TOYOTA WON'T LET OFF THE GAS

Toyota Motor Corp. said it will recall about 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix sticking accelerator pedals, following its biggest-ever recall in the country last year for a similar danger.

The automaker, which in November said it would notify owners of 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles of a defect that may cause floor mats to jam the pedal, said in a statement yesterday that about 1.7 million autos are subject to both voluntary recalls.


“Our investigation indicates that there is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position,” Irv Miller, a group vice president for the company’s U.S. sales unit in Torrance, California, said in the statement.

The announcement may fuel concern that rapid expansion at the world’s largest automaker is leading to production and design glitches, eroding its reputation for quality. The recall is at least its fourth involving more than 100,000 autos in the U.S. the past two years, and Toyota’s sales in the country fell 20 percent in 2009, its biggest drop since 1961.
“Toyota is the new General Motors,” said Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Quality issues hurt any automaker, and these quality problems are bubbling up to the surface at the time when you have very bad market conditions.”
The recall applies to model years 2009-2010 RAV4 sport- utility vehicles, 2009-2010 Corolla and 2005-2010 Avalon sedans, 2009-2010 Matrix hatchbacks, 2007-2010 Camrys, 2010 Highlanders, 2007-2010 Tundra pickups and 2008-2010 Sequoia SUVs, according to Toyota.
Lexus, Scion Not Included
No Lexus- or Scion-brand vehicles were included in the recall, the Toyota City, Japan-based automaker said.
“Toyota has been discussing this issue with the agency over the last several days,” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokeswoman Karen Aldana said in an e-mail. “We believe it is a serious safety issue and we are pleased that Toyota is taking immediate action to address it.”
The timing for informing customers about the latest recall is still being worked out, said Brian Lyons, a spokesman for Toyota’s U.S. sales unit. Lyons couldn’t immediately say whether the company was aware of accidents or injuries related to the pedal flaw.
“We’re still investigating this issue,” he said.
John Hanson, a spokesman for Toyota’s U.S. unit, said the accelerator components used in the models recalled yesterday weren’t used in any Lexus vehicles or in some of the other models included in the November recall.


via: businessweek