Toyota danger – all car makes could be at risk

TOYOTA yesterday launched a humbling rearguard action to reassure drivers its cars are safe after recalling more than 180,000 with potentially faulty accelerator pedals.

Its response came as an engine expert told The Scotsman that the problem could affect all manufacturers and every model built over the past seven years.

Past recalls listed by the government's Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (Vosa) include at least seven since 2004 with apparent similarities to the Toyota problem.

Peugeot Citron has also announced it will recall vehicles with possible accelerator pedal defects. Similar problems have been linked to other carmakers, with a Lexus ES350 crashing in California in the US last August after accelerating to 120mph, killing a policeman and three members of his family.

Jon Williams, Toyota GB's commercial director, said the manufacturer was "truly sorry for letting our customers down".

In a message posted on the YouTube website, he said his family drove Toyotas, and "I would not allow my loved ones to drive our cars if I did not think they were safe".

"Nothing is more important to us than our customers' safety and satisfaction. We are taking every action possible to speed up the repair process and redoubling our efforts to ensure this can never happen again."

Mr Williams said the problem was caused by wear. He said: "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."

Vosa's records include Fiat Scudo models being recalled last year where the "accelerator may stick", while Volvo C30, S40 and V50s models were recalled in 2008 because the "accelerator pedal may not return to resting position".

There were recalls for Citron C2, C3 and C3 Pluriel models in 2006 because the "accelerator pedal returns too slowly", while Land Rover Discovery models were recalled in 2004 because the "throttle may stick in open position".

John Dobson, an engine management specialist at GMC Motorsport in Newton Stewart, Dumfries and Galloway, told The Scotsman that sticky accelerators could affect all cars built since about 2003 when the pedals were directly linked to the vehicle's electronics rather than being connected by cable to the engine. He said: "Every car could have the same problem that could make it uncontrollable.

"There is a very real possibility that if any car with a 'motorised throttle' fails in a certain way, you would have no control over the engine."

Toyota said yesterday that drivers would have to wait until Wednesday for repairs to start, which are expected to take half an hour each. Replacement parts – the size of a postage stamp – are being shipped from Japan.

It said there had been only 26 reported defects among its 1.8 million cars in Europe.

Current owners of the seven affected models – the iQ, Aygo, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Avensis and Verso – will be traced by Vosa via the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

The information is expected to be available within two days, allowing Toyota to write to customers by the end of the week.

In all, some 180,865 vehicles in the UK are in the process of being recalled as safety concerns continue to dog the carmaker.

A separate problem affecting the brakes in its ground-breaking Prius hybrid models has been identified by customers in the US and Japan.

Toyota said the problem for UK models was one of comfort rather than safety and that there would be no Prius recall.

Fault at heart of recall blamed on wear and environment

What is the scale of Toyota's problem?

The Japanese carmaker – the world's largest – is recalling eight million cars globally after admitting some of its accelerator pedals may be defective. Most recalls are in the United States, where there are claimed to have been 19 related deaths and hundreds of injuries. In Europe, the recall affects 1.8 million vehicles.

What is wrong with the accelerator pedals?

Toyota said it was connected with wear, made worse by "environmental conditions", which could cause the pedal to stick in the depressed position, or return to idle more slowly than normal. However, it is not clear whether the problem is mechanical – as the firm insists – or relates to the connection between the pedal and the car's electronics, as some experts claim. Incidents appear to have occurred only in the cold and/or involving condensation.

Have there been any incidents in the UK?

Toyota will say only there have been 26 incidents across Europe, none of which has involved crash or injury. Lawyers believe there could be many incidents or crashes that have not been reported, because drivers may have thought it was their own fault.

Are drivers covered by their insurance for such incidents?

The Association of British Insurers said yesterday insurance policies would continue to cover Toyota owners affected by the recall of certain models. It said any claims would be dealt with "in the normal way, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the policy". However, it advised drivers who think they may be affected to contact their Toyota dealer for advice.

What about Peugeot and Citron?

The French carmakers have yet to announce details of a recall of more than 6,000 Citron C1s and Peugeot 107s in the UK with potential similar problems.

'I thought car was possessed when it went from zero to 5,000 rpm'

MONICA Tait thought her Toyota had a "mind of its own" when the engine raced as she pulled out of a filling station.

The business consultant and trainer from Balloch in West Dunbartonshire said she feared the car was "possessed" and that she would crash into another car.

Mrs Tait, 42, said: "When I pulled away in first gear, the engine would jump to 4-5,000 revs. It seemed to be desperate to get away.

"It was really frightening – I thought the car would slam into another vehicle."

She said she thought initially it was the way she was driving or a floormat which was causing the accelerator fault, but it kept recurring and so her husband took the car to a Toyota dealer.

Mechanics could find no fault and the Taits just decided to live with the problem before trading in the car for a Honda CRV a few months later.

Mrs Tait said: "I thought it was a one-off because I never heard anyone else having similar problems, but when the recall was announced, I knew I had been right."