With the gas pedal recall expanding to Europe and China, Toyota is working on ways to solve the problem.
While details are limited, Toyota has come up with two possible repairs that dealers could perform. Spokesman Brian Lyons said the company had discussed the potential fixes with U.S. regulators, but declined to add additional information. He stated "Our desire is to repair as many vehicles as possible as quickly as possible. The ball is in our court."
The supplier behind the pedal fiasco, CTS, is currently building replacement parts after determining condensation was the potential cause for wear to the pedal mechanism. According to the company's Chairman and CEO, Vinod Khilnani, "That, we believe, is the reason for the slow return of the pedal." He continued, "We have the fix. It's a ... robust pedal, which is meeting the tougher specifications by Toyota. All of our three facilities which supply to Toyota are already producing the new pedal."
Regardless of how this all pans out, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee for investigations has called Toyota to testify about the initial floor mat recall and the current gas pedal recall. As the committee's chairman, U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, said "Failure to take every step possible to prevent future deaths or injury is simply unacceptable. Our hearing will press for answers about the source of this accelerator defect and investigate whether adequate measures have been taken.
