No timetable for Toyota repairs
Toyota has begun shipping parts to fix the faulty gas pedals that led to a still-expanding recall and an unprecedented decision to stop selling and building some of its top-selling models, but it still could not say Thursday when millions of its drivers would get their cars fixed.
The world’s largest automaker, bleeding millions of dollars a day in lost sales, also declined to say where the parts are going — to plants so production can start again or to dealers so they can start fixing cars sitting in their showrooms or already on the road.
Amid the uncertainty, the recall grew wider. Toyota expanded the recall beyond an initial 2.3 million vehicles and said it would recall an untold number in Europe and about 75,000 in China because of bad gas pedals that can become stuck.
The recall even spread beyond Toyota. Ford Motor Co. stopped production of some full-sized commercial vehicles built by a Chinese joint venture because they have accelerators built by the same parts supplier as in the Toyota recall.
Separately, Toyota recalled 1.1 million more vehicles this week because of floor mats that can bend and hold down the gas.
Toyota said the maker of the faulty gas pedal systems, CTS Corp. of Elkhart, Ind., was cranking out replacements at three factories, and that some of them already had been shipped to Toyota.
At the same time, Toyota engineers are working with CTS to develop ways to repair, rather than replace, the pedal systems in existing cars and trucks, said spokesman Brian Lyons.
But there was no estimate for how long it would be until customers can get their cars fixed. The parts are being made at CTS plants, but Toyota has not said where they’re going within its system of plants and dealers.
House lawmakers, meanwhile, said they intend to hold a Feb. 25 hearing to review the complaints of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles. Toyota pledged its "full cooperation" with the committee.
The episode has tarnished Toyota’s once-sterling image of reliability. Experts say the longer it goes on, the more Toyota’s competitors will benefit.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he had no details of how the problems would be fixed but said he had "no criticism of Toyota on this. They followed the law, and they’re doing what they’re supposed to do."
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials met with Toyota representatives to discuss the fix on Thursday, but no details were announced.
The automaker does not need regulatory approval to make repairs or replacements, but company officials do not want to proceed with a fix if the government has concerns, said people familiar with the decisions.
Asked whether Americans should continue to drive the recalled vehicles, LaHood said he would "encourage them to take their car to the Toyota dealer. That’s the safest thing to do."
Safety experts say the best thing to do if the gas pedal sticks is to hit the brake hard and hold it firmly, then shift into neutral or shut the car off and steer to the curb. They say drivers should not pump the brake.
Toyota offered its most detailed description of the problem: Condensation can form in the mechanism that connects the foot pedal to the car’s engine, causing friction that prevents the pedal from smoothly springing back when the driver eases up.
Jake Fisher, senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports magazine, said the water probably causes corrosion.
No matter what the fix, the cost to Toyota will be staggering — probably in the tens of millions, perhaps higher. Jim Gillette, a supplier analyst with CSM Worldwide, estimated it might cost $25 to $30 per vehicle, plus labor.
Filed under: term by Wolf