WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Corp. said yesterday it will replace accelerator pedals on about 4 million recalled vehicles in the United States because the pedals can get stuck in the floor mats.
The announcement is another blow to the reputation of the world's largest automaker.
Toyota said that beginning in January, dealers will offer to shorten the pedals by about three-quarters of an inch as a stopgap measure while the company develops replacement pedals. Installation of new pedals is to start in April. The Japanese automaker also plans to install a brake override system on several models as a precaution.
Toyota announced the massive recall in late September and told owners to remove the driver's-side floor mats to keep the gas pedal from becoming jammed.
The recall was prompted by a high-speed crash in August involving a 2009 Lexus ES350 that killed a California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family near San Diego.
The recall is Toyota's largest in the United States and is the seventh-largest ever in the country, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It covers 3.8 million vehicles - the 2007-10 model year Camry, 2005-10 Avalon, 2004-09 Prius, 2005-10 Tacoma, and 2007-10 Tundra, all of the Toyota brand, and 2007-10 ES350 and 2006-10 IS250/350 from the automaker's luxury Lexus brand.Models to receive the brake override system are the Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES350 and IS250/350. The system is to ensure that the vehicle will stop if the brake and the accelerator pedals are applied at the same time.
Toyota spokesman Irv Miller said the company was "very, very confident that we have addressed this issue." Toyota has found "no reason to believe that there is a problem with the electronic control systems," he said.
Toyota officials said the floor mats are sold only in the United States and the recall is limited to North America.
The company declined to pro-vide a cost estimate for the fix, but analysts said it would be extremely expensive because of the extensive repairs involved and the manufacturing of new pedals.
Toyota also said it would provide newly designed replacement floor mats for the driver and front-passenger sides.
The recall is the latest blemish for Toyota, which developed a sterling reputation for quality in the United States by selling reliable family vehicles. But it faced challenges as it rapidly expanded. Toyota executives have expressed concern about large numbers of recalls and pushed for improved quality controls.
Toyota officials said that among the vehicles in the recall are new cars and trucks sold since September and others manufactured since the recall was announced.
For more information, owners can contact Toyota at 800-331-4331 or the safety agency hot line at 888-327-4236.
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