Local Toyota dealer: Plenty of models unaffected

Toyota is suspending sales of eight recalled vehicle models including the popular Camry, shown here in the lot of Cloninger Toyota in Salisbury. Photo by Karissa Minn, Salisbury Post.

By Karissa Minn

kminn@salisburypost.com

An unprecedented recall by Toyota Motor Corp. has left local dealers unable to sell much of their inventory for now, including popular new Camry and Corolla models.

Toyota announced late Tuesday that it would halt sales of some of its top-selling models to fix gas pedals that could stick and cause unintended acceleration. Last week, it issued a recall for the same eight models affecting 2.3 million vehicles.

Mike Hughes, manager of Cloninger Toyota in Salisbury, said his dealership still has 70 vehicles for sale that aren't listed in the expansive recall. He said the affected models use one of two different accelerator pedals, depending on where the car was manufactured, and only vehicles with the faulty pedal are included in the recall.

"Not all cars are affected, so we still have lots of cars that can be sold," Hughes said Wednesday. "We just sorted them out this morning and put some stickers on them that say, 'This is not available for sale.' "

The automaker is working on a fix for the problem, and Hughes said he hopes the affected vehicles can be sold again soon. In the meantime, local residents still can visit the dealership to buy a new car.

"I think there's going to be more opportunity," Hughes said. "I think we're going to have more people visiting the showroom."

Tracy Wease, service manager at Toyota of Concord, said the dealership's phones have been ringing off the hook as customers call with questions.

"It definitely will impact our sales business because we're not able to sell vehicles and we're in full agreement with that," Wease said. "We don't want to sell them until they're repaired."

She said other aspects of the business, including parts and repairs, are still going strong. Wease has never heard any complaints about a vehicle's gas pedal getting stuck.

CTS Corp., the supplier of the parts involved in the recall, says Toyota told it of fewer than a dozen cases in which drivers struggled with the pedals. The supplier also says it is not aware of any cases where the pedal became stuck after drivers pushed it down, potentially causing unwanted acceleration.

Toyota says it's rare for pedals to get stuck, but it could happen. CTS says it is working with Toyota to design a new pedal.

One competing automaker is taking advantage of the recall to encourage consumers to switch brands. General Motors is offering interest-free loans and other incentives to Toyota owners who may want to get rid of their cars due to fears about faulty gas pedals.

The Detroit automaker is offering zero percent financing for 60 months on most models. It also will offer $1,000 to Toyota owners toward a down payment on a GM vehicle and up to $1,000 to help to pay off current leases early. The offers run through the end of February.

Toyota has said it was unaware of any accidents or injuries due to the pedal problems associated with this recall, but could not rule them out for sure. Highway Patrol officials in Salisbury said they had not heard of any vehicle crashes involving these problems.

Tuesday's announcement follows a larger U.S. recall months earlier of 4.2 million vehicles because of problems with gas pedals becoming trapped under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. That problem was the cause of several crashes, including some fatalities.

Toyota is also suspending production at six North American car-assembly plants beginning next week. It gave no date on when production could restart.

Toyota said the U.S. sales suspension includes the following models: the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2009-2010 Matrix hatchback, the 2005-2010 Avalon large sedan, the 2010 Highlander crossover, the 2007-2010 Tundra pickup and the 2008-2010 Sequoia large SUV.

The auto company said the sales suspension wouldn't affect Lexus or Scion vehicles or the Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids. Those vehicles contain gas pedals produced by a different North American supplier, Toyota has said.

CTS Corp. is based in Elkhart, Ind., and the problem part was manufactured at its plant in Ontario, Canada, according to a report Toyota handed to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.