Are you one of the estimated million of U.S. drivers who woke up this morning to find up that the newer Toyota sitting in your driveway was the subject of the massive recall by the auto manufacturer, announced today? You have my sympathies. As a fellow Toyota driver (my Corolla is three years old, and therefore safe), I can imagine that it’s devastating to find out this news about an auto that you bought thinking it would be safe and reliable. I imagine that the biggest question on the forefront of your mind is this: is it safe to drive my car?
It’s a valid question. If Toyota is concerned enough about the problem to suspend sales and halt production of the eight vehicle models in question (the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Sequoia, and Tundra, in all 2010 models and some older ones ranging back to 2007), then how can the company possibly tell people to keep driving those cars already on the road? The recall was because of an alleged defect in the accelerator pedals, which could make the pedal stick in a lowered position leading to uncontrolled acceleration and the driver losing control of the car. There is already a lawsuit against Toyota because of this, coming from a senior citizen who says the flaw caused a plunge off a cliff and his wife’s subsequent death.
Toyota is advising consumers to stay calm and keep driving their cars, as long as the vehicles aren’t showing any signs of problems. After all, many cars have been placed under recalls and people keep driving them. Toyota’s official word is that as long as the accelerator isn’t sticking when pushed down and it returns normally to an idle position, you should be fine. Of course, experts are pointing out that Toyota’s official word is subject to change. Just a week ago, the company was insisting that dealerships could keep selling the cars that were being recalled. And look at how that turned out! Toyota’s massive recall is classed as voluntary, although the company claims to be following federal laws requiring manufacturers to stop selling defective cars unless there is an immediate fix available.
Drivers owning one of the Toyota models under recall should pay very close attention to their accelerator pedals until the time at which they can be repaired. If the pedal’s return to an idle position is “rough or sluggish,” you need to stop operating the vehicle. Toyota us advising drivers to remove all floor mats that could cause the accelerator to jam. As of right now, the process for how these vehicles will be fixed is still up in the air. So this raises problems for many in the form of them not having a vehicle to drive. But don’t under any means drive the car anyway. The results could be deadly.
A study by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that drivers of a runaway Toyota or Lexus (made by the same company) might not be able to stop the car quickly, if at all. Drivers are advised to shift the car into neutral and hit the brakes, but this might not be able to be done quickly enough to prevent a major accident. And some cars with stop-start buttons require three seconds of pushing to activate. And three seconds could easily mean the difference between life and death.
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