In late 2009 a recall of 4.2 million U.S. vehicles was issued by Toyota Motor Co. over concerns that accelerator pedals could become lodged under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. That problem was blamed for several crashes, including an accident involving a Lexus that accelerated to more than 200 km/h before crashing in San Diego, killing four people.
The latest issue however, relates to potential problems with the actual accelerator pedal mechanism, causing the accelerator to become stuck regardless of whether the vehicle contains a floor mat. Toyota said the accelerator pedal mechanism, may, under very rare circumstances, be harder to depress, slow to return to the idle position or remain open in a partially depressed position.
This week it was announced that the recall would officially be expanded to other geographies, including South Africa. Given this development Toyota South Africa have identified the Auris, new generation Verso and Corolla as part of the technical study of all the vehicles that are sold in South Africa. It is likely that these three model ranges will be included in the South African recall programme.
Toyota has not excluded any other models yet and is expected to announce any further additions to their recall list by mid-February – we’ll keep you posted.
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