Toyota UK Recall Work Starts Today

Editors Note: Toyota USA said at their presentation here at the Chicago Auto Show that 220,000 Recalled Toyota accelerator pedals have already been repaired and that they are repairing at a rate of 50,000 per day at dealers across the U.S.

EPSOM, UNITED KINGDOM – February 10, 2010: Work begins this morning (Wednesday 10 February) at 206 Toyota service centres across the UK to implement the fix to the accelerator pedal on the cars affected by the recall. Toyota technicians have received specific training in the repair, the parts are in stock and the first cars are being attended to.

Toyota service centres have also received the necessary software to update the Prius brake system.

The accelerator pedal recall involves 180,865 vehicles in the UK and Toyota anticipates it can be accomplished in a matter of weeks thanks to service centres extending their opening hours. The pedal repair should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete.

Steve Settle, Toyota GB Customer Services Director said: “We are doing everything we can to ensure our customers’ vehicles are attended to as promptly as possible. With the assistance of the DVLA and the commitment of all our centres, we have been able to launch a repair programme that is thorough, efficient and effective in ensuring all the vehicles affected by the recall are fixed.”

“Toyota service centres will be working extended hours and weekends. As a consequence, they have the combined capacity to repair 6,000 vehicles per day. By Friday we will have received 100,000 repair parts from Japan. We have implemented the recall as quickly as possible.”

Toyota will prioritise those customers whose cars have been identified as having the fault via the Toyota customer helpline or directly with centres.