Pedal crisis hits 180,000 Toyotas in UK

JAPANESE car giant Toyota has halted the delivery of thousands of new cars as the global crisis over defective accelerator pedals threatens to engulf the company.

The manufacturer, the biggest car company in the world with a reputation built on reliable vehicles, revealed last night that 180,865 vehicles in the UK might be affected.

The problem centres on the accelerator pedals on seven models which may jam, causing serious safety problems for drivers.

The company say there are plans to recall models in the next few days to allow service centres to fit a new part to solve the problem. The recall affects about one in nine of the 1.6 million Toyotas on British roads.

There are reports of more than 10,000 Toyota owners in the UK jamming switchboards to report incidents of pedal failure, or seek advice on whether they should continue to drive their cars.

Angry drivers also want to know why Toyota has only just issued recall notices when it knew of problems last winter. The company says the problem affects worn pedals, but is exacerbated by cold weather or condensation.

Toyota confirmed that it had stopped delivering new vehicles of the seven affected models to British customers.

They will not be released until they have been fitted with a new part. While the process is believed to be relatively simple, dealers fear it could take weeks to clear the backlog.

A Toyota UK spokesman said: "If an affected car is ready to be delivered, it will stay put at the dealer so that the modified part can be installed. This is to prevent inconvenience to customers having to come back at a later date."

The spokesman declined to say how many deliveries were affected. Toyota sold more than 6,000 cars in the UK in December and 102,000 during the whole of 2009.

Ray LaHood, the US transportation secretary, said his department's investigation of the pedals would be expanded.

Yesterday he warned: "We are not finished with Toyota yet."

But earlier, Mr LaHood caused a furore by telling Toyota owners: "My advice is… stop driving it. Take it to the dealer."

Toyota shares dropped sharply on the New York Stock Exchange until he retracted the remarks.

A Toyota UK spokesman said: "No action is required by Toyota drivers unless they have experienced this problem, in which case we advise them to contact their local Toyota Centre (dealer].

"Only a tiny percentage of cars are affected, so it is highly unlikely that drivers will experience the problem."

Toyota has become Britain's fourth-biggest-selling marque since the scrappage scheme began. Its best-selling model is the Yaris, which shifted 30,000 units last year, followed by the British-built Auris and Avensis, all of which are affected by the fault.

Production is continuing at its Burnaston plant near Derby which, together with an engine plant on Deeside, Wales, employs 4,000 people.

Miguel Fonseca, Toyota's UK managing director, finally released a statement yesterday, saying: "The safety of our customers is our top priority. We appreciate their concerns and are doing everything we can to deliver a speedy and thorough solution to the issue. We would like to reassure customers that the potential issue only occurs in very rare circumstances. Our recall action is a precautionary measure.

"At Toyota, we've built our reputation on quality, durability and reliability and trust. We want to rebuild that trust with our customers by effectively working through this issue."