Toyota has just been steamrolled by one of the most destructive PR crisis situations it has had to face in its otherwise stain-free history. Following a recall of 2.3 million units a few days back, Toyota Europe has today announced that it will recall another 1.8 million units because of the same defective accelerator pedal. However, Toyota Europe has not yet suspended production of any models because the replacement parts are already being used in the currently developed models.

Seems like the flu might just have turned into a deadly pandemic with Toyota having to put a “stop-sale” on all vehicles in line with Federal regulations which prohibits vehicles with any known defect from being sold in the U.S. Consumer Reports magazine is now no longer offering the “recommended” label for any of the eight Toyota models that are being recalled. While, at the same time, Congress has decided to investigate the matter, and examine how much the company knew of the problem which has so far resulted in 19 deaths in the past decade, according to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman.

The accelerator issue came to the forefront following an accident in which a California Highway Patrol officer and his family of three were killed, supposedly due to a stuck accelerator which caused the sedan to speed uncontrollably. A first recall of 4.2 million vehicles in October for a faulty floor mat issue causing the unintended acceleration issue is now followed by another massive recall with claims from Toyota that there might be another issue involved – the sticking accelerator pedal. So how are the issues different you might think? The sticking accelerator pedal issue has been noticed in rare instances to stick in a “partially depressed” position, or might return to idle position slower than expected. However, the floor mat recall was because an incompatible floor mat would get stuck in the wide open position.

“Our highest priority is to fix the accelerator pedal problems for our existing customers, and our pedal supplier is starting to ship newly designed pedals to dealers to meet the most immediate needs.  One of the main reasons we are stopping production next week is to make more of the new pedals available to dealers right away. But at the same time, we are continuing to test effective pedal modifications for existing vehicles on the road that will be available to our customers quickly. We expect to announce a comprehensive remedy program for all affected customers and new vehicles soon.” – Toyota’s Responded to a story published by Associated Press

The following vehicles have been recalled/stopped sale with respect to the sticky accelerator issue.

• Select 2009- Toyota RAV4
• Select 2009-2010 Toyota Corolla
• 2009-2010 Toyota Matrix
• 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon
• Select 2007-2010 Toyota Camry
• Select 2010 Toyota Highlander
• 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra
• 2008-2010 Toyota Sequoia

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the recall, please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331 OR 1-800-331-4331.

The Toyota Customer Experience Center hours are: Mon – Fri, 5:00 am – 6:00 pm PST and Sat, 7:00 am – 4:00 pm PST.