Toyota Clarifies Some Recall Info; Recall Expands to Europe, China
By Michelle Krebs January 28, 2010A top Toyota executive, in a briefing with Edmunds.com staffers, clarified some points of the 
automaker's recent actions regarding the recall and subsequent sales and production suspension of eight best-selling Toyota-brand models. He described symptoms that suggest unintended acceleration in these vehicles could occur and provided an update on a remedy for the problem.
Meantime, Toyota expanded its stop-sale to Europe and Asia as well as to the U.S. Toyota Corolla/Matrix-based Pontiac Vibe, a model from a brand that General Motors has discontinued. The Vibe had been built at the New United Motor Manufacturing GM-Toyota joint venture plant in Fremont, California, that is being closed by Toyota. Toyota also added about 1 million vehicles to the floormat recall initiated last fall.
Mike Michels, Toyota's vice president of communications in the U.S., told Edmunds.com staffers, who, like Toyota, have been flooded with media and consumer inquiries about Toyota's latest actions:
No Remedy Yet
No remedy currently exists for the flawed gas pedal mechanism, and it could be months before one is available to owners of these 2.3 million Toyota models covered by the recall announced last week.
By law, Toyota and its dealers were forced to stop selling the vehicles with the defective pedal mechanism, Michels said, as the law forbids the sale of a product with known defects. That's why Toyota announced suspension of sales of its eight best-selling models: Toyota Avalon (model years 2005-2010); Toyota Matrix (my 2009-2010); Toyota Tundra (my 2007-2008); Toyota Sequoia (my 2008-2010); some Toyota Camry (my 2007-2010); Toyota Corolla (my 2009-2010); Toyota Highlander (my 2010); and Toyota RAV4 (2009-2010).
It was Toyota's choice to close the half-dozen plants that produce those models.
Michels said Toyota engineers are working feverishly to develop a fix. When they do, it will still require testing and regulatory approval.
At the same time, Toyota said the supplier that produces the part, CTS Corp., based in Elkhart, Ind., which produces the part in Canada, has launched production of a revised part for new vehicles to be assembled at Toyota plants.
Symptoms Obvious
Michels said symptoms that one of these Toyota vehicles could be prone to unintended acceleration are obvious and the driver will immediately recognize something is amiss. He described it as "chatter." The pedal does not spring back smoothly or quickly after being depressed, or depresses slowly. He says these occurrences are "rare."
Michels said Toyota owners who do not experience these systems should continue driving their vehicles and feel comfortable doing so. He gives that advice to his neighbors and many relatives who drive Toyotas.
If the symptoms do occur, Michels says pushing on the brakes will stop the car.
Concerned consumers, particularly those who have experienced unintended acceleration, should call Toyota's customer service line or go to the automaker's Web site, Toyota.com. He suggested calling the customer service line at off hours -- early morning and evening -- as it has been overloaded with calls and the wait for a customer service representative can be long.
Recalls Spread
Michels reiterated that the 4.2 million recall of vehicles for a floormat issue is unrelated to the accelerator defect. He said owners should be receiving letters soon to bring their affected vehicles to dealerships for the fix.
However, the distinction will be difficult to convince the public of particularly since on Thursday, Toyota added 1.1 million vehicles to that recall list. The problem involves the gas pedal getting caught by the removable floormat, causing unintended acceleration.
In Europe and China, Toyota announced it was recalling a yet-to-be-determined number of vehicles for sticky accelerator pedals.
Similarly, Ford initiated a recall in China of its cargo vans for the same reason; Ford also uses CTS as its supplier. Ford CEO Alan Mulally said the recall involves only about 2,000 vehicles.
The stop-sale for the sticky accelerator now also covers the Pontiac Vibe (effectively the mechanical twin of Toyota's Corolla/Matrix). Few are believed to be available for sale since GM has Pontiac almost completely wound down.
Other Edmunds.com Resources
Edmunds.com has developed an information center to keep consumers informed about the 2010 Toyota recall on its Web site. The page,constantly updated as new information becomes available, features the Toyota recall list, guidance to determine whether owners' individual models may be affected, video instruction for safely controlling a vehicle that suddenly accelerates and other critical information. -- Michelle Krebs, Senior Analyst and Editor at Large
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