Toyota Halts Sales of Popular Models - Accelerator Stuck Problem Recall

Karen_S

This is the place to talk about the recent Toyota recalls and how it's affecting the manufacturer and consumers.

Vehicles in recall include:

2009-10 RAV4
2009-10 Corolla
2009-10 Matrix
2005-10 Avalon
certain 2007-10 Camrys
2010 Highlander
2007-10 Tundra
2008-10 Sequoia

anythngbutgm

Ya, Audi has made a comeback but it took a while.

I still don't think Toyota will fall as hard because they are one of the largest Automakers in the world while Audi was a bit player by comparison.

gagrice

That should make my 2007 Sequoia worth more. Last of the well built Sequoias. :shades:
Then I bought the 07 at the end of the model run, because it is better looking and had all the bugs worked out. Looks like Toyota will need to burn a little OT getting this debacle under control.

Has any auto maker ever done this with so many models?

elias

gagrice, Foxnews reports that this action by toyota is indeed unprecedented (stopping sales of so many models & so many manufacturing lines).

Also i don't think there has been a problem with so much *complexity* in automotive history - so many "corner-case conditions" combining to trigger catastrophe.

As vehicles continue to get more complex, we can expect further "flaws" like this, independent of manufacturer - unless/until engineering processes & maybe field-testing & analyzing field-test results are made a lot more rigorous/comprehensive across the board.

gagrice

The more complex the code, the more chance for a bug to slip in.

ponderpoint

I didn't see anything about Lexus - is it simply because they didn't get that far yet in their evaluation (Toyota)

I also find it confusing that this uproar really lit up when the police officer and family was killed in San Diego in a Lexus brand, not Toyota, but yet no mention????

e2brooday

We leased a 2010 Rav4 Limited last week at Prestige Toyota in NJ. I spoke with the sales manager today, he said that our vehicle was manufactured in Japan (a "J" in the VIN number) and that it was not effected by this recall. Is that true? I wanted confirmation from Toyota, but their "Customer Experience" number is jammed and they are not accepting calls at this time. Any Toyota experts out there to confirm?

gagrice

The final nail in the coffin was the fellow that drove his Toyota into a dealership with WOT and no floor mat or other obstruction. That got documented by main stream news and Toyota could no longer cover up the fact that they knew as far back as 2008 that their DBW system had some flaws. I would expect Lexus to be included in this most recent recall. Though the case in San Diego is more likely the floor mat problem.

lemko

...isn't on that list as it's essentially a super-deluxe Camry.

Karen_S

2009-10 Pontiac Vibe Recalled

jjadus

Are the 2010 XLE models also effected?

http://www.insideautomotive.com/

Toyota has two US suppliers for gas pedals, Denso and CTS. Denso pedals have been determined to be fine. The CTS pedals have a small error in design, but not critical. Toyota has determined that a small shim will cure any possibility of a CTS pedal sticking. It has sent the engineering work to NHTSA and if approved they can build 200,000 shims per day. This situation does not call for hysteria, as only a handful of accidents have happened on these vehicles in spite of billions of miles of driving.

Karen_S

From our understanding, all 2009-2010 Corolla, 2010 Highlander, and 2009-2010 RAV4 are affected, but only if their 17-digit VIN number DOES NOT start with "JT".

grayfuzz

It is bad enouung to have 1 car recalled I purchased 2 Toyotas this year a RAV4 & Sport Highlander. Do I buy an extra seat belt or helmet

british_rover

Supposedly the problem part was built in Canada and only used in US built Toyotas. The Japanese built ones have a denso built part so no problem.

wwest

Not so sure.

Seems to me a "binding" gas pedal would be noticed, noticeable, long before it fully binds, fully binds WIDE OPEN.

imidazol97

Is there some way an owner can determine the source of the potentiometer part of the gas pedal, Denso or CTS. That might help some people feel better since the problematic version causing this type of unintended acceleration seems to be the CTS company's product.

Is the outside labeling visible to someone with their head under the dash, e.g.?
Is the morphology of the item different from the other brand?

wwest

For many years I have wondered why the engine isn't automatically dethrottled when the brakes are used/applied. The thought originally pertained to left foot brakers, folks who "rested" their left foot on the brake pedal without realizing that turned the brake lights on. Or even worse, applied the brakes ever so slightly so that when they actually needed to be used they were already well HEATED.

And then with the advent of so many manufacturers adopting DBW, E-throttles...

