Acton Toyota of Littleton
221 Great Rd Littleton, MA 01460Internet Sales: (800)530-1079
- Main Number: (978)263-1500
Toyota Accelerator Pedal Recall
US Regulators Have Yet To Find Electronic Defects In Toyotas - NHTSA Official
By Josh Mitchell, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. regulators have yet to find any electronic defects in Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) vehicles, a U.S. vehicle-safety official reiterated Wednesday, as a scientific panel began studying potential causes of unintended acceleration.
Some members of Congress, consumer advocates and product-liability lawyers have suggested that engine electronics may have played a role in problems that led Toyota to recall more than 8 million vehicles globally for sudden- acceleration and gas-pedal problems. Those critics have questioned the adequacy of efforts by Toyota and government regulators to study electronics.
"We have not actually been able to find a defect of electronic-throttle- control systems" in Toyota cars, said Dan Smith of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speaking before a panel of the National Academy of Sciences.
He said regulators have only been able to identify two causes of the Toyota problems--floormat entrapment of the gas pedals and pedals that are slow to return to idle.
The academy is undertaking a broad study of unintended acceleration and will eventually offer recommendations on how regulators should improve their ability to set standards and identify defects.
Smith said his agency hasn't ruled out the possibility of electronic defects and that investigations are ongoing. NHTSA is working with NASA engineers to study the Toyota recalls, including possible electronics defects.
NHTSA chief David Strickland told the academy panel that unintended acceleration is a problem that affects all major car manufacturers.
"Complaints of unintended acceleration are not--repeat not--exclusive to Toyota," Strickland said.
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Over the last few months, Toyota has taken major steps to become a more responsive, safety-focused organization - listening more closely to our customers, responding more quickly to their concerns and those of our regulators, and taking concrete actions to ensure we are among the industry's leaders in safety. These actions include:
- Making extraordinary efforts to fix our recalled vehicles - nearly 3.5 million completed by our dealers so far
- Equipping all of our new cars and trucks with even more advanced safety technologies, including brake override across our entire product range by the end of the year and improved event data recorders
- Using teams of experts throughout the U.S. to increase the speed of our response to customer concerns, sometimes within 24 hours
- Completing 2,000+ vehicle inspections for unintended acceleration complaints with none linked to our electronic throttle control system
- Giving Toyota's North American leaders a greater voice in safety decision-making, including a direct path to Toyota's global president
- Making a major scientific effort to further validate vehicle safety and opening our technology to unprecedented levels of independent review, including a study by NASA
- Acting swiftly on safety issues whenever they arise, like responding within hours after a magazine voiced concern about our Lexus GX in April and announcing the Lexus LS steering recall after just 12 complaints
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April 16th, 2010 - Toyota to Begin Voluntary Recall on Certain 1998-2010 Model Year Sienna Minivans to Address Potential Corrosion on Spare-Tire Cable
Toyota Motor Sales today announced that it will launch a voluntary Safety Recall involving approximately 600,000 first- and second-generation Sienna 2WD minivans sold in the United States to address potential corrosion in the spare-tire carrier cable.
This condition may appear on certain 1998 through 2010 model year Siennas that have been operated in cold climate areas with high road salt use. Continued prolonged exposure to road salts may cause excessive corrosion of the carrier cable in some of these vehicles. In the worst case, the carrier cable may fail and the spare tire could become separated from the vehicle, a road hazard for following vehicles that increases the likelihood of a crash.
Toyota is currently working to develop a remedy for this condition. Until this remedy is developed, customers will receive an interim notice instructing them to bring their vehicle to a dealership for a preliminary inspection. Once the remedy has been developed, customers will receive a secondary notice advising the customer of the remedy availability.
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Unfortunately and understandably, there is much confusion surrounding Toyota's two accelerator pedal-related recalls: 1. the sticky accelerator pedal recall (A0A) and 2. the carpet floor mat height clearance recall (90L).
With customer safety as our number one priority, Acton Toyota of Littleton would like to clarify both of these safety recalls and, most importantly, inform on when and how we will rectify these issues for you per Toyota instructions.
Sticky Accelerator Pedal Recall (A0A)
Certain Toyota models include accelerator pedal mechanisms that can, on very rare occasions, cause the accelerator pedal to stick in a partially open position. This unlikely issue is caused by a friction device within the pedal that is designed to provide the proper "feel" by adding resistance and making the pedal steady and stable. Over time, this friction device could cause the surface materials to stick and release instead of operating smoothly. In some cases, friction could increase to a point that the pedal is slow to return to the idle position. In the rarest of cases, the pedal could stick, leaving the throttle partially open.
This recall (A0A) consists of placing a small, engineered shim within the friction device of the accelerator pedal mechanism. While leaving the "feel" of the pedal unimpaired, the shim prevents the surface materials from rubbing, thereby, eliminating the chances of the accelerator pedal returning slowly to the idle position as well as sticking in an open position.
If you have a vehicle that falls under the sticky accelerator pedal recall, you will be pleased to know that Acton Toyota is now making repairs to these accelerator pedals. You do not need to wait until you receive written notification from Toyota to have your pedal corrected at our dealership. You can SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE, through email at SERVICE@ACTONTOYOTA.COM, or by calling our Service Department at 978-263-4049.
Carpet Floor Mat Height Clearance Recall (90L)
Toyota has also issued a recall pertaining to a conflict in height clearance between the carpet floor mat and the accelerator pedal, also known as 90L. When "stacking" a floor mat on top of another (i.e. placing a winter/rubber floor mat over an existing carpet floor mat), there is a chance that the accelerator pedal could become wedged or lodged underneath the floor mat(s).
The repair for this recall (90L) includes cutting a bottom portion of the accelerator pedal itself and removing excess floor material directly under the accelerator pedal. As an additional safety measure, Toyota has also included as part of this recall a software upgrade to the vehicle's braking-system with coding to ensure brake input supersedes gas input when both are applied simultaneously.
If you have a vehicle that falls under the carpet floor mat height clearance recall, please be advised that Toyota will remedy this recall on a rolling basis. Toyota will notify customers when it has equipped and trained dealerships to perform the recall. Currently, Toyota has issued repair for the Camry, Avalon, Prius, and Lexus ES300 models only.
Is my Toyota affected by either or both of these recalls?
Below is chart displaying which Toyota models are affected by these two recalls and whether our dealership can currently perform the specific recall.
If you possess a vehicle where only A0A can be performed now, at your option you can wait for official notification from Toyota, or if you prefer, you can schedule an appointment to have A0A done immediately.
Again, you can SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT ONLINE, through email at SERVICE@ACTONTOYOTA.COM, or by calling our Service Department at 978-263-4049. Should you have any questions, please feel free to call and/or email us at any time.
If you are not sure whether your vehicle falls under either 90L, A0A, or both, you are more than welcome to contact our Service Department. With your vehicle's VIN, our Service Department will be happy to help you clarify your vehicle's recall situation.