After major recall events, Toyota promises customers a fix for accelerator pedal safety issues.

Online PR News – 03-February-2010 – Pittsburg, PA — Toyota announces they will begin fixing accelerator pedal safety issues this week after the voluntary recall of 2.3 million vehicles. The proposed solution reinforces the pedal assembly to reduce friction that Toyota says may cause the pedal to stick. Toyota has indicated that they will ship parts to dealers and begin dealer training immediately.

“We have developed a comprehensive plan to fix the sticking pedal situation in recalled Toyota vehicles,” said Jim Lentz, President of Toyota Motor Sales, USA. “We know what’s causing the sticking accelerator pedals…We also know it is most important to fix this problem in the cars on the road.”

Toyota promises customers that dealers will be open extended hours to handle the repairs. Owners of recalled vehicles can expect notifications explaining how to contact dealers for servicing. Toyota and Pontiac vehicles included in the recall are 2009-2010 RAV4, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2008-2010 Sequoia, 2009-2010 Vibe. Camry, RAV 4, Corolla and Highlander vehicles with VINs that begin with ‘J’ are not affected.

Owners who have concerns about their vehicle or its repair should keep documentation of repair orders, dealer conversations and any technical service bulletins. It is important to keep records of repair work including dates and times of all dealer or technician conversations and the time the vehicle was out of service.

The National Highway Safety Administration advises owners to pay attention how their accelerator pedals are working. If the accelerator becomes harder to depress or slower to return than normal, it may be a precursor to a safety issue. The NTSA says, “These vehicles should be parked and a dealer immediately notified. Should a pedal become stuck in a partially depressed condition while driving, owners should put their car in neutral, bring it to a stop and call their dealer.”

Owners who have experienced injury or loss of use of their vehicle from a sticking accelerator pedal should contact a lemon law professional in their state to see what remedies are available. Lemon laws exist to help resolve disputes between customers and manufacturers in the repair of defects in new motor vehicles.

“Every owner of one of the Toyota vehicles covered by the recall should make an appointment to get their accelerator pedal reinforced as soon as possible. Anyone who has experienced injury or loss of use of a vehicle due to a sticking accelerator pedal safety defect should contact a qualified attorney who is experienced handling lemon law cases to determine if additional remedies are available,” recommends lemon law attorney David Gorberg. “Lemon laws vary greatly. New Jersey Lemon Law stipulates that just a single incident involving driving safety can qualify a consumer for compensation, while other state laws, like Pennsylvania’s lemon law, may allow a dealer up to 3 attempts before a consumer is entitled to additional compensation.”

The Lemon Law Attorneys at David J. Gorberg & Associates have arbitrated, settled and litigated thousands of lemon law claims throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, recovering millions of dollars for their clients. Find more information at www.mylemon.com or call 1-800-MyLemon.