Ever since Toyota recalled nearly 4 million cars in September, owners of affected vehicles have been anxiously awaiting a solution to what can be a serious problem: Sudden, unintended acceleration due to the gas pedal getting stuck.
An estimated 3.8 million cars are affected, and a stuck accelerator has been blamed in at least one accident that killed a family of four in August near San Diego.
Toyota has been advising owners of recalled cars to remove the driver-side floor mat, saying that it can get loose and potentially jam the accelerator pedal.
Now, a new report out of Tokyo says Toyota might go about fixing the problem by shortening the accelerator pedal in the cars.
Edmunds’ Inside Line reported the news Wednesday, citing Kyodo News in Japan.
Toyota representatives, however, have not made an official announcement on how the company will remedy the situation. The automaker has been working closely with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to find a fix, and has set aside nearly 500 billion Yen — or about $5.6 billion — to fund repairs in the recall.
Once again, the affected Toyota and Lexus vehicles are:
- 2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry
- 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon
- 2004-2009Toyota Prius
- 2005-2010 Tacoma
- 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra
- 2007-2010 Lexus ES350
- 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350
If you own one of the affected vehicles and need more information, you can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s hot line at 888-327-4236, Toyota at 800-331-4331 or Lexus at 800-255-3987.
You can also click to see Toyota’s consumer-safety page.
Question for Toyota and Lexus owners: Have you received your recall notice yet? If so, what did it say? (Respond in comments area blow.)
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