Toyota Ships Gas Pedal Fix To Dealers

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday its dealers should get parts to fix a sticky gas pedal problem by the end of this week as the automaker apologized to customers and tried to bring an end to a recall that has affected 4.2 million vehicles worldwide.

The company said in a statement that it has begun shipping parts and is training dealers on the repairs. Some dealers will stay open around the clock to fix the 2.3 million cars and trucks affected by the recall in the U.S.

Technical bulletins on how to install the new parts should arrive at dealers by midweek, the company told dealers in an e-mail. It was not clear exactly when repairs would start, although dealers have said they'll begin as soon as possible.

The automaker also said Monday it would suspend production of eight U.S. models affected by the recall this week, with factories restarting on Feb. 8.

Toyota suspended sales of the models last week, but spokesman Mike Michels said dealers can begin selling the cars as soon they are fixed. However, cars already on the road will be the dealers' first priority, he said in an e-mail.

Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Sales, said in the statement that nothing is more important than customer safety.

In a video clip released by the automaker, Lentz said he wanted to "sincerely apologize to Toyota owners. I know that our recalls have caused many of you concern and for that I am truly sorry."

"Toyota has always prided itself on building high-quality, durable cars that customers can depend on and I know that we've let you down," Lentz said.

Lentz, in an interview on NBC's "Today," said the automaker was "confident that we have the fix" for the gas pedal system. He said the company first developed a report on the problems in late October, and he denied that Toyota had delayed addressing the problem.

"I drive Toyotas. My family members drive Toyotas ... I would not have them in products that I knew were not safe," Lentz said.

Tammy Darvish, a dealer in the Washington, D.C., area, said she expects to get parts Thursday night or Friday morning, and her dealership will begin repairs immediately, staying open around the clock.

Darvish said she has set up a 24-hour hotline for her 30,000 Toyota customers and had already begun to schedule appointments for later this week. She estimated it could take about two weeks for all the vehicles to be fixed.

"No matter what Toyota does, they always do it right," Darvish said. "They might be a little slow in coming out, but that's because they're diligent."

Toyota recalled the vehicles on Jan. 21, determining that excess friction in the gas pedal assembly could in rare cases cause the pedals to stick.

Engineers traced the problem to a friction device in the assembly that is supposed to provide the proper pedal "feel" by adding resistance, Toyota said in a statement.

The device has a shoe that rubs against a nearby metal surface during normal pedal use. But wear and environmental conditions can over time cause the pedals to not operate smoothly or in rare cases stick partially open.

The company said a steel reinforcement bar will be installed, reducing the friction.

"With this reinforcement in place, the excess friction that can cause the pedal to stick is eliminated," the statement said. "The company has confirmed the effectiveness of the newly reinforced pedals through rigorous testing on pedal assemblies that had previously shown a tendency to stick."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Toyota last week that it was satisfied with the repair plan. Legally Toyota did not need NHTSA's approval, but the company would be unlikely to proceed without the government's blessing.

Toyota told its dealers in an e-mail that they should determine what vehicles to repair first. The company said it "strongly recommends dealers prioritize consumer vehicles first, followed by dealer owned inventory." The repairs are expected to take about 30 minutes of work, and drivers should not notice any change in the feel of the pedal.

Owners are expected to receive information by mail beginning this week. The company will cover all repair costs.

Since the recall was announced, dealers have been in the difficult position of telling angry customers that they have no parts to fix the cars.

The recall in the U.S. includes the 2009-10 RAV4 crossover, the 2009-10 Corolla, the 2009-10 Matrix hatchback, the 2005-10 Avalon, the 2007-10 Camry, the 2010 Highlander crossover, the 2007-10 Tundra pickup and the 2008-10 Sequoia SUV. It also has been expanded to another 1.9 million vehicles in Europe and China.

Toyota said that not all the models of Camry, RAV4, Corolla and Highlander listed in the recall have the faulty gas pedals, which were made by CTS Corp. of Elkhart, Ind. Dealers can tell which models have the CTS pedals. Models made in Japan, and some models built in the U.S., have pedal systems made by another parts supplier, Denso Corp., which function well.

