over 200 Mitsubishi I-Mievs were affected.

Forbes goes on to report that almost two-thirds, or 31.5 million U.S. vehicles affected have not been repaired as of mid-September, according to an independent report released in November.

-With files from Reuters. 

https://globalnews.ca/news/3950585/takata-recalls-millions-more-faulty-airbags/

This matters: Ford Asks for Takata Recall Pass

MUST READ: 

Ford Asks for Takata Recall Pass

Posted on Monday, Dec 18th, 2017

On July 10, 2017, Takata recalled PSDI-5 driver air bag inflators containing phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) as a generant and calcium sulfate as a desiccant, which were used in vehicles sold in the United States as original equipment in frontal driver airbag modules. Recall 17E034 affected 2.7 million Ford, Mazda and Nissan vehicles produced between 2005 and 2012.




http://www.safetyresearch.net/blog/articles/ford-asks-takata-recall-pass


The price of delay:

Lancaster County man’s death prompts lawsuit, national recall over airbags

BY TEDDY KULMALA

JANUARY 29, 2016 08:16 PM

A Lancaster County man who was killed when his pickup struck a cow last month would still be alive had it not been for the truck’s defective airbag deploying violently, shooting a piece of shrapnel through his neck and spine, his family says in a lawsuit filed this week.

Joel Knight, 52, died Dec. 22 after his 2006 Ford Ranger hit a cow on S.C. 522 as he was driving to work, authorities have said. He was wearing a seatbelt, but an attorney representing Knight’s family says the truck’s airbag – the manufacturer of which is accused in multiple cases of injury and death resulting from defective products – ruptured violently. A piece of shrapnel from the exploding device pierced Knight’s neck and spine.

“They’ve been having problems, known defects and deaths since 2003 – for more than a decade,” said Drew Creech of Elrod Pope Law Firm in Rock Hill, which is representing the family. “It’s a problem they’ve known about and they made a deliberate decision not to recall.”

The lawsuit claims Ford and Takata knew of multiple cases of people being injured or killed by exploding airbags, including a pregnant Malaysian woman who died in July 2014 after a wreck and fatal airbag rupture similar to the one that killed Knight. And yet, the suit alleges, Takata and Ford still “put profits ahead of safety” by continuing to produce and install the defective airbags.

The inflator devices in question were developed by Takata in the late 1990s to make airbags more compact, reduce the toxic fumes earlier airbag models emitted and to save costs and maximize profit for Takata, the complaint states. The redesigned airbags are inflated by an ammonium nitrate-based explosive encased in a metal canister.

“Over time, it becomes highly volatile and it causes an explosion much greater than normally anticipated,” Creech said. When the airbag deploys, the metal cylinder inside the canister ruptures in half and shoots out of the canister “like a bullet coming out of a rifle barrel.”

Creech said Ford and Takata recalled only a handful of vehicles despite knowing of many such cases, including the crash that killed the Malaysian woman, whose Honda had the same airbag and inflator model as Knight’s Ford Ranger.

“Ford was certainly aware of her death, aware of the massive (Takata airbag) recall, yet Ford chose not to recall the Ford Rangers,” Creech said. “They eventually did a very limited recall in a very select few states for the 2004 and 2005 Ford Ranger. They never recalled the 2006 Ford Ranger at all, even though they knew the same inflator model was in the Ranger.”

Knight is believed to be the ninth person killed in the United States as a result of the defective airbags, federal regulators say. His death last month prompted Takata and Ford to expand a recall this week to include trucks made from 2004 through 2006 in the U.S. and Canada. Ford alone is recalling 391,000 Rangers made during that time.

