Congressmen Seek Auto Insurers’ Records on Toyota Accidents, Warnings

Two Congressional leaders are requesting information from five large auto insurers on accidents involving recalled Toyotas.

The lawmakers have sent letters to Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Progressive and State Farm.

The letters were sent to chief executives of the five insurers by Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. They are requesting information regarding consumer complaints of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles and any warnings the insurance companies may have provided to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about defect trends in Toyota vehicles.

State Farm, the nation’s biggest auto insurer, reported recently that it had notified federal safety officials in 2007 of its concern over an unusually high number of accidents involving Toyota models.