Toyota moves forward on throttle pedal problems

On Jan. 21, Toyota issued a gargantuan recall to address a potential safety hazard that’s been making waves the world over. In what the automaker calls “rare instances,” an affected vehicle’s throttle pedal could stick, causing unintended and potentially uncontrollable acceleration that could result in an accident.

What’s the problem? Apparently, Toyota’s pedal design includes a mechanism that intentionally creates friction to give drivers the proper accelerator feel. Parts within this friction mechanism could wear out over time, causing the pedal to return slowly to its idle position — or cause it to become stuck in a partially-open position.

This problem is separate from an earlier recall last November that dealt with improperly-sized floor-mats that could trap the accelerator pedal in a depressed position.

Following the latest recall, the Japanese automaker ordered its dealers to stop selling various models until the problem is addressed. The brand’s Matrix, Camry, Highlander, Corolla, Avalon, RAV4, Tundra and Sequoia models will sit on dealer lots until the accelerator pedal assemblies have been replaced. Additionally, Toyota is asking current owners of some 270,000 vehicles to contact them to have their accelerator pedals replaced at no cost.

On a global scale, the recall will likely affect several million vehicles.

Note that the Yaris, Sienna, 4Runner, Camry Hybrid, Prius, Tacoma, Venza, FJ Cruiser and Solara aren’t affected by the recall, and neither are any Lexus or Scion branded vehicles built by Toyota. Toyota also says that vehicles with VIN numbers starting with the letter J are unaffected by the potentially faulty pedal assembly.

The pedal assemblies causing concern are built for Toyota by a secondary supplier called CTS — a company with manufacturing operations in North America, Europe and Asia. CTS notes that the pedals were built to the specifications of Toyota’s engineering team. Further, the company is only aware of a dozen instances of problems, none of which caused the pedal to remain stuck open.

CTS said it will continue to work closely with Toyota to remedy the problems, though. In fact, on Feb. 1, Toyota said a new accelerator pedal assembly had been developed and tested, and that it would be shipped to plants and dealers to repair affected vehicles.

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive,” Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Sales, 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. 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.”

Drivers in any vehicle who find themselves with a throttle pedal in the wide open position are advised to apply strong, steady brake pressure to reduce acceleration. Switching off the engine or removing the key from a moving vehicle is dangerous, as steering will become more difficult or impossible. A safe bet, generally, is to place the vehicle in neutral to disconnect the engine from the drive wheels, and then coast the vehicle safely to the side of the road before turning it off.
More information on Toyota’s latest recall is available to consumers by phoning Toyota Canada’s toll free number at 1-888-869-6828, or visiting www.toyota.ca.

Justin Pritchard is an automotive journalist and consultant who resides in Sudbury.