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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Owners will get notices about recall

Jerry Hirsch Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES – Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday that it has a repair to stop one cause of unintended acceleration that has led to a recall of eight of its most popular vehicles.

Here’s what owners of the affected autos need to know.

Q. When can I expect to receive instructions on how I can get my gas pedal fixed?

A. Certified letters will start going out at the end of the week. But because the company has to contact millions of owners, Toyota says it will take some time to process and mail the instructions to all of the affected owners.

Customers who don’t receive a letter right away should wait until they receive it to make an appointment. But if their vehicle exhibits symptoms of rough pedal action, a sluggish pedal return to idle or unanticipated acceleration they should contact a Toyota dealer.

Q. Do I need to go to a specific dealership to get the repair done?

A. Any Toyota dealer can perform the repair. Some plan to operate their service bays 24 hours a day until the company gets the bulk of the repairs behind it.

Q. What happens if I don’t hear from Toyota?

A. It may take a number of weeks to receive your notification letter. Many vehicles, including certain Camry, RAV4 Highlander and Corolla vehicles, are not included because their pedal comes from a different supplier. If a customer does not receive a letter at all, their vehicle is unaffected.

Q. Which models are included in accelerator pedal recall?

A. Toyota stopped sales of the following models: 2009 and 2010 RAV4, 2009 and 2010 Corolla, 2009 and 2010 Matrix, 2005 to 2010 Avalon, 2010 Highlander, 2007 to 2010 Tundra and 2008 to 2010 Sequoia.

It also stopped sales of certain 2007 to 2010 Camry sedans, depending on where those vehicles were manufactured; owners of Camrys, RAV4s, Corollas and Highlanders with vehicle identification numbers that begin with “J” are not affected by the recall, Toyota says.

Q. What if I have another Toyota brand?

A. No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected by this recall.

Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Highlander hybrids and certain Camry models, including Camry hybrids, all of which remain for sale.

Q. What is the gas pedal fix?

A. Toyota said the problem is with a “friction device” within the pedals. The automaker plans to install a steel reinforcement bar into the pedal assembly in order to reduce friction.

Q. Wasn’t there another recall for the same issue?

A. Toyota is in the process of recalling vehicles to address rare instances in which floor mats have trapped the accelerator pedal in certain Toyota and Lexus models and is notifying customers how it will fix this issue. Some vehicles are involved in both recalls. Toyota said that in such instances it plans to make both fixes at the same time.

The floor mat recall affects the 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350, 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350. It was recently expanded to also include the 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix and the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe (manufactured by Toyota.)

Q. What should I do if I have an accident in a Toyota or Lexus vehicle that I believe may be related to unintended acceleration, or if I have other safety concerns?

A. Contact Toyota’s Customer Experience Center at (800) 331-4331.

You can also file a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The federal agency’s Office of Defects Investigation has a hot line that is open Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST, at (888) 327-4236.

Or you can file a complaint online at www.odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/.