Toyota announced early this morning exactly how it's going to repair 2.3 million Toyota brand vehicles affected by its
latest sticking accelerator pedal recall.
The fix involves installing a "precision-cut steel reinforcement bar"
into the pedal assembly that will reduce friction between a shoe and
the adjoining surface, the place where Toyota has found these defective
pedals to be sticking. The automaker says the fix is "effective and
simple" – it should take around 30 minutes to perform – and has been
rigorously tested on pedal assemblies that have been known to stick.
Since words only paint so clear a picture, we'll be searching for more
visual evidence today of how the repair works, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, Toyota says owners of vehicles affected by the
sticking pedal recall can expect a letter by mail sometime in the next
couple of days with instructions on how to coordinate their repair with
a dealer. Dealers, meanwhile, will remain open extended hours to
perform the repairs, some even 24 hours a day. And for those owners
whose vehicles are affected by both the floormat recall and sticking
pedal recall, Toyota will try to coordinate only one trip to the dealer
for both fixes.
Follow the jumpfor Toyota's official statement as well as a video released today in
which Toyota Motor Sales President and COO Jim Lentz expresses some
heart felt apologies to current customers.