Toyota announces gas pedal fix

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Toyota said Monday it has developed a fix for gas pedals in millions of recalled vehicles and is already shipping the new parts to dealers.

The fix involves reinforcing the pedal assembly in a way that eliminates the excess friction that has caused the pedals to stick, the company said in a press release. Toyota recalled 2.3 million vehicles in the United States for this problem.

Toyota said replacement parts are already being shipped and that dealers will work extended hours to fix the recalled vehicles.

“We know what’s causing the sticking accelerator pedals, and we know what we have to do to fix it,” said Jim Lentz, Toyota’s president and chief operating officer, in a statement.

Toyota will begin contacting customers as early as this week to let them know when to bring in their vehicles for the fix. The automaker said it will cover all costs related to the fix, which will take about 30 minutes.

It’s not clear how long it will take to fix all 2.3 million cars, Lentz told CNNMoney.com. Much will depend on how quickly customers bring their cars into dealer for repairs.

Dealers will be open extended hours, he said.

“Dealers that are open five days will be open seven days,” he said. “Dealers that aren’t open extended hours will be open extended hours.”

The fix involves installing a precision-cut steel reinforcement bar into the accelerator pedal assembly, which will reduce surface tension and prevent the friction that has caused the pedals to stick, Toyota said.

Please visit our website:

Blog News