Federal regulators say this latest recall will affect about 5 million vehicles, including those made by Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Saab and Volkswagen. Visit SaferCar.gov to see if your vehicle is included in the recall.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the driver’s family,” Takata has said in statements to multiple outlets. “We are cooperating fully with regulators and our automotive customers and continue to take aggressive action to advance vehicle safety, including through our ongoing testing efforts, replacement kit production and raising consumer awareness of recalled vehicles.”

http://www.thestate.com/news/state/south-carolina/article57402388.html

OCTOBER 2, 2017

Nissan to recall all new cars sold in Japan in last 3 years

Maki Shiraki, Naomi Tajitsu

YOKOHAMA (Reuters) - (This October 2 story has been refiled to corrects paragraph 15 to say dealers, not automakers, register vehicles with the government before delivery, not sale.)

Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T) will recall all 1.2 million new passenger cars it sold in Japan over the past three years after discovering final vehicle inspections were not performed by authorized technicians, it said on Monday.

The recall is the second major misconduct incident involving a Japanese automaker in as many years, after Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) admitted in April 2016 it had falsified the fuel economy for some of its domestic market models.

Nissan, Japan’s second-biggest carmaker, said it would recall 1.21 million passenger vehicles produced for the domestic market between October 2014 and September 2017, including top sellers the Serena minivan and the Note compact hatchback.

It added all recalled vehicles would undergo re-inspections for final checks on issues including steering radius and braking and acceleration capabilities, at a cost of around 25 billion yen ($222 million).

“We must take the registration framework and procedures seriously, regardless of how busy we may be or how short-staffed we may be,” CEO Hiroto Saikawa told reporters at a media conference.

“We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers.”

Saikawa added the company was investigating how and why the inspections took place, a process expected to take around a month. A third party will participate in an internal investigation into the matter, he said.

The announcement expands the scope of a problem reported last week, when Nissan initially said it would suspend the registration of 60,000 vehicles over unauthorized inspections.

“This could turn out to be a serious issue depending on whether the misconduct was intentional or a simple oversight,” said Takeshi Miyao, managing director of consultancy Carnorama.

“At the very least it could have a big impact on Nissan’s brand image, given that it prides itself for selling quality products.”

Nissan exported around 560,000 vehicles produced in Japan last year to North America, Europe and other markets. Spokesman Nick Maxfield said there was no difference in quality between cars made in Japan for the domestic market and those made for export.

Nissan's shares fell as much as 5.3 percent to hit their lowest since April before closing down 2.7 percent. The benchmark Nikkei average stock price index .N225 ended up 0.2 percent.

Auto dealers must register all such vehicles with Japan’s government before delivery, with owners renewing the registrations of passenger vehicles every three years.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on Friday it has asked Nissan to report measures to prevent a recurrence of the issue by the end of October.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nissan-safety-checks/nissan-to-recall-all-new-cars-sold-in-japan-in-last-3-years-idUSKCN1C716O

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2016/10/21/exploding-takata-air-bag-claims-11th-victim-us/92502330/

Nissan to pay $98 mil. to settle Takata suit in U.S.

 August 09, 2017

ReutersWASHINGTON (Reuters) — Nissan Motor Co. on Tuesday agreed to pay $97.7 million to settle class-action claims of consumer economic loss in the United States tied to the recall of 4.4 million vehicles with Takata air bag inflators, court records show.

Nissan said in a statement that it was not admitting fault under the settlement.

The settlement is similar to others reached with major automakers. In June, a federal judge in Miami granted preliminary approval to settlements with Toyota Motor Corp., Subaru Corp., BMW AG and Mazda Motor Corp. totaling $553 million and affecting 15.8 million vehicles with Takata inflators.

At least 18 deaths and 180 injuries worldwide have been tied to the defect that led Takata Corp. to file for bankruptcy protection in June.

Takata inflators can explode with excessive force, unleashing metal shrapnel inside cars and trucks.

Honda Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co. to date have not agreed to settle consumer economic loss claims.

All the settlements reached so far include an outreach program to contact owners of recalled vehicles and to address the low number of completed repairs, as well as compensation for economic losses including out-of-pocket expenses; a possible residual distribution payment of up to $500; rental cars for some owners; and a customer support program for repairs and adjustments, including an extended warranty.

Nissan said its settlement is “intended to significantly increase customer outreach and to accelerate recall remedy completion rates for Takata airbag inflator recalls.”

