driver accused of cruelty to animals and in a fine of USD 100 . He was caught carrying a goat in the trunk of his car

VIRGINIA A driver accused of cruelty to animals and in a fine of USD 100 . He was caught carrying a goat in the trunk of his car.Deputy sheriff kote Bedford, Virginia, United States (U.S.) found bound and the goat in the trunk of a car owned by Fiona Ann Enderby. When checked, it turns out she was also drunk driving. Thus reported the Associated Press, Sunday (22/08/2010).When asked the police, the woman was declared if the goats he bought from a farmer who will be given to someone else. We found the goat looked out of breath. When measured, the air in the trunk temparatur is approximately 94 degrees centigrade.

Arizona sheriff Arpaio forges ahead with aggressive immigration sweeps even after court ruling

PHOENIX Lost in the hoopla over Arizona’s immigration law is the fact that state and local authorities for years have been doing their own aggressive crackdowns in the busiest illegal gateway into the country.Nowhere in the U.S. is local enforcement more present than in metropolitan Phoenix, where Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio routinely carries out sweeps, some in Hispanic neighborhoods, to arrest illegal immigrants. The tactics have made him the undisputed poster boy for local immigration enforcement and the anger that so many authorities feel about the issue.

“It’s my job,” said Arpaio, standing beside a sheriff’s truck that has a number for an immigration hot line written on its side. “I have two state (immigration) laws that I am enforcing. It’s not federal, it’s state.”A ruling Wednesday by a federal judge put on hold parts of the new law that would have required officers to dig deeper into the fight against illegal immigration. Arizona says it was forced to act because the federal government isn’t doing its job to fight immigration.

The issue led to demonstrations across the country Thursday, including one directed at Arpaio in Phoenix in which protesters beat on the metal door of a jail and chanted, “Sheriff Joe, we are here. We will not live in fear.”Meanwhile, Gov. Jan Brewer’s lawyers went to court to overturn the judge’s ruling so they can fight back against what the Republican calls an “invasion” of illegal immigrants.

Ever since the main flow of illegal immigrants into the country shifted to Arizona a decade ago, state politicians and local police have been feeling pressure to confront the state’s border woes.In addition to Arpaio’s crackdowns, other efforts include a steady stream of busts by the state and local police of stash houses where smugglers hide illegal immigrants. The state attorney general has taken a money-wiring company to civil court on allegations that smugglers used their service to move money to Mexico. And a county south of Phoenix has its sheriff’s deputies patrol dangerous smuggling corridors.The Arizona Legislature have enacted a series of tough-on-immigration measures in recent years that culminated with the law signed by Brewer in April, catapulting the Republican to the national political stage.

But the king of local immigration enforcement is still Arpaio.Arpaio, a 78-year-old ex-federal drug agent who fashions himself as a modern-day John Wayne, launched his latest sweep Thursday afternoon, sending about 200 sheriff’s deputies and trained volunteers out across metro Phoenix to look for traffic violators who may be here illegally.

Deputy Bob Dalton and volunteer Heath Kowacz spotted a driver with a cracked windshield in a poor Phoenix neighborhood near a busy freeway. Dalton triggered the red and blue police lights and pulled over 28-year-old Alfredo Salas, who was born in Mexico but has lived in Phoenix with a resident alien card since 1993.

Dalton gave him a warning after Salas produced his license and registration and told him to get the windshield fixed.Salas, a married father of two who installs granite, told The Associated Press that he was treated well but he wondered whether he was pulled over because his truck is a Ford Lobo.

“It’s a Mexican truck so I don’t know if they saw that and said, ‘I wonder if he has papers or not,'” Salas said. “If that’s the case, it kind of gets me upset.”Sixty percent of the nearly 1,000 people arrested in the sweeps since early 2008 have been illegal immigrants. Thursday’s dragnet led to four arrests, but it wasn’t clear if any of them were illegal immigrants.Critics say deputies racially profile Hispanics. Arpaio says deputies approach people only when they have probable cause.

“Sheriff Joe Arpaio and some other folks there decided they can make a name for themselves in terms of the intensity of the efforts they’re using,” said Benjamin Johnson, executive director of the pro-immigrant Immigration Policy Center. “There’s no way to deny that. There are a lot of people getting caught up in these efforts.”The Justice Department launched an investigation of his office nearly 17 months ago over allegations of discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures. Although the department has declined to detail its investigation, Arpaio believes it centers on his sweeps.

