Roswold Law Group Blog

Toyota Fix to Begin Next Week

Toyota announced Monday that it will be sending out letters to owners of the affected vehicles announcing the details of the recall and repair program by the end of this week. Replacement parts are being sent out and Kansas City area dealers will be in a position to begin installing the redesigned accelerator pedal next week.

It is expected that the repair will take approximately 30 to 45 minutes and customers’ cars will take priority over new and used dealer inventory. The Kansas City Star reports that many Toyota dealers will keep their service area open extended hours to handle the demand for the recall work.

Toyota believes that its engineers have traced the problem with the accelerator pedals to a friction device in the accelerator pedal assembly that is supposed to provide proper pedal “feel” by adding resistance. Over time, wear and environmental conditions can cause the pedals to stick and hesitate or stick and remain open.

Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration appears to be satisfied with the repair plan, other safety experts are taking a wait and see attitude, noting that Toyota is additionally adding new computer control software on some models that prevents the accelerator from being pushed at the same time as the brake. There have been 19 deaths reported that are apparently related to the defective accelerator pedals.

At present, Toyota indicates that because a stuck pedal is rare, drivers who have not experienced a sticky accelerator pedal can continue using their cars until they receive their repair notice.

In the event that you experience a sticking or stuck accelerator pedal and sudden unintended acceleration, you should take the steps set out in our article What to Do If You Experience Sudden Unintended Acceleration.