As of late June, only 29.9 percent of Nissan vehicles recalled with Takata inflators had been fixed.

The settlement is subject to court approval. A hearing to grant final approval for the other four automaker settlements is set for Oct. 25.

In January, Takata agreed to plead guilty to criminal wrongdoing and to pay $1 billion to resolve a U.S. federal investigation into its inflators.

Takata agreed to establish two independently administered restitution funds: one for $850 million to compensate automakers for recalls and a $125 million fund for individuals injured by its airbags who had not already reached a settlement. 

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003870984

Great-grandmother who claimed her Nissan Qashqai ‘took off’ and sped forwards out of control is CLEARED of killing pedestrian

• Ann Diggles, 82, knocked down and killed Julie Dean, 53, outside charity shop
• Lawyers argued  that electronic throttle malfunctioned causing acceleration
• Two other owners came forward admitting similar experiences with the model
• Mrs Diggles was cleared of death by dangerous driving at Preston Crown Court

By James Tozer for the Daily Mail

PUBLISHED: 20:48 EDT, 7 February 2017

A great grandmother who claimed her faulty Nissan Qashqai ‘took off’ and sped forwards out of control was yesterday cleared of killing a pedestrian.

Lawyers for retired nurse Ann Diggles, 82, argued a malfunction in the best-selling family car’s electronic throttle led to an ‘uncommanded acceleration’ which knocked down and killed Julie Dean, 53.

Two other Nissan owners came forward after reading press coverage of the case to report similar experiences, and both gave evidence in Mrs Diggles’ trial.

Yesterday the committed church-goer wept in the dock as she was cleared of two alternative counts of causing the death of Mrs Dean by careless or dangerous driving.

Following the shock verdicts, Nissan insisted the hugely popular model – built at its plant in Sunderland – was safe and continued to insist the vehicle involved in the crash had not been faulty.

The Nissan Qashqai is Britain’s fifth best-selling car behind the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf.

The Japanese auto giant had flown in an executive to dispute her lawyers’ efforts to blame the car, while its legal representatives were in the public gallery amid what the court heard were concerns about possible product liability claims.

Mrs Diggles, who has been driving for more than half a century, was parking her Qashqai automatic in her home town of Leyland, Lancashire in July 2014 when it suddenly shot forward.

The vehicle mounted a pavement and ploughed into Mrs Dean, who was walking out of a charity shop, causing fatal injuries.

The pensioner said she put the vehicle into drive and then put her foot ‘very gently’ on the accelerator before it surged forward and she was unable to stop it careering towards a row of parked cars.

She told police it ‘just went’ and insisted there was ‘no way’ she had pressed the accelerator instead of the brake by mistake. 

+4

Mrs Diggles' lawyers argued a malfunction in the Nissan Qashqai's (pictured, stock image) electronic throttle led to an ‘uncommanded acceleration’ which hit and killed Julie Dean, 53

Her car, which she had owned since new in 2007, had always been fully serviced in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Police vehicle examiners working with experts from Nissan said there was no evidence of any braking at the time of the tragedy and no faults with the accelerator.

An expert witness in electronic engineering told her trial at Preston Crown Court that ‘uncommanded acceleration’ could take place if an undercharged battery failed to give appropriate voltage to the electronic components in a vehicle.

Mrs Diggles’ Qashqai hadn’t been used for three weeks as she had been on holiday to Madeira, the court heard.

The US-based National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had recorded a ‘small number’ of similar complaints about Nissan vehicles, the court heard - although the Qashqai is not sold in the country.

One claim was that a 2007-model car was being driven at 2mph when the revs started to increase and the vehicle accelerated suddenly when the motorist was trying to park.

But Takuma Nakamura, who is responsible for engine control systems development at Nissan, gave evidence that any such fault would have been recorded in the vehicle’s on-board computer.

‘In my opinion, for some reason the accelerator has been stepped on,’ he said.