Arpaio feels no reservations about continuing to push the sweeps, even after the federal government stripped his power to let 100 deputies make federal immigration arrests.Unable to make arrests under a federal statute, the sheriff instead relied on a nearly 5-year-old state law that prohibits immigrant smuggling. He has also raided 37 businesses in enforcing a state law that prohibits employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.”I’m not going to brag,” Arpaio said. “Just look at the record. I’m doing what I feel is right for the people of Maricopa County.” (AP)

Arizona to be Sued by US Government

Arizona Immigration Law SB1070 Text 2010 Update  Arizona to be Sued by US Government. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been quoted as saying that the Department of Justice could be planning to sue the state government over their controversial immigration law, citing that it is unconstitutional.Arizona’s law makes it a criminal offense to be present in the state without proper immigration or resident status.  It requires law enforcement to inquire about immigration status if probable cause to believe that someone is in the country illegally exists.

It also requires that everyone – citizens and immigrants alike, have proof of their status on their person at all times.  This can be accomplished with something as simple as a driver’s license.Many fear that the law will cause racial profiling at massive levels. Even the President has hinted that the law could cause issues for some immigrants.

Governor Jan Brewer plans on fighting hard against any lawsuit.  She found out about a potential lawsuit through a June 8 interview between Clinton and a TV station in Ecuador.  Brewer was outraged, and the AP reports that the governor said “If our own government intends to sue our state to prevent illegal immigration enforcement, the least it can do is inform us before it informs the citizens of another nation.Whether or not a lawsuit will be successful is something that will likely take months – if not a year or more – to determine.  This fight would go all the way to the Supreme Court and set important precedent over what will happen with immigration law.  This is definitely an issue that will polarize natural born citizens and immigrants alike. (AP)

Arizona's immigration law Is Unconstitutional, Class Claims

PHOENIX Arizona’s controversial immigration law “will cause widespread racial profiling and will subject many persons of color … to unlawful interrogations, searches, seizures and arrests,” according to a federal class action filed by the ACLU, the NAACP and other national civil rights groups.

The new law requires local police to enforce immigration laws and allows them to search vehicles without a warrant if an officer has a reasonable suspicion that the occupants don’t have immigration papers.

The groups want the court to block Arizona Senate Bill 1070, signed by Gov. Janice Brewer on April 23, from going into effect on July 28.They say the law is unconstitutional and “will create a legal regime regulating and restricting immigration and punishing those whom Arizona deems to be in violation of immigration laws.”

The law will also “cause widespread racial profiling and will subject many persons of color — including countless U.S. citizens, and non-citizens who have federal permission to remain in the United States — to unlawful interrogations, searches, seizures and arrests,” the groups claim.

The plaintiffs include the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Immigration Law Center, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Coalicíon De Derechos Humanos, the Muslim American Society, and the United Food and Commercial Workers International.

The Muslim American Society claims that its members, some of whom are immigrants, will be racially profiled “based on their foreign appearance and clothing, such as headscarves.” It also claims it won’t be able to educate the Muslim community in Arizona because its members “will be too afraid to attend meetings and organized activities and events.”
Jesus Cuauhtémoc Villa, a New Mexico resident and an Arizona State University anthropology student, claims that he may be subject to arrest because as a New Mexico resident he was not required to have proof of U.S. citizenship or immigration status to get a driver’s license. Villa claims he does not have a U.S. passport and does not want to risk losing his birth certificate by carrying it with him.

The plaintiffs say the Arizona immigration law “cannot be enforced without improperly singling out racial and ethnic minorities, including many U.S. citizens and persons authorized by the federal government to be present in the U.S., for stops, interrogations, arrests, and detentions.”

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio allegedly uses training materials stating that “the fact that an individual has no English skills or speaks English poorly is a factor indicating that an individual is not ‘lawfully present’ in the United States.”