Simple matter of a few lines of code.

british_rover

In my experience Denso has a habit of slapping their name on any part they make in a fairly visible way. Chances are if you can't find Denso stamped or written somewhere on a part then Denso didn't make it.

Karen_S

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerindex?id=9673076

smithed

Knowing this, I would park the car until they fix it. I would be a nervous wreck for myself and family (and other motorists) in one of these deathtraps.

Karen_S

If you are a Toyota owner and interested in sharing your reaction with reporters, send me an email stating the vehicle you own, your telephone number, and the best time you can be reached.

Send to: karen@edmunds.com

Karen_S

Got a specific request for a Toyota owner in Minnesota. If you're in that state, give me a holler!

karen@edmunds.com

yh2009

toyota should give us money to rent a car. It is only 20-30 dollars/day for every owner and the only way to save its reputation.

silvercoupe

toyota should give us money to rent a car. It is only 20-30 dollars/day for every owner and the only way to save its reputation.

I agree, but I don't see that happening.

The Sales Manager at my dealer said to just drive the car and not worry about it. As soon as they have a fix they will notify the owners.

priggly

http://www.toyota.ca/cgi-bin/WebObjects/WWW.woa/11/wo/Home.WhatsNew-oRvxd9bLElCz- go3rgj4Meg/2.9?n306367e.html

nippononly

are on the list of models with sales suspended, except for Tacoma. How long can Toyota and Toyota dealers afford to just not sell these models?

My thinking would be not for long, especially for the dealers.

The reason Lexus isn't included is because they are still built in Japan, except the RX. Why isn't the RX on the list? I would be curious to know.

I'm also curious regarding a news article on my morning news today that NUMMI here in the Bay Area is not included in the voluntary stoppage, and will continue to produce Corollas and Tacomas....

halwick

"How long can Toyota afford to just not sell these models?" Are you kidding? Toyota will sell more Prius, 4Runner, Yaris, Sienna, Tacomas, Scions and Lexus. I can see people buying the Prius instead of the Camry and the dealers happily selling them for $40K or more because of the increased demand. Instead of RAV4s, they'll buy 4Runners and the dealer will hike those prices up to $50K.

You'll probably see Accords selling at higher prices too. Toyota and the dealers will survive on selling the different models at substantially higher prices.

stever

Why Lexus and Scion Vehicles Aren't Affected (Straightline)

Good question about the RX.

Going to hurt Indiana jobs:

"Vehicles affected are equipped with an accelerator mechanism produced by an Elkhart, Indiana-based supplier, CTS Corp. Others equipped with a mechanism made by Japanese supplier Denso are not affected."

Toyota Details Pedal Problem to Dealers; New Supplier Sought (AutoObserver)

nippononly

I hear what you are saying in principle, but there is no way Toyota could import anywhere NEAR enough of the Japanese models to replace the existing Camry and Corolla sales, and that's before we even start talking about the other 6 models.

And dealers won't be jacking up prices of the remaining models, because they are not operating in a vacuum. Customers are not prisoners on the Toyota lot and when/if dealers jack up prices they will go elsewhere.

ohmygosh

Does anyone know if there is a similar problem on tthe 2004 car ? I only had one experience when I started the car and put it in drive it started to race and I had to keep my foot on the brake and put it in park and shut it off. I haven't had any more problems in over 2 years.

wwest

If a sticking/binding accelerator were really the problem why wouldn't there have been numerous driver complaints to the dealers. Not many accelerator pedals are going to go from NO sticking/binding directly into FULL THROTTLE sticking/stuck.

How many of us would not notice, pay attention to, the fact that the accelerator pedal is sticking from time to time, occassionally... where are those complaints...ignored by the dealers..??

Sorry Toyota, the accelerator pedals may be binding up, but you need to keep looking.

nippononly

You could ask your dealer. but I would suspect an '04 was still drive by linkage, not drive by wire. In which case you wouldn't have the problem I believe. The dealer is the most reliable source of info here (or you could contact Toyota USA directly).

sharonkl

I have 2006 RAV$ and am concerned issue may exist with my vehicle also. I have not had acceleration problem, but have recently noticed issues with sudden engine acceleration when braking and then go to put in park occasionally. Engine acceleration will return to normal shortly, but is definitely delayed. So far this has only occurred when I am pulling into my driveway to park and/or when I was going to park in space at a parking center. I have checked the locked in place floormats, and they are definitely not causing issues with accelerator I just spoke with my friend's husband who has 2008 RAV4 and he states he started having problems with a delay for accelerator not backing off when braking. while he was actually driving on roads. He states problem started about six months ago. So far the accelerator eventually backs off, and has not had any increase in acceleration. He has reviewed problem over the six months, and could not find he is inadvertantly causing. He is concerned now since recall. Is anyone else with models earlier than 2009 having problems??