+4

Mrs Diggles wept in the dock as she was cleared of two alternative counts of causing the death by careless or dangerous driving

However on Monday the court heard from two Nissan owners who came forward after reading about Mrs Diggles’ claims.

Sharon Davies, of Marford, near Wrexham, told how she was turning into her drive after a Tai Chi class on January 10 when her automatic Nissan Juke lunged forward and knocked over the garden wall.

‘Just as I had turned into my parking space the car made a funny clunking noise and almost came to a stop, and I remember thinking the car was going to stall,’ she said.

‘I went to touch the accelerator and the car just ploughed forward into the wall much quicker than I would have expected it to have done.’

The vehicle had been MoTd and serviced the previous week, but when she took it back to her local Nissan dealership she was told it had been tested and no fault was found, she told the court.

Mrs Davies said after the collision, which happened while her three-year-old son was in the car, she lost confidence in the vehicle and had now part-exchanged it for a different make.

Another woman, Naomi Taylor, said her 2015 Nissan Qashqai had suddenly sped up as she turned into her mother’s drive, causing her to miss her turning.

‘I just needed to concentrate and look out for any pedestrians,’ she said. ‘I am absolutely clear that I did not have my foot on the accelerator at the time when the vehicle sped off.’

Nissan found no electronic malfunction with the car, the court was told, and the vehicle was returned to her.

In his closing speech to the jury, defence barrister Alistair MacDonald QC said their accounts ‘provided powerful support that these surges of acceleration do in fact happen’ and it was ‘not a theory’.

The prosecution cautioned jurors they were not being asked to decide whether sudden acceleration could happen but whether they were sure the defendant pressed the wrong pedal.

+4

Mrs Diggles was parking her Qashqai automatic outside a charity shop (pictured) in her home town of Leyland, Lancashire in July 2014 when it suddenly shot forward

Yesterday Mrs Diggles sat in the dock in tears after the jury cleared of her causing death by dangerous driving or by careless driving.

Following the verdicts, trial judge Mr Justice Fraser said: ‘I would like to put on the record that both Miss Taylor and Mrs Davies are to be commended for the efforts that they individually took to contact the defence and come to court at very short notice.’

Mrs Diggles later left court without commenting.

Last night Nissan said its experts had thoroughly examined her car and had not found any faults which could have caused the accident.

‘This verdict does not reflect on the safety of the vehicle, the only issue to be decided in this case was whether the driving of the defendant was dangerous or careless and caused the death of the victim,’ it said in a statement.

‘The prosecution was unable to prove this beyond reasonable doubt.’

A spokesman added: ‘The Qashqai has an exemplary safety record, and has been tested and complies with all safety regulations in all markets.

‘Both Nissan and the police have concluded that the vehicle was operating as expected and with no fault that could have contributed to this tragic set of circumstances.’

A spokesman for Which? said it had not been informed of similar incidents. Both the AA and RAC declined to comment.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4202212/Woman-claimed-Nissan-Qashqai-took-cleared.html#ixzz4dNW4KGyq
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Driver cleared over fatal Nissan

Qashqai 

crash

7 February 2017

Lancashire

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-38897681

(Nissan Qashqai)

---------------------------------------------------------------

Nissan drivers tell 'runaway

car' death trial their 

vehicles surged forward for no 

reason

Ann Diggles is accused of killing Julie

Dean by 

pressing the accelerator instead of the

brake 

on her Nissan Qashqai but she claims a

vehicle 

fault was to blame.

BY KIM PILLING

16:57, 6 FEB 2017 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/nissan-drivers-tell-runaway-car-9768762

----------------------------------------------------------------

Nissan executive flies to

Britain to 

testify over fatal

crash

Gabriella Swerling, 

Northern Correspondent

February 3 2017, 12:01am, 

The Times 

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pensioner-takes-nissan-to-court-over-fatal-crash-r7z53p3ms

(Nissan Qashqai)

Nissan Qashqai safety checks called for after lawyer's 'malfunction' claims

02/09/2017 in Car Manufacturer News

Nissan has been urged to carry out further safety checks to Qashqai SUVs after a pensioner was cleared of killing a pedestrian after lawyers alleged that a malfunction had caused her car to accelerate “uncontrollably”.