The civil rights organizations demand a declaration that the Arizona immigration law is unconstitutional and an order blocking its enforcement. This is the fifth lawsuit filed against the Arizona immigration law in Federal Court.
The class is represented by Anne Lai of the ACLU Foundation of Arizona. (CN)

Michigan lawmaker believes the state's law enforcement officers need the authority to arrest illegal immigrants

LANSINGA Michigan lawmaker believes the state’s law enforcement officers need the authority to arrest illegal immigrants and is drafting legislation similar to Arizona’s new immigration law.Rep. Kim Meltzer, R-Clinton Township, said her bill would allow police to request proof of citizenship from people who are stopped and questioned on another offense, such as a traffic violation or selling fraudulent identity documents. Officers would have the authority to arrest people who can’t prove their legal status.”We have borders in place for a reason,” Meltzer said. “Everyone should play by the rules.”

Meltzer, who’s a candidate for state Senate in the August primary election, said racial profiling — a key fear among opponents of Arizona’s law — would not be tolerated. She said a driver’s license would be reasonable proof that a person was legally living in the U.S.The Arizona law approved last month empowers local police to question anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally. It has triggered a heated national debate, touched off protests and prompted some states to look at their own laws.

Meltzer said that when the federal government ignores its border patrol responsibilities, it presents “a financial liability for our states, local communities and schools.”Her plan has already garnered strong reaction.”This is absolutely unacceptable,” said Emily Diaz-Torres, executive director of the new Macomb Hispanic and International Service Center in New Haven. “If it’s anything like the Arizona law, we will definitely fight it.”

Shelli Weisberg, legislative director for American Civil Liberties Union in Michigan, said the group would fight Meltzer’s bill in the Legislature and in court if necessary.”We don’t want an Arizona-style bill. It encourages racial profiling,” Weisberg said, adding that such a law would put Michigan out of step with other states.

But Ken Grabowski, legislative director for the Police Officers Association of Michigan, said a law giving local police more authority is “probably something that needs to be done.””In many instances, if police find someone who is here illegally, they take them to the local (Immigration and Naturalization Service) office, and the person is given an appearance notice for a later date. But nobody ever shows up. It’s a farce,” he said.

There is no official estimate of the number of illegal immigrants in Michigan, state demographer Ken Darga said, adding that the counting process “is pretty imprecise.”Meltzer said Michigan law enforcement officers have been left with the responsibility to protect the state against those who sneak across the U.S.-Canadian border.Federal border officials allocated about $20 million a year ago for 11 cameras to be set up along the St. Clair River to watch for illegal immigrants crossing from Canada.

Shakira is shaking it up politically,'I'm here undocumented'

Shakira is shaking it up politically! The bombshell superstar Latin singer from Colombia visited Phoenix on Thursday, stepping right into the eye of the storm on immigration, and wasting no time. (Watch her on YouTube!)”I’m here pretty much undocumented,” she told a crowd at the Carl Hayden Youth Center as they screamed her name and took photos of her with cameras and cell phones.

She met with the city’s police chief and mayor over concerns that a sweeping new state law cracking down on illegal immigration will lead to racial profiling.The Grammy winner said she wanted to learn more about how the law will be implemented if it goes into effect this summer and to meet with Phoenix’s Latino community.”I heard about it on the news and I thought, ‘Wow,'” Shakira told The Associated Press after meeting with city officials. “It is unjust and it’s inhuman, and it violates the civil and human rights of the Latino community … It goes against all human dignity, against the principles of most Americans I know.

“”I’m not an expert on the Constitution but I know the Constitution exists for a reason,” Shakira told reporters after meeting with city officials. “It exists to protect human beings, to protect the rights of people living in a nation with or without documents. We’re talking about human beings here.”Shakira also made a stop at the state Capitol in downtown Phoenix, telling a group of a few hundred community members that if the law were in effect, she could be arrested since she didn’t bring her driver’s license to Arizona.She called on the U.S. Congress to work on immigration reform. “No person should be detained because of the color of their skin,” she said.

The law, signed Friday by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, is viewed as the toughest on illegal immigration in the nation and has drawn criticism from President Barack Obama, who questioned its legality. The law makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and directs police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they’re illegal immigrants.