ohmygosh

This car was initially tagged for what they called a floor mat problem with no resolution. I was told to take out the mats until a recall notice was sent. Does anyone know if this latest problem with the stuck accelerator is related to this vehicle. I am totally confused !!!

popsavalon

Several sites on the net discuss the ability of dealers, etc. to identify the Denso or CTS assemblies that are on a particular vehicle. One site stated "check the pedal manufacturer, it's the 1st line on side facing driver's door. Its difficult but it can be done". It appears that only CTS assemblies have a possible problem.

I haven't tried this yet, will post any info I get.

wwest

Camry began using DBW with the 2002 MY, the same year they switched to the U140E transaxle.

imidazol97

It's not in the list of cars at the top of the page for this forum, so it's not included in the second big recall here for unintended acceleration problems. Drive on and enjoy.

nippononly

Prius isn't included in this recall, as it is built in Japan.

anythngbutgm

Check the VIN number. If it starts with "JT" then it was manufatured in Japan and has a Denso japanese made accelerator pedal.

If it has a "J' only then it most surely will contain the affected CTS pedal which was made in Indiana.

nippononly

Good to know.

The '04 Highlander, of course, was still the 2000 design, so it may not have been updated under the hood until they revised the model for 2006 (2007?).

It may be that eventually older models are included in the recall, but for now I don't believe the '04 HL is. Again, the dealer or TMSUSA would be the best source of information.

corvette

This really crosses the line from "spin" into outright lying:

DetNews

Federal auto safety regulators said today that Toyota was legally required to stop selling the eight models it recalled last week.

lzc

According to the NHTSA memorandum on the San Diego Lexus crash, the accelerator pedal had fused with the floor mat, a mat that wasn't the right one for the vehicle nor was properly secured to prevent it from sliding forward.

Also, the pedal assembly was removed from the car, tested, and found to be operating normally.

anythngbutgm

I may be wrong but all of the first gen Highlanders came over from japan. The whole scope of the Highlander was to offer a Lexus RX at a more affordable pricepoint, hence Toyota plucked the japanese "Harrier" models out of their own market and sold them here. It wasn't until the latest and greatest that Toyota brought production of that model to the states.

wwest

Be careful handing out this advice.

For some of us it isn't yet clear that the carpet mats and the accelerator sticking is, or is NOT, the final solution.

british_rover

Cars built in Japan have a VIN that starts with "J" but cars that are built in the US start with a number of some sort. Numbers 1-5 are North America.

wwest

"..pedal has fused with the floor mat.."

And this is somehow conclusive evidence that the floor mat was the single causative factor...??

NOT...!!

Not by ANY measure.

The car rolled, did it not..?

popsavalon

On my 2007 Avalon, the following information is ink stamped (very small) on the control box above the actual pedal/lever: 1st line 78110-07010, 2nd line 06290C2B, 3rd line 44494851019, 4th line is a symbol, a square attached to capital D by horizontal line.

As I posted earlier, manufacturer of this unit can possibly be identified by this information. Anybody got a clue?

sharonkl

I checked my VIN number and it has JT so assume vehicle manufactured in Japan. But I have also read complaints were present over in Europe as well. Also have read a research article regarding accleration issue and found investigations limited and possibly incomplete as any issues intermittant. Findings do appear to present possible faulty investigational research. And also have seen in research problem can be much more complex than the part that has mentioned as the cause.

british_rover

Sounds like a Denso part to me by the D stamped on it.

Does your VIN start with a J?

glockfan

My wife and I purchased a $55k 2010 Sequoia Platinum last month. Now we get the news that Toyota has stopped building them until they can figure out a solution on repairing the problem. Sounds as if Toyota doesn't even know what to do to rectify the problem..Talking about a slap in the face, we purchased the new Sequoia because we felt it was the safest SUV you could purchase. Now I am afraid for my family to even ride in it..I would like to just return it to the dealer and get my money back. Do we have any recourse? I can't stand the fact that we paid $55k for a vehicle that we are scared to ride in..

kdhspyder

Yes you're right, only this 2010 MY is when the Highlander began to be produced in Princeton, IN. That's why also only the last two MY RAVs are included, these were built in Woodstock, ONT.

Prior to those MY's all were built in Japan. I expect a lot more will be built, like right now, in Japan as well.