Automaker promises repairs are on the way

WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. said yesterday that it had begun shipping parts to its U.S. dealers for repair of sticky gas pedals in 2.3 million vehicles, and it acknowledged the problem was an embarrassment.

The Japanese automaker apologized to customers and said the dealers should receive the replacement parts by the end of this week.

The company said it had quickly designed a steel reinforcement bar for the pedals to keep them from sticking in certain situations, and that the repair would take about 30 minutes per vehicle.

Technical bulletins on how to install the new parts should arrive at dealers by midweek, the company told them in an e-mail yesterday.

Toyota said that, after training, mechanics at its dealerships should be able to start repairs this weekend.

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

Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota's U.S. operation, said dealers were being strongly advised to repair customers' vehicles before fixing dealer-owned vehicles in stock, but it was up to individual dealers to apply their own schedules.

The company, for the first time, also identified the specific nature of the problem: It involves a device designed to create friction in the accelerator pedal, giving it the proper resistance so it is steady and stable.

But the device rubs against another part and, in some instances, the friction created has increased enough to make the gas pedal either slow to return to the idle position or to stick, leaving the engine throttle partially open. The reinforcement bar will reduce the friction, Toyota said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Toyota last week that it was satisfied with the repair plan.

NHTSA continues to investigate the issue and was looking into the possibility of electrical problems, a Transportation Department official said yesterday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an investigation, said electromagnetic interference might cause the throttle control systems in the Toyota vehicles to malfunction but NHTSA had not seen evidence to support that yet.

Some dealers will stay open around the clock to fix the 2.3 million cars and trucks affected by the recall in the United States, Toyota said. In the U.S., the recall last month was prompted by pressure from federal regulators. Another 1.9 million vehicles have been recalled outside the United States.

"Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive," said Lentz. "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."

Lentz defended the company's actions, saying the recalls would solve any problems Toyota was aware of that could lead to sudden acceleration.

"This is embarrassing for us, to have this kind of recall situation," Lentz said in a conference call. "But it doesn't necessarily mean we have lost our edge on quality."

Safety advocates and attorneys say Toyota has yet to fully explain why its vehicles appear to have far more complaints of sudden acceleration than any other automaker. The issue has been linked by one advocate to 19 deaths and 341 injuries stemming from 815 separate crashes, with more than 2,000 complaints.

Lentz said Toyota moved as soon as it knew of a problem with its pedals in October of last year, although he admitted Toyota was aware of complaints of sticking pedals on the Tundra pickup - one of the eight models recalled for repair - dating back to 2007.

"The number of deaths, number of accidents, whether it's one or whether it's 2,000, doesn't really make a difference," he told NBC's Today Show. "We've been investigating this for a long time."

The decision to recall vehicles for faulty gas pedals reversed decisions Toyota made in 2007 and 2008 in response to consumer complaints in the United States and Europe. The company had decided then that the pedals didn't pose a safety threat. Lentz said the recall was spurred by three complaints the automaker received in October.

Lentz said Toyota had tested its electronics system "thoroughly" and found no problems. Some critics have contended the problem is with the electronics for the throttle rather than with a mechanical part, such as the friction device.

Toyota had already planned to shut down or curtail production at six North American assembly plants this week, and said its supplier was shipping a revised design to its factories.

Highlights of the company's announcement yesterday.

The problem: It was identified as a friction device that under normal wear and environmental conditions could cause the pedal not to operate smoothly or to stick while partly open. Eight Toyota models are affected.

The fix: Dealers should receive steel reinforcement bars by the end of this week that will fix the problem. Graphic, C4.

Timing: Repairs are expected to begin immediately.

Priority: Cars already on the road have priority over new vehicles held by dealers.

In the showroom: Sales of the eight models, suspended last week, can resume as soon as the cars are fixed.

Production: Toyota stopped making the models yesterday. Production is to resume Monday.

SOURCES: Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Associated Press

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