Great grandmother Ann Diggles was cleared of death by dangerous driving following a trial at Preston Crown Court, which concluded on Tuesday, after lawyers claimed a malfunction in her vehicle’s electronic throttle could have caused an ‘uncommanded acceleration’.

The 82-year-old’s 2007 Nissan Qashqai mounted a pavement and collided with 53-year-old Julie Dean, who was walking out of a charity shop in Leyland, Lancashire, causing fatal injuries, in July 2014.

Nissan insisted that the Qashqai is safe and denied that there was a fault with the vehicle involved in the collision, the Daily Mail reported.

Police vehicle examiners, working with experts from Nissan, also said that there was no evidence of any braking at the time of the tragedy and no faults with the accelerator on the vehicle, which had been bought new by Diggles in 2007.

Experts told the court that an undercharged battery could have prompted the acceleration and Diggles had been driving the car after a three-week holiday in Madiera, the court heard.

Two other Nissan owners came forward and gave evidence of similar occurrences in their own Nissan Qashqai’s after being alerted to the incident by reports in the press of the incident, however.

And in his closing speech to the jury, defence barrister Alistair MacDonald QC argued that their accounts ‘provided powerful support that these surges of acceleration do in fact happen’ and it was ‘not a theory’.

Health and safety lawyer and product recall expert at Keystone Law, David Beckenham, said that the not guilty verdict concerning Mrs Diggles following her prosecution for dangerous driving "Raises some important issues for Nissan.

Beckenham added: “Nissan would do well then to ensure that they are carrying out further checks to assure itself that a necessary product recall is not the final outcome.”

A statement issed by Nissan said: “First and foremost our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of Julie Dean.

"The vehicle in this case was examined by Nissan and by the police. At no point was any fault found with the vehicle which could have caused this accident.

"This verdict does not reflect on the safety of the vehicle, the only issue to be decided in this case was whether the driving of the defendant was dangerous or careless and caused the death of the victim. The Prosecution was unable to prove this beyond reasonable doubt.

"The Qashqai has an exemplary safety record, and has been tested and complies with all safety regulations in all markets.

"Both Nissan and the Police have concluded that the vehicle was operating as expected and with no fault that could have contributed to this tragic set of circumstances.”

• Author:  Tom Sharpe

http://www.am-online.com/news/car-manufacturer-news/2017/02/09/nissan-qashqai-safety-checks-called-for-after-court-case-fault-claims

Nissan executive flies to Britain to testify over fatal crash

Gabriella Swerling, Northern Correspondent
February 3 2017

Ann Diggles, 82, was parking her Nissan Qashqai when it shot forward, mounted a pavement and hit Julie Dean, who died at the sceneNEIL JONES/PA

Nissan has flown a senior executive from Japan to the UK to fight a claim that a fault on one of its cars led to a pensioner killing a pedestrian in Lancashire.

Ann Diggles, 82, was parking her Nissan Qashqai automatic when it suddenly shot forward, mounted a pavement and hit Julie Dean, 53. She was crushed under the wheels of the vehicle and died at the scene.

Mrs Diggles, from Leyland, Lancashire, was charged with causing death by dangerous driving after police concluded she mistakenly pressed the accelerator rather than the brake.

A jury heard that the tragedy may, however, have been caused by a malfunction in the electronic throttle system of her Nissan due to an undercharged battery. 

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pensioner-takes-nissan-to-court-over-fatal-crash-r7z53p3ms

Nissan drivers tell 'runaway car' death trial their vehicles surged forward for no reason

Ann Diggles is accused of killing Julie Dean by pressing the accelerator instead of the brake on her Nissan Qashqai but she claims a vehicle fault was to blame.

KIM PILLING

Ann Diggles is accused of killing Julie Dean ion her Nissan Qashqai by pressing the accelerator rather than the brake (Photo: PA)

Two drivers have told a jury in the trial of a great-grandmother who claims her "runaway" vehicle caused a fatal collision that their Nissan cars also surged forward at speed without them touching the accelerator.

