Saylor relatives suing Toyota, dealership 
 
 Related stories Government still hearing complaints about fixed Toyotas 
 
 READ THE SUIT View a copy of the lawsuit filed by Saylor family relatives (PDF) 
 
  Relatives of California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor sued Toyota Motor Corp. Tuesday for producing what they say is a fatally flawed vehicle that led to the fiery deaths of Saylor, his wife, daughter and brother-in-law and touched off a wave of recalls by the company. 
 
 The lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court also names the car dealership, Bob Baker Lexus in El Cajon, that provided Saylor the 2009 Lexus ES350 sedan as a loaner the morning of Aug. 28. Saylor had taken his car in for service that day. 
 
 Later that day, the Lexus suddenly accelerated as the group traveled along state Route 125 and Saylor — a veteran officer and experienced driver — was unable to control it, according to the lawsuit. After reaching speeds of 120 mph the car crashed where the highway intersects with Mission Gorge Road in Santee. 
 
 The lawsuit alleges product liability against Toyota and negligence against the dealership. It was filed by John Saylor, the officer’s father; Joan Robbins, his mother; Fe ﻿and Cleto Lastrella, the parents of Saylor’s wife, Cleofe; and his brother-in-law Christopher. 
 
 Fe Lastrella testified last week at a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in Washington, D.C., that is probing the automaker. She did not directly address the crash but in tearful testimony said, “I’m here to speak for my four children and for the safety of consumers throughout the world.” 
 
 John Gomez, one of the lawyers for the relatives, said testifying in front of Congress was “the first order of business” for the family and that now they wanted to move on with litigation. 
 
 A spokesman for the automaker said the company does not comment on matters involving litigation. 
 
 The lawsuit does not ask for a specific amount of money, which is not uncommon in civil lawsuits. Gomez said the family is also seeking something more. 
 
 “I think responsibility and change,” he said. “And that process has begun.” 
 
 Two weeks after the crash, an investigation by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department concluded that a floor mat may have held the accelerator in the open position. On Sept. 29 the company, citing floor-mat concerns, issued its largest recall ever in the United States, covering 3.8 million vehicles. 
 
 That was followed in January by recalls of 2.3 million cars to﻿ fix accelerator pedals. 
 
 The automaker is also facing a barrage of federal class-action lawsuits filed around the country by lawyers experienced in mass litigation involving tobacco and asbestos claims. 
 
 A hearing by a special panel of federal judges on whether those suits will be consolidated into one and assigned to a single federal court judge will be held March 25 in San Diego. ||||| Relatives of a family killed in a high-speed crash that galvanized attention around safety flaws of Toyotas and led to the recalls of millions of cars have sued the world's largest automaker for product liability and negligence, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. 
 
 The lawsuit filed in San Diego County Superior Court names Toyota Motor Corp., Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., other Toyota U.S. entities and El Cajon Luxury Cars, Inc. It seeks unspecified damages. 
 
 California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, 45, his wife, Cleofe, 45, their daughter Mahala, 13, and Cleofe's brother Chris Lastrella, 39, were traveling on a freeway near Santee, California, on Aug. 28 when their vehicle reached speeds of more than 120 mph (193 kph), hit a sport utility vehicle, launched off an embankment, rolled several times and burst into flames. 
 
 Investigators found that a wrong-sized floor mat that trapped the accelerator was the cause of the crash. 
 
 A haunting emergency call captured Lastrella telling the others to pray before the car launched off the embankment. 
 
 According to the lawsuit, the Lexus ES350 "began to accelerate on its own." Saylor attempted to apply the brakes and do everything possible to stop the car, but he was unable to do so, the lawsuit said. 
 
 Following that crash, Toyota recalled millions of cars to replace floor mats that it said could cause the accelerator to jam. The carmaker later recalled millions more vehicles to replace gas pedals that it said could stick. 
 
 Last week, company president Akio Toyoda apologized to Congress, millions of Toyota owners and to the Saylor family specifically during a hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in Washington, D.C. 
 
 Fe Lastrella, the mother of Chris Lastrella and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, testified at that hearing. 
 
 "I'm here to speak for my four children and for the safety of the consumers through the world," she told the committee. "You don't want another family to suffer like we are suffering."
– Relatives of the California Highway Patrol officer whose death sparked the first wave of Toyota recalls are taking the automaker to court. Mark Saylor was killed along with his wife, daughter, and brother-in-law when his Lexus ES350 was involved in a high-speed crash on a freeway last summer. The relatives blame Toyota for producing a fatally flawed vehicle and are suing for product liability and negligence, AP reports. Investigators determined that the crash was caused by a wrong-sized floor mat that trapped the accelerator, causing Saylor—a veteran officer and highly experienced driver—to lose control of the vehicle. Millions of Toyota vehicles were recalled soon afterward. A lawyer for the relatives says they are seeking more than just damages from Toyota, including "responsibility and change,” he told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “And that process has begun.”