The new law thrust Arizona into the international spotlight last week, with civil rights leaders and others demanding a boycott of the state, and the Mexican government warning its citizens about an “adverse political atmosphere” in Arizona. At least three Arizona cities are considering lawsuits to block the law, and there are two efforts to put a referendum on Arizona’s November ballot to repeal it.Shakira also sought to meet with Brewer during her visit to Phoenix but was told the governor’s schedule was booked, said Trevor Nielson, the singer’s political and philanthropic adviser.Shakira is perhaps best known for her nimble dance moves and songs including “Hips Don’t Lie” and “She-Wolf,” but recently she has become more active in political and social issues.

http://www.youtube.com/v/H7l93bvMiQY&rel=0&fs=1http://www.youtube.com/v/9TJVU7yF6UM&rel=0&fs=1

Shakira visited Phoenix to learn more about how the law will be implemented if it goes into effect this summer and to meet with Phoenix's Latino community

PHOENIX Colombian singer Shakira visited Phoenix on Thursday, meeting with the city’s police chief and mayor over concerns that a sweeping new state law cracking down on illegal immigration will lead to racial profiling.The Grammy winner said she wanted to learn more about how the law will be implemented if it goes into effect this summer and to meet with Phoenix’s Latino community.”I heard about it on the news and I thought, ‘Wow,'” Shakira told The Associated Press after meeting with city officials. “It is unjust and it’s inhuman, and it violates the civil and human rights of the Latino community … It goes against all human dignity, against the principles of most Americans I know.”

The law, signed Friday by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, is viewed as the toughest on illegal immigration in the nation and has drawn criticism from President Barack Obama, who questioned its legality. The law makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally and directs police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they’re illegal immigrants.”I’m not an expert on the Constitution but I know the Constitution exists for a reason,” Shakira told reporters after meeting with city officials. “It exists to protect human beings, to protect the rights of people living in a nation with or without documents. We’re talking about human beings here.”

Shakira also made a stop at the state Capitol in downtown Phoenix, telling a group of a few hundred community members that if the law were in effect, she could be arrested since she didn’t bring her driver’s license to Arizona.”I’m here pretty much undocumented,” she told the crowd, who screamed her name and took photos of her with cameras and cell phones.She called on the U.S. Congress to work on immigration reform. “No person should be detained because of the color of their skin,” she said.

The new law thrust Arizona into the international spotlight last week, with civil rights leaders and others demanding a boycott of the state, and the Mexican government warning its citizens about an “adverse political atmosphere” in Arizona. At least three Arizona cities are considering lawsuits to block the law, and there are two efforts to put a referendum on Arizona’s November ballot to repeal it.Supporters of the law say it takes the handcuffs off police and is necessary to protect Arizonans, while opponents say it will lead to rampant racial profiling.

Shakira also sought to meet with Brewer during her visit to Phoenix but was told the governor’s schedule was booked, said Trevor Nielson, the singer’s political and philanthropic adviser.Shakira is perhaps best known for her nimble dance moves and songs including “Hips Don’t Lie” and “She-Wolf,” but recently she has become more active in political and social issues.

She visited earthquake-ravaged Haiti earlier this month, expressed her support for Cuban dissident group Ladies in White and has worked as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. Her Barefoot foundation provides nutrition to more than 6,000 children in Colombia, and she is a member of the ALAS foundation that advocates for children across Latin America.Last month, the U.N. labor agency gave the singer a medal for her work to help impoverished children.

Express mail giant FedEx Corp. is preparing to roll out the first of four new all-electric delivery trucks

Express mail giant FedEx Corp. is preparing to roll out the first of four new all-electric delivery trucks in Los Angeles next month, but Chief Executive Frederick W. Smith said there were still significant barriers to bringing large numbers of zero-emission and low-emission commercial vehicles into service quickly in the U.S.

“We would like to significantly expand the number of vehicles we have in this category,” Smith said. “But the capital costs are 50% higher than regular vehicles. Production hasn’t ramped up enough to bring down the expense. The regulatory requirements are arduous, and there aren’t enough tax credits or incentives.”

On Friday, FedEx’s new truck wrapped up a road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles along historic Route 66, with a final stop at the Santa Monica Pier.The truck, which is slightly smaller and more rounded than the conventional FedEx delivery van, was built in Indiana by Navistar International Corp. and designed by Modec of Coventry, England. FedEx first tested a small number of similar trucks in Europe.”It’s time for the truck manufacturing industry to create its version of the Prius: clean, affordable and widely available for truck fleets,” Smith said as a driver put the new electric truck through its paces on downtown L.A. streets last week.

Smith said that his company’s interest in greatly reducing reliance on fossil fuels dates to 2000, when it teamed with the Environmental Defense Fund to develop a cleaner delivery truck. Three years later, Eaton Corp. and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. built the FedEx hybrid truck, which was put into service in 2004. FedEx said hybrid trucks improved fuel economy 42%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25% and cut particulate pollution 96%.

