Toyota to fix gas pedals in U.S. over sudden acceleration problem

NAGOYA, Nov. 14 Kyodo -
Toyota Motor Corp. will soon offer to fix the gas pedals of vehicles in the
United States that are subject to a safety recall over a problem with sudden
acceleration, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.

Toyota is believed to have already agreed with U.S. authorities on the planned
voluntary repair of gas pedals possibly involving some 4 million cars, the
sources said.
In October, the Japanese automaker issued a safety recall for 3.8 million
vehicles in seven models in the United States, including the Prius hybrid and
Lexus cars, warning that an unsecured driver-side floor mat could slip forward
and jam the accelerator pedal.
The repair cost is estimated at tens of billions of yen but Toyota expects it
will not affect its overall business performance as the company has set aside
nearly 500 billion yen in provisions for recalls and others, a senior Toyota
official said.
Toyota opted to offer to fix gas pedals of its vehicles rather than issuing a
recall as it argues that the gas pedal's shape is not a defect.
The carmaker is now in the final stage of arranging the move with the U.S.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the sources said.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times said more than 1,000 owners of Toyota
vehicles have reported sudden vehicle acceleration since 2001 and that at least
19 people may have been killed in subsequent crashes.
==Kyodo
2009-11-14 21:55:52