The largest automaker in the world, Toyota, announced Wednesday that the accelerator pedal will be replaced on some four million vehicles to prevent them from jamming into the carpet.
Models 2007-2010 Camry, Avalon 2005-2010, Prius 2005-2009, Tacoma 2005-2010 Tundra and 2007-2010 are vehicles with he issue. The luxury models 2007-2010 and Lexus ES350 Lexus IS250/350 2006-2010 are also affected.
The statement was issued by the headquarters of Toyota in the United States and U.S.. A spokeswoman for Toyota Canada has been unable to confirm whether some of the vehicles were sold in Canada.
Toyota have said that to alleviate the problem temporarily, Toyota shorten the throttle as early as January, the time to develop a new permanent pedal. The new accelerators should be available in April.
Toyota will also install on some models, a safety device called “Smart Brake” which stops the engine if the accelerator pedal and brake are applied simultaneously. Such a device will be installed on virtually all new Toyota vehicles by the end of 2010.
The President of the Association Automobile Protection (APA), George Iny, welcomed the announcement.
According to Mr. Iny, the APA has never believed that the explanation of the accelerator stuck in the carpet is the right one. His organization has heard of isolated incidents which have seen a vehicle start to accelerate because the throttle was just stuck, without the clutter of the carpet, or even without pressing the accelerator pedal.
Last August, an accident in California involving a Lexus E350 had killed three members of one family and one policeman. The vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably when the accelerator was stuck in the carpet. It was traveling at about 200 km / h at the time of the accident.
The following month, Toyota had asked the owners of certain models to remove the carpet from the driver’s side to prevent such incidents. But in early November, U.S. authorities have issued a statement in which they asserted that the removal of carpet “did not correct the underlying problem.
The U.S. government reported a hundred such incidents, which have left five dead and two wounded. But a Massachusetts firm that looked into the question relates rather 2000 incidents left 16 dead and 243 wounded.
In case of problems, Toyota recommends that drivers press the brake with both feet and place the transmission in “neutral” or even shut down.
Vehicles ES350, Camry and Avalon will be the first to be recalled due to a potentially more important.
Toyota Recall Over Gas Pedal Safety
Maybe if people bought American made cars, instead of Asian cheap cars no one would have this problem.
Funny thing is the vehicles in question were built in the US. I would still buy a Toyota over any of the cheap low quality American vehicles of any variety.
I bought the new $43k Tundra when they first came out in ‘07. During the first few months, the gas pedal stuck several times and almost got me into a couple of bad wrecks. Unfortunately, I’m an insurance adjuster and needed my truck for work; so, I never got it repaired. It hasn’t been stuck in a while, but this recall lets me know that I’m not the only one this has happened to. I’ll definitely make them repair mine when they have the solution.