Toyota to Replace Accelerator Pedals for Owners Who Are Unhappy With Repairs
DETROIT — After reports of sudden unintended acceleration in cars it has already fixed, Toyota has told dealers to provide replacement accelerator pedals to owners unhappy with repairs, a company document showed on Monday, The New York Times reported.
Under the policy, Toyota has told dealers to provide replacement pedals only if customers’ cars had already been repaired, and the owners had asked for them.
“Accelerator pedal replacement is based on specific customer request only,” said the memo, which was addressed to dealers, service managers and parts managers. “Dealers are not to solicit pedal replacement.”
The memo, originally dated February 2010, was reissued on Thursday with the part numbers for the replacement pedals and the procedure dealers should follow.
A spokesman for Toyota, Brian R. Lyons, said the company had agreed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to provide the pedals as part of its recall. The safety agency has received more than 60 complaints of unintended acceleration from owners whose cars had been repaired.
Lyons said Toyota had already fixed 1.3 million vehicles, and that the number of complaints it had received after the repairs was “very low.” But he said, “There have been cases where the pedal feel was not satisfactory to the consumer or the dealer. In those cases, a new pedal has been put in.”
Toyota told dealers to begin installing a small metal bar in those vehicles that was intended to keep condensation from forming inside the pedal assembly, which the company said could cause the pedal to become stuck.
Toyota said the cars from owners who complained about the repair most likely had not been fixed properly, and said the remedy should address the problem when done correctly.
Lyons said the appearance between the repaired and replacement pedals is “almost identical. The change is so subtle.”
More Industry

Kia Closes Out Summer With a Bang
Its U.S. subsidiary broke multiple records in August, in part due to a surge of demand for hybrids models.
Read More →
Indiana Dealership Changes Hands
A 30-year-old Ford dealership in Indiana has a new owner and will soon be undergoing renovations to meet manufacturer requirements.
Read More →
Texas Dealership No Longer in the Family
The Ford store, a longtime cornerstone of the Houston market, is now part of one of the fastest-growing U.S. auto groups.
Read More →
Genesis Grows California Presence
The Cardinale Automotive Group opened its third Genesis rooftop in the Golden State, Genesis of San Bruno, a stand-alone dealership serving the San Francisco Bay Area.
Read More →
August Auto Sales a Mixed Bag
An early forecast shows strong business despite consumer hurdles, and hybrids are a big piece of their affordability coping strategy.
Read More →
EV Market Humming Along
July sales show steady growth as the segment stabilizes from last year’s artificial surge following pullback of federal support.
Read More →
Auto Loan Delinquency Rates Stabilize
Auto loans are a main driver of nonmortgage consumer debt, but delinquency rates stabilized in the second quarter across all credit risk tiers.
Read More →
EV Sales Recover in Q2
The EV sales roller coaster continues as numbers show improvement, but industry experts predict a year-over-year third-quarter decline and fourth-quarter jump.
Read More →
The Cheapest Hybrids to Fuel
The powertrain is increasing in popularity, in no small part due to its fuel economy. A new report lists the most efficient hybrids on the market.
Read More →
Hybrids and SUVs Gaining Ground
The most recent Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch found that only two nonluxury brands increased in shopper consideration, buoyed by their hybrid and SUV offerings.
Read More →