All Matrix, Avalon, Tundra and Sequoia models covered by the recall have the faulty pedals.

Etienne Plas, a spokesman for Toyota Motors Europe in Brussels, said that the car maker would implement the same remedy for the sticky gas pedals in Europe, but he didn't know when.

"We will work as fast and as efficiently as possible in the US and in Europe, but we have no precise details in Europe. I cannot tell you precisely when that is going to happen, but as fast as possible," Plas said.

Toyota had announced late Friday that it would begin shipping new gas pedal systems to U.S. dealers as well.

On Sunday, Toyota took out full-page ads in 20 major newspapers to reassure customers.

But crisis management experts said the company's reputation for impeccable reliability has been damaged.

Meanwhile, Consumer Reports, an influential publication for car buyers, on Friday suspended its "recommended" status for the eight recalled Toyota models.

The pedal recall is separate from another recall involving floor mats that can bend and push down accelerators on certain Toyota and Lexus models. The two recalls combined affect more than 7 million vehicles worldwide.

Toyota said Monday it is in the process of recalling vehicles to fix the floor mat problem. Some of its cars are affected by both recalls, and the company said it intends to fix both problems at the same time.

The repairs will not bring an end to public scrutiny on how Toyota handled the problems.

The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is launching an investigation. It has scheduled a Feb. 10 hearing titled "Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public at Risk?" and asked Yoshi Inaba, chairman and CEO of Toyota Motor North America, to testify. Separately, a House investigative panel is planning a Feb. 25

Tom Krisher reported from Detroit.