Both women came forward to give evidence following publicity of the case involving Ann Diggles, who prosecutors say mistakenly pressed the accelerator of her Nissan Qashqai instead of the brake and killed Julie Dean, 53, outside a charity shop in Leyland, Lancashire, in July 2014.

The 82-year-old denies causing death by dangerous or careless driving and claims a vehicle fault was to blame.

The defendant says the automatic vehicle "took off" when she "very gently" pressed the accelerator as she drove across the road and headed towards a parking space.

Lawyers for the retired nurse say a malfunction in the car's electronic throttle due to an undercharged battery led to an "uncommanded acceleration" of the vehicle.

Ann Diggles blames a vehicle malfunction for the fatal crash (Photo: PA)

But a senior boss of the Japanese automotive giant flew in to the UK to give evidence last week at Preston Crown Court that such an event was "impossible", as the jury also heard that no problem was identified with the throttle, brakes or battery.

Before the jury was sent out today to consider its verdict, Sharon Davies said that her Nissan Juke automatic ploughed into a wall at her home "incredibly quick" without her touching the accelerator, while Naomi Taylor said her Nissan Qashqai "sped off" on its own on a winding road before she managed to bring it to a halt.

Mrs Davies, from Marford, Wrexham, said she was returning home from a Tai Chi class with a neighbour, with her three-year-old son in the back of her car, when the collision happened on January 10.

She said: "Just as I had turned into my parking space the car made a funny clunking noise and almost came to a stop, and I remember thinking the car was going to stall.

"I went to touch the accelerator and the car just ploughed forward into the wall much quicker than I would have expected it to have done.

Japanese carmakers Nissan say their popular Qashqai model could not have suffered the type of malfunction Ann Diggles claims occurred

"I remember being absolutely shocked because my foot was not on the accelerator or brake at the time."

She added the car made a "high-pitched revving noise" as it accelerated.

She said the collision "completely demolished" the small wall and happened a week after the 2013 model Juke, which she owned from new, had been serviced and passed its MOT.

Her local Nissan dealer could not find any fault with the throttle and she later decided to part-exchange the Juke for a different make of car, the court was told.

Mrs Davies said: "Because they didn't find anything it made me more nervous to drive it again."

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/nissan-drivers-tell-runaway-car-9768762

Driver cleared over fatal Nissan Qashqai crash

• 7 February 2017

A driver who told a court her Nissan Qashqai "took off" and sped out control before hitting a pedestrian has been cleared of causing a fatal crash.

Ann Diggles, 82, was trying to park her car when it hit Julie Dean, 53.

Mrs Diggles denied causing death by dangerous or careless driving, blaming a vehicle fault for the crash in Leyland, Lancashire.

The Japanese car maker said it had found no faults when it examined Mrs Diggles' car.

Ms Dean, who was stepping out of a charity shop at the time, was pronounced dead at the scene

'No pedals mistake'

Lawyers for the retired nurse said a malfunction in the automatic car's electronic throttle, caused by an undercharged battery, led to the vehicle surging forward of its own accord in an "uncommanded acceleration".

But prosecutors claimed Mrs Diggles mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, which she denied.

During the trial, she said the car had "surged forward" as she put her foot "very gently" on the accelerator.

Amid coverage of the case, two women contacted the court to claim they had experienced "uncommanded acceleration" in their Nissan automatic cars.

'Exemplary safety record'

They went on to give evidence for the defence, telling the jury they believed the vehicles sped forward without them touching the accelerator.

Mrs Diggles, of Dalehead Road, Leyland, sat in the dock in tears after the jury cleared her.

In a statement, Nissan said: "The vehicle in this case was examined by Nissan and by the police. At no point was any fault found with the vehicle which could have caused this accident."

"The Qashqai has an exemplary safety record, and has been tested and complies with all safety regulations in all markets."

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-38897681