Toyota halts sales of 8 recalled vehicle models

<p>Toyota took the extraordinary step Tuesday of suspending the manufacture and sale of eight of its most popular models because of an unresolved mechanical flaw that might cause the accelerator to get perilously stuck in the depressed position.</p><p>The move follows two massive recalls involving millions of vehicles with either the same flaw or one in which floor mats also caused the accelerator to get stuck.</p><p>The Japanese carmaker's recall and sales suspension covered the following models and model years: the 2009-2010 RAV4, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2008-2010 Sequoia and certain 2007-2010 Camry models. Production lines at five North American plants will be idled for the week starting Monday.</p><p>Local Toyota dealers were taken aback by the decision, noting that they only learned of the order Tuesday afternoon, the same time the media was notified. </p><p>“This is so unprecedented I'm sure they didn't want to not let everyone know as soon as possible,” said Henry Hansel, owner of Hansel Toyota in Petaluma. </p><p>The potential impact on sales remained unclear because the company has not said how long the sales ban will last. </p><p>“I don't know if its for one week or one day. We don't know,” Hansel said. </p><p>The standstill is a huge setback for a company that built its business largely on a reputation for reliability and which perennially vies with General Motors and Volkswagen for the top sales ranking among world auto companies. And it left many loyal Toyota customers worried about safety and confused about what to do, since Toyota isn't sure how to fix the problem.</p><p>“This is unprecedented,” said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with Edmunds.com. “In the past, we have seen an automaker stop production of one specific vehicle or two. ... We've never seen an automaker pull the sales of so many models.”</p><p>Krebs said the eight models represent 65 percent of sales of the Toyota brand and more than half of sales of the parent company, which also makes Lexus and Scion.</p><p>Don Woodruff, general manager of Freeman Toyota in Santa Rosa, said the recall affects cars made in the U.S., not those made in Japan. He said he was unsure what how many vehicles on his lot were covered by the order, but said the order and the news reports of it would hurt.</p><p>“Any publicity of this kind always has an impact,” Woodruff said.</p><p>Toyota said it was halting sales because “helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company.”</p><p>The company's group vice president and Toyota division general manager, Bob Carter, said in a statement that “this action is necessary until a remedy is finalized. We're making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible.”</p><p>Toyota has been struggling with gas pedal problems for months. In late September, it recalled more than 4 million vehicles after a luxury Lexus ES350 was involved in a fiery fatal accident in California that focused public attention on the danger.</p><p>The crash killed a California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family near San Diego. The Lexus hit speeds exceeding 120 mph and, in a frantic emergency call, a family member told emergency responders that the accelerator was stuck and the driver could not stop. Toyota said the driver's side floor mat jammed the gas pedal. Popular vehicles such as the Camry and the Prius were among those fixed.</p><p>Then on Jan. 21, Toyota recalled 2.3 million vehicles, many of them the same as those recalled in November. This time, Toyota said that an accelerator component might cause gas pedals to stick.</p><p>“Toyota has investigated isolated reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in certain vehicles without the presence of floor mats,” the company said in a statement. “There is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position.”</p><p>The Department of Transportation, which oversees the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, declined to comment and referred questions to Toyota.</p><p>The announcement Tuesday caught dealers and customers off balance.</p><p>Krebs said many customers, especially owners of low-priced models such as Corolla, might not have spare cars or alternative ways of commuting while Toyota figured out how to repair the problem. Yet, Krebs said, motorists should avoid driving any vehicle that gave any hint of having such trouble.</p><p>John McEleney, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association who has operated a Toyota dealership for 37 years in Clinton, Iowa, said the timing of the halt in sales is unfortunate given the industry's slump.</p><p>“The massive recall will have a lot of impact,” McEleney said.</p><p>“Not being able to sell the cars for 30 days is going to be very challenging in the environment we're in. But Toyota buyers are pretty loyal ... and I think a lot will come back in March, April and May.”</p><p>Edmunds.com analyst Krebs said the Toyota move was much more far-reaching than other problems of this sort. The eight models are also made at different factories and use different platforms, she said, making the source of the accelerator problem even more unusual.</p><p>Moreover, she added, Toyota's quality performance had been slipping even before the gas pedal problem. “We've started to see them slip as they became bigger and bigger and made a wider array of vehicles,” she said. “Maybe they've stretched themselves too thin.”</p><p>Woodruff, who manages the Toyota dealership in Santa Rosa, said the carmaker is the most thorough company he has ever worked for. He is certain it will get to the bottom of the problem and take care of its customers. </p><p>“I have confidence in Toyota. They will do the right thing,” he said. </p><p>This article was compiled from reports by Staff Writer Kevin McCallum and the Washington Post.</p>