There were only about 1,200 hybrid trucks on the road in the U.S. in 2009, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. The FedEx fleet includes 319 diesel-electric hybrids among its 27,000 trucks in its Express division; in the Los Angeles region, 70 of the roughly 1,000 delivery trucks are hybrids.Worldwide, FedEx said that it would have 1,869 alternative-fuel vehicles in its inventory by the end of June, but Smith said it wasn’t nearly enough. Using low-emission vehicles, FedEx saved 45 million gallons of fuel, thereby avoiding 452,573 metric tons of CO2 emissions between fiscal years 2005 and 2008, the company said.

In the fiscal third quarter that ended Feb. 28, the company said it spent $694 million on gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.John. E. Formisano, FedEx vice president of global vehicles, said the Navistar electric truck could haul 3,300 pounds and has a range of 100 miles on a single charge.

Two more electric trucks are also going to be tested in Los Angeles, but FedEx hasn’t selected a manufacturer yet.FedEx executives acknowledge that a handful of electric trucks will barely make a dent in the company’s fuel consumption and noxious emissions. But by commissioning and testing such vehicles, FedEx helps move the technology forward, they said.”They have been tested in colder climates,” Formisano said. “We’re going to see how they operate in Los Angeles now.”

President Barack Obama dared Republicans to try to repeal his new health care law

IOWA CITY, President Barack Obama dared Republicans to try to repeal his new health care law, telling them Thursday to “Go for it” and see how well they do with voters in November.”Be my guest,” Obama said in the first of many planned appearances to sell the revamp before fall congressional elections. “If they want to have that fight, we can have it. Because I don’t believe the American people are going to put the insurance industry back in the driver’s seat.”

With emotions raw around the nation over this week’s Democrats-only vote to approve the nearly $1 trillion redesign of the health care system, Obama took the opposition to task for “plenty of fear-mongering, plenty of overheated rhetoric.”

“If you turn on the news, you’ll see that those same folks are still shouting about how it’s going to be the end of the world because this bill passed,” said Obama, returning to the college town where, as a presidential candidate three years ago, he unveiled his plan to provide health care for all.

No Republican lawmakers voted for the 10-year, sweeping package that Obama signed Tuesday and will shape how almost every American will receive and pay for medical treatment. Many in the GOP are predicting it will prove devastating in November for the Democrats who voted for it.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said the GOP won’t give up “until this bill is repealed and replaced with common-sense ideas” that won’t dismantle the current system and increase the debt.

Some Democratic lawmakers have faced threats and vandalism because of their votes. Obama didn’t mention the incidents.

The president stressed the notion of a promise kept. As the crowd broke into a chant of “Yes we can!”, Obama corrected them: “Yes we did!”

Challenged by a young man in the audience who shouted several times, “What about the public option,” a liberal-backed proposal for the creation of a government-sponsored plan to compete with private insurers, Obama said: “We couldn’t get it through Congress.”

“This legislation is not perfect, as you just heard,” the president said. “But what this is, is a historic step to enshrine the principle that everybody gets health care coverage in this country, every single person.”

Afterward, Obama visited Prairie Lights Books – killing two birds with one stone. He had highlighted the store in his speech as a small business that has offered coverage to full-time employees for 20 years, but is struggling to continue to do so after its premiums rose last year by 35 percent. Obama also has frequently complained of his inability as president to do regular things – like browse a bookstore.

The White House suggests it has the upper hand on the issue politically, arguing the GOP risks a voter backlash because a repeal would take away many benefits. Among them are tax credits for small businesses to provide health care to their workers and $250 rebates for seniors to help pay for their presciption medications.Obama spoke as Democrats in Washington raced to complete the overhaul with a separate package of fixes to the main bill.