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Viewing 21 User Comments	Add a Comment
CTS Made them..... 2/1/2010 12:06:00 PM BUT...who is design responsible? Japanese manufacturers don't let design of the important parts go to outside suppliers. You can try to throw CTS under the bus, but if it is YOUR design and they are making to to YOUR specs, it's on YOU! I find it hard to believe that testing did not expose this design flaw and they missed it. WOW! It sounds like a Wear/ Contamination 101 issue.
It Figures 2/1/2010 12:08:00 PM Noticed the defective assembly is a US (Elkhart, Ind) made assembly whereas the Denso (Japan) made assemblies have no problem. I wonder why?? When will they learn??
Sure it is! 2/1/2010 12:09:00 PM Now does it seem mighty strange for a dealer of past quality prestige to all of a sudden have "two separate incidents, both involving the gas pedal"? Sure does to me! I think the first floor mat response was a ploy to give Toyota a chance to deny any major recalls while looking into the issue on the QT. Too bad it took 18 deaths to bring about the recall that should have been done months ago. Will there be consequences for this delayed reaction from the House Oversight Committee? It will probably depend on how much cash changes hands!
Gas Pedal ..... Gimme a break 2/1/2010 12:30:00 PM If the gas pedal get's stuck, the brakes should still stop the car. I don't believe they are ready to disclose the root cause of runaway vehicles.
this is NOT a new problem 2/1/2010 12:55:00 PM My wife has a 1997 Toyota Camry CE. The car has been amazingly trouble free for 150K miles. However the gas pedal has always been problematic. It seems to catch on something. I have looked at it thinking it must be something simple but the cause is hidden. My wife kind of got used to it but it was always annoying to me on the rare occasions when I drove it. I suspect that faulty mechanism is related to the current major problem.
Gas Pedal 2/1/2010 1:10:00 PM Hooray for a company that admits its mistakes and fixes them. Do you recall the Ford transmissions that came out of the PARK position and rolled away? Do you recall the Chrysler mini vans that when rear ended had the back doors fly open and people in the back seat would be ejected from the car? Did either of them stop production? Toyota is doing the right thing. It is a shame that these tragedies happen, but they happen to all car companies. I appreciate the car companies that openly admit the guilt and take on the responsibility of fixing the problem. In my view Toyota is doing just that.
Runaway condition ought to be impossible 2/1/2010 1:14:00 PM As an engineering goal the brake should have priority and fully override the accelerator , especially in a stuck down condition, as a matter of system process control design and not just by brute force. It seems so obvious when you stand back a bit and think about what you might want the machine to do. There should always be a "fail safe" way to bail out of a fault condition on ANY machine. It is entirely possible for engineers to design the possibility of runaway conditions out of vehicles. I would love to see the industry wake up on this one.
Hey"It Figures" 2/1/2010 1:17:00 PM If you read the artilcle closly, it states that"...pedal systems made by another parts supplier, Denso Corp., which function well. " It doesn't say it was the same pedal system Toyota had CTS build. The other pedal systems may, and probably are, of a different design. I fully agree with "CTS Made Them...", it's Toyota's poor design that is the root cause, not the suppliers. Also, when will YOU learn. If we're so bad, why are YOU here? You can go to Japan and praise them. And... waht do YOU design? Is it any good or do you have the Japanese do it for you?
Re:CTS Made them 2/1/2010 1:52:00 PM Exactly! CTS made them to Toyota specifications, and you can be certain Toyota's QC had to pass on them! And by the way, Elkhart, IN based CTS made these at their Canadian factory! Come to think of it, the "wear and contamination" excuse just doesn't fit the conditions. But typical of the Oriental culture, where embarassment, "saving face" is so important, I can see why they would want to place the blame elsewhere! And, how about the brand new Lexus that wiped out a California family in a crash and burn that brought this whole problem to the forefront? Was that a wear and contamination issue? If the pedal assemblies were designed so that "contamination" could cause such a large problem, I don't think they were at all well designed. And using a friction device to give the electronic pedal the right feel? How lame is this design? After reading this through the first time, I went out to the parking lot, and took a good look at mine. It has a much heavier than I expected coiled torsion spring on it. No friction devices, just a well sealed sending unit, and a clever bellcrank and screw arrangement for the adjustable pedal height, and of course a cable with a pretty robust connector. This is on a Ford pickup, and I understand CTS makes pedals for them also. Mechanically very simple and dependable. It will be interesting to follow this mess as the repairs unfold, and I actually wonder if a bit of ECC reprogramming is also involved, to give the brakes priority. And by the way, Toyota...it isn't a rare problem or a partial throttle sticking. But then, you already knew that. You need a better spinner.
RE: Gas Pedal...Gimme a break 2/1/2010 1:53:00 PM THAT is the real question. Should be interesting if despite the "fix" accidents continue to occur. I understood it had something to do with the drive by wire system.
