Toyota's accelerator pedal saga continues as the company has announced today a 1.8 million vehicles recall in Europe. In total there are 8 Toyota models affected by this, not famous, problem including the Toyota AYGO, iQ, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Verso, Avensis and RAV4. The 1.8 million figure is just an estimate, as Toyota is still investigating the problem. More recalls could be issued in the days to come.
As a reminder, Toyota's reason for this huge recall is the accelerator pedal, which, in some cases, can jam in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position.
The company says only a limited number of issues of this kind have been reported in Europe, but the exact figure has not been made public.
Toyota Press Release:
Toyota Motor Europe announced today the recall of 8 Toyota models in Europe, to solve a potential accelerator pedal issue. The involved models and production periods are as follows:
•AYGO (Feb 2005 – Aug 2009)
•iQ (Nov 2008 – Nov 2009)
•Yaris (Nov 2005 – Sep 2009)
•Auris (Oct 2006 – 5 Jan 2010)
•Corolla (Oct 2006 – Dec 2009)
•Verso (Feb 2009 – 5 Jan 2010)
•Avensis (Nov 2008 – Dec 2009)
•RAV4 (Nov 2005 – Nov 2009)
The precise number of involved units is still under investigation, but may reach up to 1.8 million vehicles. No Lexus models and no other Toyota models are affected.
"Toyota's policy is to put its customers first, in all circumstances", said Tadashi Arashima,
President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe. "We understand that the current situation is creating concerns, and we deeply regret it. We would also like to reassure customers: the potential accelerator pedal issue only occurs in very rare circumstances. The announced action is a preventive measure aimed to guarantee the highest safety standards to all customers."
For subject vehicles, there is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position.
This issue is caused because the accelerator pedal mechanisms concerned may become worn. This progressive wear, combined with certain operating and environmental conditions, can cause friction in the mechanism to increase and intermittently result in the accelerator pedal being harder to depress, slow to return or, in the worst case, stick in a partially open position.
Toyota has identified a remedy for this issue, and is currently pursuing a final evaluation and confirmation procedure. As soon as the countermeasure is confirmed, Toyota will communicate to all customers and other concerned parties the details of the corrective action and of the implementation procedure.
A running change in production using different parts has already been implemented model-by-model for the models on sale in Europe, as part of Toyota's continuous quality improvement policy. Therefore there is no need or intention to stop production in Europe.
Only a limited number of incidents have been reported in Europe, and Toyota Motor Europe is not aware of any accident resulting from this issue.
Toyota is making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible.
Whilst this condition is rare Toyota advises customers who have concerns to contact Toyota GB Customer Relations on 0800 1388 744 for assistance.
