Toyota tells U.S. dealers to suspend sales of 8 recalled models

NEW YORK, Jan. 27 Kyodo -
The U.S. sales arm of Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it has told U.S. dealers
to suspend sales of the eight models involved in a recent recall of around 2.3
million vehicles to fix potentially defective accelerator pedals.
Due to the sales suspension, which includes the popular Camry and Corolla
models, Toyota is also expected to halt production of the vehicles at five
plants in North America next week, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. said.
It will be the first time for the Japanese auto giant to carry out such a
large-scale sales and production suspension in the United States over safety
problems in a move that would deal a further blow to its reputation for high
quality.
With the models subject to the sales suspension comprising about nearly 60
percent of its total U.S. sales, the measure will also likely hamper Toyota's
efforts to rebuild auto demand in North America.
It also comes less than a day after the automaker announced its target to
expand worldwide group sales in 2010 by 6 percent from a year earlier to 8.27
million units.
Subject to the recall, announced last Thursday, are 2009-2010 RAV4, 2009-2010
Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander,
2007-2010 Tundra and 2008-2010 Sequoia models.
''This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized. We're making every
effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible,''
Group Vice President and Toyota Division General Manager Bob Carter said in a
statement.
As remedy measures, Toyota is considering repairing or replacing parts of the
accelerator pedals, sources familiar with the matter said. The automaker will
resume sales only after the remedy is decided, but it remains unclear how long
the suspension will last.
Of the affected plants in North America, four are in the United States -- two
in Indiana, one in Kentucky and one in Texas -- and one is in Canada. The sales
suspension will not affect Lexus vehicles or other models including the Scion,
the Prius hybrid and the Tacoma.
Toyota gave instructions for the sales suspension to around 1,250 dealers
across the United States and is also considering temporarily halting sales in
Canada, officials said.
The latest recall involves gas pedals that the automaker says may, on rare
occasions, get stuck in a partially depressed position.
The automaker is also considering recalling about 2 million vehicles in Europe
as some older models employ the same accelerator pedal parts produced by U.S.
manufacturers. But the company is not considering a sales suspension there as
different parts are now being used.
The move will not affect vehicles sold in Japan as they also employ different
parts.
The latest recall is separate from an ongoing recall of about 4.2 million
Toyota and Lexus vehicles -- the company's largest ever -- to reduce the risk
of gas pedals getting stuck under unsecured or improperly fitted floor mats
that could cause sudden acceleration.
Of the 2.3 million vehicles involved in the latest recall, around 1.7 million
are subject to both recalls.
==Kyodo