Toyota Will Start Fixing Recalled Vehicles This Week, Class-Action Lawsuit Filed
Posted February 1, 2010 8:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toyota owners affected by last month’s massive recall should be able to get their vehicles in the shop by the end of this week, the automaker said Monday.
Toyota Canada said it will begin fixing those potentially sticky gas pedals this week after engineers developed a steel reinforcement bar.
The accelerator sticks due wear and tear to a friction device in conjunction with a spring in the assembly that controls the depression and release of the gas pedal.
“Toyota’s solution for current owners is simple, effective and quick to deploy. A precision-cut steel reinforcement bar will be installed into the assembly that will reduce the surface tension between the friction shoe and the adjoining surface,” the automaker said in a statement released Monday.
“With this reinforcement in place, the excess friction that can cause the pedal to stick is eliminated. The company has confirmed the effectiveness of the newly modified pedals that had previously shown a tendency to stick.”
Approximately 270,000 vehicles were recalled in Canada on Jan. 21 and production and sales were subsequently halted on the following models:
- Certain 2009-2010 RAV4
- 2009-2010 Corolla
- 2009-2010 Matrix
- 2005-2010 Avalon
- 2007-2010 Camry
- 2010 Highlander
- 2007-2010 Tundra
- 2008-2010 Sequoia
The Canadian recall was part of a larger recall involving 4.2 million vehicles.
For more information contact Toyota at www.toyota.ca and at the Toyota Customer Interaction Centre at 1-888-TOYOTA-8.
A national class-action lawsuit was filed Monday against Toyota for losses and injuries as a result of the faulty gas pedal system.
Both Toyota and CTS, the company that makes the ETCS-i throttling system, are named in the suit filed on behalf of all Canadian owners affected by the recall.
“This is a complex problem spanning several years and many models–we are concerned that the recent announcement of a ‘fix’ appears not to address the ETCS-i Systems itself, nor the issue of a lack of failsafe which would permit the driver to regain control of the vehicle in the event of an unintended acceleration,” Joel P. Rochon, a partner at Rochon Genova LLP, said in a statement.
What you should do if your accelerator sticks, according to Toyota Canada:
Should a driver experience a sticking accelerator pedal while driving, the vehicle can be controlled with firm and steady application of the brakes.
The brakes should not be pumped repeatedly because it could deplete vacuum assist, requiring stronger brake pedal pressure. The vehicle should be driven to the nearest safe location, the engine shut off and a Toyota dealer contacted for assistance. Although the accelerator pedal action may return to normal, NO further attempt to drive the vehicle should be made.
