General Motors Co. said it will expand the use of its brake override technology, a move that comes as rival Toyota Motor Corp. has suffered from a massive recall due to its cars speeding up uncontrollably, The Wall Street Journal reported.

GM said by 2012 it will have expanded the use of its "enhanced smart pedal" technology to all passenger cars that have automatic transmissions and electronic throttle control, "providing an additional safeguard to enhance customer confidence."

The modification will allow electronic controls to reduce power to the engine in cases where the brake and accelerator pedals are being pressed at the same time.

"We know safety is top of mind for consumers, so we are applying additional technology to reassure them that they can count on the brakes in their GM vehicle," said Tom Stephens, vice chairman of GM's global product operations.

GM has been strong recently, showing a 43% increase in March domestic sales for the four brands the company will keep after its restructuring.

Meanwhile, Toyota is in the midst of efforts to regain customer trust after issuing a huge recall to deal with acceleration problems with about 8 million vehicles world-wide.