?? 2/1/2010 1:57:00 PM Toyota/Honda had a free pass in this country for years with unproven quality and perception from our own media..They loved bashing the Detroit Big three for every little quality problem,and helped build these other car companies up in our own back yard.....to bad people had to die in order show how stupid we have become..allowing States to give huge tax breaks to outsiders that competed directly against us. The US auto industry built this country and protected us during the World WARS of this country and nobody thanked them, no protection or support....Our govt. and the Media need to investigate and make Toyota disclose what happen and hold them accountable under intense investigation, not just sweep this under the rug..HALT production and Sales, hold them accountable and charge them if this was in fact a cover up..The Media needs to apologize to the US Car companies and promote American built quality cars, they deserve your support...
Hey "it figures" 2/1/2010 2:37:00 PM You must be Japanese. Or if you aren't you should consider moving there. You aren't an American if you think that we can't build it as good or better than the Japanese. And I am sure it was a Toyota designed and approved pedal (if thats what the problems really is). I actually think maybe its a flaw in the computer programming of the vehicle. These days "Everything" is controlled by the computer which I personally think is a mistake. Ever see a bug free computer - I haven't.
Re "Hey "It Figures""... 2/1/2010 2:48:00 PM It's entirely possible that parts from both Denso and CTS were made to the same design spec. I have read in other articles that premature wear is occuring in the CTS parts. It's possible that the parts from CTS are wearing before they reach their expected life. I'm confident Toyota engineering will determine the root cause and resolve it.
M-16s in Vietnam 2/1/2010 3:10:00 PM More guys were killed off with defective M-16 issues years back so I wouldn't worry about such a designed in 3-D flaw, caused by those flawless 3-D Mechanical Engineers that seldome put rubber to the road.
Separation of... 2/1/2010 4:06:00 PM "...but the company would be unlikely to proceed without the government's blessing." Since when did our secular government start giving out blessings? They give out money like there's no tomorrow but I believe that the government has no blessings to give out.
Family of 4 killed was tragic, but..... 2/1/2010 4:48:00 PM I am getting a little tired of hearing about the Lexus that crashed killing all 4 passengers. The guy had plenty of time to get on his cell phone and try to get help, but he couldn't shift into neutral to stop the car? Yes, the sticking pedal might have been caused by a design issue, but the people died because of stupidity, not negligence of Toyota. I drive my Tundra with confidence, even without it being reworked yet.
speaking of computer Bugs in cars 2/1/2010 4:59:00 PM I had a Dodge Intrepid and if you used keyless entry it would put the Body Control module in test mode and Heat wouldn't work. So in the middle of winter we would have to play with the heat control to get the computer to come out of test mode. Took it back 4 times. We were getting the Lemon paperwork ready when the dealer called us and said they had a newly programmed Body Control Module. When we picked it up we drove away and quickly realized about half the systems weren't working including headlights, dashlights, speedometer, etc. so we took it back and they finally fixed it. No such thing as a bugless computer in my book.
quality control 2/1/2010 6:40:00 PM I have driven Toyota vehicles for decades and quality and support are far superior to anything from Ford (with its Pinto gas caps, Explorer tire failures, and Crown Victoria gas tanks exploding with rear end collisions) or GM which has had numerous problems with defects in transmissions and engines and seldom covers them under warranty, including all the problems with GM intake manifold gaskets and the ineffective and undersized brakes on its SUV's, and then we have the notorious Chrysler K cars and the Sebring and others that look nice but whose owners make 10x more trips for repairs to the dealer than any other car. Even with heavy off road use my Toyota trucks held together and never needed anything other than standard servicing. When my brother's Toyota truck blew its head gasket at 110,000 miles Toyota determined that the gasket was defective and rebuilt the engine and gave him a 100,000 mile warranty on the repair. When my Toyota blew its intake manifold gasket at 63,000 miles it was my expense and others have had to pay for the same repair to Malibu engines with only 32K miles. It is only due to the superior products from Germany and Japan and now Korea that American car manufacturers have been forced to produce safer and more reliable cars.
re; quality control 2/2/2010 9:06:00 AM My boss's Lexus blew an engine @ 50,000 and they said tough, out of warranty.
As and engineer, 2/2/2010 10:36:00 AM I am curious about what the possible cause(s) might be. I have never looked under the hood of any of the suspect vehicles. Does anyone know if Toyota uses a cable to link the accelerator to the throttle butterfly valve? I know they were in the lab at one time, but I don't know if computer-controlled throttle valves are being used in production vehicles. If they are, then it is easier to come up with a scenario where the vehicle "suddenly accelerated". I do know that Ford has used a "bypass air valve", which bypasses the butterfly valve. This valve is used to control idle speed when cold and to compensate for things such as A/C compressor loads and power steering loads. My Tauruses used this configuration and it never seemed to give any trouble. I could, however, see a situation where if you were sitting stopped in traffic with your foot lightly on the brake and the computer suddenly increased idle speed, there could be a problem. If there is a cable link to the throttle valve, then the sticking might be caused by fraying of cable strands (could be caused by water getting into the cable housing). Right now, I'm not sure how this could cause a "sudden acceleration" of the vehicle. I guess we'll see if the "fix" really does fix the problem.
gas pedal, brake, steering problems 2/17/2010 9:48:00 AM It must be a software problem. Maybe using a cell phone while in the car messes up the electronics? Is this going to be a issue in the Nissan and Honda cars too? The same manufacture makes the same parts for Toyota.

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