On Monday, Toyota announced it would begin fixing accelerator pedals on recalled vehicles this week, and today U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told drivers to stop driving the cars until repairs can be made.
Testifying before a House appropriations subcommittee, LaHood said his advice to owners of recalled cars was “stop driving it.”
“Take it to a Toyota dealer because they believe they have a fix for it,” LaHood said.
The testimony appeared to be something of a reversal for LaHood. Earlier in the day, he told reporters Toyota owners should contact their dealer and “exercise caution until repairs can be made.”
The recall affects 2.3 million Toyotas with the potential for sticking gas pedals.
Earlier in the week, Toyota said its engineers had developed and “rigorously tested” a solution that involves reinforcing the pedal assembly in a manner that eliminates the excess friction that has caused the pedals to stick in some rare instances.
In addition, Toyota said it had developed a solution for vehicles currently in production.
Parts to reinforce the pedals are already being shipped for use by dealers, and dealer training is under way. Some Toyota dealers will work extended hours to complete the recall campaign as quickly as possible, with some even staying open 24 hours a day.
The company also stopped production of affected vehicles this week.
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive,” Toyota President and Chief Operating Officer Jim Lentz said. “We deeply regret the concern that our recalls have caused for our customers and we are doing everything we can – as fast as we can – to make things right. Stopping production is never an easy decision, but we are 100 percent confident it was the right decision. We know what’s causing the sticking accelerator pedals, and we know what we have to do to fix it. We also know it is most important to fix this problem in the cars on the road.”
Lentz also said the company was focused on making the recall as simple and trouble-free as possible.
“We want to demonstrate that our commitment to safety is as high as ever and that our commitment to our customers is unwavering,” he said.
Local Toyota owner Theresa Goff said she is taking the Transportation Secretary’s advice and parking her Highlander until it can be fixed.
“I haven’t had a problem, but it’s not worth the risk. I pick up my kids in that car and I won’t take any chances with their safety,” Goff said. I’ll just use my other car until we can get the Highlander to the dealer.”
Cinco Ranch’s Lou Fosterella said he is not worried about his Corolla.
“I’ll take it in first chance I get, but I’ll probably wait until after the rush. I’ve already got almost 30,000 miles on it, mostly between here and Dallas and Austin, and it’s been a great car,” Fosterella said. “I have a lot of confidence in my Toyota and I’ll probably get another one when it’s time to trade-in.”
Fosterella added the company “acted very responsibly” in handling the recall.
“If all companies reacted to problems like this, we’d all be better off,” he said.
On Jan. 21, Toyota announced its intention to recall vehicles equipped with a specific pedal assembly. Five days later, the company also suspended sales of the eight models involved in the recall.
Toyota models affected by the recall include:
- Certain 2009-2010 RAV4
- Certain 2009-2010 Corolla
- 2009-2010 Matrix
- 2005-2010 Avalon
- Certain 2007-2010 Camry
- Certain 2010 Highlander
- 2007-2010 Tundra
- 2008-2010 Sequoia
No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected.
Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Highlander hybrids and certain Camry models, including Camry hybrids, all of which remain for sale.
Additionally, Camry, RAV4, Corolla and Highlander vehicles with VIN that begin with “J” are not affected by the accelerator pedal recall.
In the event a driver experiences an accelerator pedal that sticks in a partial open throttle position or returns slowly to idle position, the vehicle can be controlled with firm and steady application of the brakes, the company announced. The brakes should not be pumped repeatedly because it could deplete vacuum assist, requiring stronger brake pedal pressure.
The vehicle should be driven to the nearest safe location, parked and a Toyota dealer contacted for assistance.
Separately from the recall for sticking accelerator pedals, Toyota is in the process of recalling vehicles in which floor mats have trapped the accelerator pedal in some Toyota and Lexus models. That recall was announced Nov. 25 of last year.
In the case of vehicles covered by both recalls, it is Toyota’s intention to remedy both at the same time, the company said.
