Toyota Owners: Your Recall Notice may have a Silver Lining
Say you’ve been judged at fault in an accident with your now-recalled vehicle. You’re paying an insurance surcharge, but the crash may actually have been caused or influenced by a stuck accelerator. If this is the case, you are entitled to request a late appeal hearing, according to recent ruling by the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Merit Rating Board. This is true even if you have had a previous hearing before the board.
Your request for a late appeal hearing must be filed within 60 days of the notice of recall or from the date of the Division of Insurance alert, whichever is later. Also, it must be accompanied by a copy of both the Toyota recall notice and the surcharge appeal notice from your insurance company, plus a $50 fee - if you have not previously filed an appeal.
You will be required to demonstrate that the vehicle involved in the accident is one of the models recalled, and that the accident was related to the acceleration problem outlined in the notice. Hearing determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis.
To request a late appeal you should call the Merit Rating Board at 617-351-4400. Before you do, though, please contact your E&L customer service representative for advice and assistance.
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