Automotive Repairs: The “Toyota will replace gas pedals for dissatisfied ...

Rabu, 24 Maret 2010

The “Toyota will replace gas pedals for dissatisfied ... - Chicago Tribune”

Toyota will replace gas pedals for dissatisfied ... - Chicago Tribune

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 05:53 AM PDT

Washington - Toyota owners who are dissatisfied with the repairs to their vehicles covered by a massive recall to address sticky gas pedals can have replacement accelerator pedals installed, according to a memo the company sent to dealers.

The Japanese automaker said in a memo obtained Tuesday by the Associated Press that if a customer is unhappy with the feel of the accelerator after the car is repaired, dealers can provide a replacement pedal at no charge.

Dealers have been inserting a piece of metal into the gas pedal mechanism to eliminate friction that was causing the pedal problem on 2.3 million vehicles involved in a January recall.

"A replacement pedal should only be offered to a customer after the reinforcement bar has been installed and the customer has expressed dissatisfaction with the operation and/or feel of the pedal," Toyota said in a memo to dealers, service manager and parts managers.

The memo, dated February 2010, said the pedal replacement "is based upon specific customer request only. Dealers are not to solicit pedal replacement." The memo was first reported by the New York Times.

Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said owners received letters in February that mentioned they could receive a replacement accelerator pedal "if the customer is not satisfied with the appearance or performance" of their fixed vehicle. He said the memo was intended to tell dealers about "an improved parts-ordering process for the accelerator pedals" and didn't represent "a customer satisfaction policy change."

An AP review of government data found that more than 100 owners have complained to the government about problems with sudden acceleration after Toyota dealers fixed their vehicles. Toyota has said it is confident in its repairs and has found no evidence of other problems, such as faulty electronics.

Toyota has issued about 10 million recalls worldwide recently over gas pedals that stick or can become trapped in floor mats and other safety issues, tarnishing the company's safety reputation and leading to government investigations and congressional hearings.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.