After nearly a week with no word about the defective accelerator pedal, Toyota announced on Monday, that they would begin to ship parts to dealers and begin training staff to perform the repairs. Many dealers, frustrated with Toyota’s delays and lack of information have promised consumers to work round the clock to make the repairs.
The repair, which should only take about a half an hour, involves installing a steel shim in the pedal assembly which should eliminate the excess friction between the two pieces of the accelerator mechanism. Toyota claims that this friction is what causes the pedal to either stick in a depressed position or to return slowly to the idle position. The faulty gas pedal only includes parts manufactured by CTS Corporation in Elkhart, Indiana. The recall on the floor mats can be fixed at the same time. Although, Toyota asks that owners wait for a recall letter before contacting their dealer for appointments, some dealers plan to contact every buyer of a recalled model to explain and schedule the repair.
The recalled models include:
2009-2010 RAV4
2009-2010 Corolla
2009-2010 Matrix
2005-2010 Avalon
2007-2010 Camry
2010 Highlander
2007-2010 Tundra
2008-2010 Sequoia
Despite the effort to fix the faulty gas pedals, Toyota still remains under scrutiny. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood are questioning the details of the recall. The National Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Toyota had different views of the accuracy of the floor mat recall. Two congressional committee hearings are planned, beginning next week.
There are some who are not sure that the gas pedal and the floor mat recalls are the sole source of the unexplained sudden acceleration associated with the recalled Toyota vehicles. Safety advocates and consumers question whether the problem is in the electronic system.
After stopping production on its recalled models, Toyota plans on resuming production next week as the vehicles are repaired and sales pick up.