Senate leaders finished work Thursday on the fix-it legislation, already approved in the House. But Republican attempts to derail the bill resulted in minor changes, meaning the House must vote on it again before Obama can sign it. The House vote was expected by evening. (AP)

Toyota Will Fix or Replace 4 Million Gas Pedals

DETROIT — Toyota said Wednesday it would have to fix the gas pedals of about four million vehicles, including the Camry, to resolve a widespread problem with unintended acceleration.The announcement was another setback for Toyota, which until last year appeared all but unstoppable. Its disciplined business approach, surging profits and reputation for quality helped it take market share from troubled competitors, and win from General Motors the title of world’s largest automaker.But the global downturn has battered Toyota, along with most car companies. And Toyota, which has issued other recalls in recent years, risks losing its standing in the eyes of many consumers as the benchmark for reliability.Three weeks ago, the company said it would recall only driver-side floor mats, which it said could get stuck on the accelerator and cause an accident.Since then, federal regulators have pressured Toyota to do more to insure the safety of several models, including the Camry, three Lexus sedans and its Prius hybrid.

Safety experts said the huge recall could do more damage to Toyota’s reputation, much as Ford and Firestone suffered from rollover problems earlier this decade with the Ford Explorer.“Clearly Toyota has its back up against the wall like it never has before,” said Sean Kane of Safety Research and Strategies, a consulting firm in Rehoboth, Mass.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started scrutinizing the issue of jammed gas pedals after a high-speed crash in August near San Diego. A Lexus ES350 hit another vehicle at more than 120 miles per hour, killing four people.

Moments before the crash, a passenger called 911 and said the gas pedal was stuck and the driver could not stop.On Nov. 2, Toyota said it would voluntarily recall floor mats that could interfere with the operation of the gas pedals if they became unmoored.

It also said that federal safety administration officials had found no other defect — a statement that the agency quickly noted was “inaccurate and misleading.”Under the new recall, Toyota will shorten gas pedals by three-quarters of an inch, starting in January, and in some cases remove padding from the floor to prevent the pedals from getting stuck on floor mats.The models covered include the 2007-10 Camry sedan and Tundra pickup trucks, 2005-10 Avalon sedan and Tacoma pickup, 2004-9 Prius hybrid, and three models from its Lexus division: the 2007-10 ES350 and 2006-10 IS250 and IS350.

The affected models compose nearly half of all the Toyotas sold in the United States over the last several years.The company also said it would develop replacement pedals that would be available by April, and provide modified floor mats. In addition, Toyota said it would start installing “brake override” systems — which can slow a vehicle down even if its gas pedal is stuck — as standard equipment on many of its new 2010 models.In a statement, the company vowed to continue to investigate the acceleration issues.“The safety of our owners and the public is our utmost concern and Toyota has and will continue to thoroughly investigate and take appropriate measures to address any defect trends that are identified,” the company said.While federal regulators have attributed only a few accidents to unintended acceleration from floor mats, there have been hundreds of reports of incidents linked to problems with Toyota’s gas pedals.Independent vehicle-testing firms have found that acceleration problems can occur in Toyotas even when floor mats were not present.When a car is speeding out of control, some drivers can panic and not know how to react, said Jake Fisher, a senior engineer with Consumer Reports magazine. Part of the problem, he said, is Toyota’s use of a push-button ignition system in many models.“It’s pretty frightening,” said Mr. Fisher. “It’s not easy to control that situation.”A spokesman for Toyota, Irv Miller, said the company had “no indication” that acceleration problems were caused by anything other than floor mats jamming gas pedals.“We are very, very confident that we have addressed this issue,” Mr. Miller told reporters in a conference call on Wednesday. He said the addition of brake override systems would “add that extra level of confidence.”Some consumers question the floor-mat explanation.Sandra Reech, owner of a 2008 Tacoma, said she was driving on an expressway near Pittsburgh in March when her accelerator got stuck.

“I was careening down the highway at well over 100 miles per hour,” she said. “I was standing on the brake and it wouldn’t slow down.”She eventually got the car into neutral and pulled off the road. She then checked the floor mat, and it “wasn’t in the way of the gas pedal,” she said.Mrs. Reech has since removed her floor mats, but still worries. “Every time I get in this vehicle I am afraid of it,” she said.Several lawsuits have been filed against Toyota, including a class-action suit in California. “We feel that Toyota has known about this problem for a long time,” said David Wright, whose firm filed the class-action case on Nov. 5 in Los Angeles.Toyota’s United States sales have dropped 25 percent so far this year, the same as the overall market. But the latest recall could hurt it at a time when it is trying to come back.“Often when people buy a Toyota, they are buying it because it’s trouble- free,” said Mr. Fisher. “If all of a sudden there’s this perception that Toyota isn’t flawless, you may see people think twice.”