- Toyota said it will fix accelerator pedal assemblies that may have been damaged in the company's big recall for unintended acceleration.
- Toyota said technicians may have accidentally stripped bolts on the accelerator bracket of those vehicles during repairs related to the recall.
- The repair involves the Avalon, Camry and Camry Hybrid.
TORRANCE, California — Toyota said it will fix accelerator pedal assemblies in the Avalon, Camry and Camry Hybrid that may have been damaged in the company's big recall for unintended acceleration. But it says the matter is a secondary repair and not another recall.
The technical service bulletin instructs Toyota dealership technicians how to repair two weld nuts that "may be damaged" in the recall repair.
"Suggestions that this TSB was issued to resolve customer complaints about accelerator pedal feel after the recall or that this TSB is a recall are wrong," said Toyota in a statement. "No TSB is planned for other models since this component is unique to the Camry and Avalon platform."
However, Consumer Reports said on its Web site that "as many as 500 owners of those cars have complained of gas pedals that feel loose or have play side-to-side."
The new TSB applies to 2005-'10 Avalons and 2007-'10 Camry and Camry Hybrid cars that were subject to the original recall. That recall dealt with accelerator pedals that could become stuck in place or trapped by floor mats. Toyota said technicians may have accidentally stripped bolts on the accelerator bracket of those vehicles during repairs related to the recall.
Records listed on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site show that several Camry and Avalon drivers have complained about the repaired accelerator pedals.
"My [2009] Toyota Camry got a new gas pedal through Toyota [sic] recent recall program," wrote one unidentified consumer in a September 10, 2010, complaint. "However, the new gas pedal has much less resistance than the original one and other padel [sic] in a new Camry, which made the car extremey [sic] difficult to control the speed."
Toyota said it has completed over 5 million accelerator pedal entrapment and sticking pedal remedies to date, including more than 1.3 million Camrys and 265,000 Avalons.
Inside Line says: Another complication as Toyota continues to grapple with quality and safety issues. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
kudzu62 says:
04:55 PM, 12/06/2010
All of this gives real meaning to "Oh what a feeling Toyota", The feeling of being crapped on by an automobile company that doesn't give a rat fart about its customers. I owned a Toyota in the ninties but I wouldn't buy one today for half price. Not only do I not trust the cars, I don't trust the company, they have proven time and time again, they should not be trusted.
moldtruth says:
12:40 PM, 12/06/2010
I wonder if the bracket was damaged when they took a hacksaw to the pedal? Or maybe when they rubbed it against a used tire so it would cover up the area that was cut off? Or it could have been the rush the mechanics were in to fix them as they got paid per car? The location of the pedal would make it really hard to view the torque amount on the wrench being applied to the bolt? I think owners should get a new pedal for the amount they paid for the car, not some cutoff pedal rubbed against a used tire to make it match!!
dpauley79 says:
05:47 PM, 12/04/2010
"Reading this article I am reminded of the current TV commercial Toyota is running -- the one where the mother pontificates on how relieved she is knowing that Toyota safety technology was employed in the development of her son's football helmet.
Hopefully, there's a sequel to that ad, where the mother can enlighten us on Toyota's mechanical contribution to her son's new hospital bed"
Now that's something I'd like to see..but probably would have to issue a recall when the mattress falls through because the zip tie broke
jscion says:
08:24 PM, 12/03/2010
Toyota is in a downward spiral. They are headed for problems which is exactly what happens when you focus on profits instead of product. I own a Toyota and it is not only extremely expensive to fix but it is a piece of flimsy plastic wrapped in a tin can. Shame on Toyota for becoming such a cheap, faceless producer of reliable technology wrapped in cheap materials!!! I wouldn't buy a Toyota again if you paid me!
lsobboh says:
05:01 PM, 12/03/2010
@gmt450: Sorry if you feel like I'm bashing GM or whatever you might feel, because that's not what I'm doing. If I had driven a Honda, or Toyota, or Ford, or anything that had that same problem I would have put it in this post. I used the example I had in an effort to point out that while this is an issue, it wasn't that grave to get media attention. Something that (1) only affected a few vehicles and (2) is frankly, common human error doesn't really deserve media attention. You know how easy it is to strip a nut, or screw, or whatever. And you and I both know that this could be fixed with a regular tune-up. I'm not backing Toyota, if this was any company my comments would be redirected towards them, verbatim.
mediabias says:
03:44 PM, 12/03/2010
Reading this article I am reminded of the current TV commercial Toyota is running -- the one where the mother pontificates on how relieved she is knowing that Toyota safety technology was employed in the development of her son's football helmet.
Hopefully, there's a sequel to that ad, where the mother can enlighten us on Toyota's mechanical contribution to her son's new hospital bed.
fmko says:
02:41 PM, 12/03/2010
Toyota and their crappy deaaler's service departments both deserve each other. The dealers new car sales are down drastically so their service departments are going to screw Toyota making them pay more money to fix the crap they build.
desmolicious says:
02:03 PM, 12/03/2010
A recall for the recall.
Excellent.
gmt450 says:
11:04 AM, 12/03/2010
I just drove a 2007 Saturn Aura with a loose pedal. If you lift it up from the back, it falls back down with a loose "click-clank!" sound.
This thread has nothing to do with Saturn or GM, it's about Toyota - if you are going to comment on the story stick to TOYOTA, not problems with other automakers. Since you did bring the Saturn up, however, did the Saturn accelerate out of control while you were driving? No? Then it isn't relevant to this story ABOUT TOYOTA. Chastising other automakers does not change the fact that Toyota is experiencing massive safety problems. We all have our biases, I prefer GM vehicles, but that doesn't color my opinion of problems they may be experiencing. Again, if the story you are commenting on is about Toyota keep it to Toyota.
lsobboh says:
06:40 AM, 12/03/2010
Hey, another story about unintended acceleration (or the lack thereof) about Toyota. I guess it's going to be moron-day on this post today...
This is what happens when you call for something to be fixed that wasn't broken in the first place. The NHTSA (or whoever the hell) started this whole brouhaha over unintended acceleration claims, Toyota responded with a recall, and now nothing seems to be right. Why? Because nothing was wrong in the first place. A prayer goes to that California highway patrol officer, but a bird goes out to others who inanely magnified to situation over their own stupidity. First pedals stuck, now they're too loose? I just drove a 2007 Saturn Aura with a loose pedal. If you lift it up from the back, it falls back down with a loose "click-clank!" sound. I knew something wasn't right with it, but I didn't burst into flames about it. Car still worked fine. It was easy to control the speed and everything. Please people, lets be concerned about the actual safety of automobiles these days rather than being concerned with seeing a brand go down just because we dislike it because if I remember correctly, the stuck pedal was from a floor mat, not a system bug or anything else right? Correct me if I'm wrong. And please, intelligent comments only, I don't need to hear responses from people who still believe that "driving a Prius won't get you laid"