In what was described as the largest such move ever by an automaker in the United States, Toyota said today it had halted sales of eight models of its cars and trucks that account for more than half its U.S. sales until it could find a fix for sticking accelerator pedals under a safety recall.
The move, which will cut production for at least a week at seven Toyota plants in North America, comes six days after the Japanese automaker announced the recall of 2.3 million vehicles due to the accelerator problem that it first encountered in 2007.
The models, including its top-selling Camry and Corolla sedans, accounted for 56% of Toyota’s U.S. sales last month. No imported models are covered by the stop sale order.
The decision mars a reputation for high quality that Toyota had relied on to become the world’s largest automaker and claim 17% of the U.S. market.
Between this recall and an earlier one involving floor mats, Toyota has called back 4.8 million vehicles to fix problems that could lead to sudden uncontrolled acceleration. Safety advocates have linked the problems in Toyotas to 19 deaths and more than 2,000 complaints.
While Toyota says the problem is rare and confined to older models, it has not been able to specify under what conditions the pedals might stuck. With no remedy for the new problem, Toyota launched a web site last week giving consumers advice on how to stop their vehicles if their pedals were stuck, including shifting into neutral and shutting off the engine.
“This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized,” said Bob Carter, head of Toyota’s U.S. sales arm. We’re making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible.”
Models affected by the recall
• 2009-2010 RAV4,
• 2009-2010 Corolla,
• 2009-2010 Matrix,
• 2005-2010 Avalon,
• Certain 2007-2010 Camrys,
• 2010 Highlander,
• 2007-2010 Tundra,
• 2008-2010 Sequoia
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