Toyota Keeps Denying Accelerator Fault

Toyota Motors Corp is about to make the biggest recall in its history, as it will have to repair the accelerator pedals of about 4 million vehicles in the United States, according to Kyodo News. It is believed that Toyota reached an agreement with the US authorities to fix the pedals, said Kyodo, though it was not clearly stated what it involves.

The recall is linked to Toyota’s “killer floormats” which could force down the accelerator and cause serious accidents. Though it is suspected that this problem already killed five people, Toyota insists the problem is linked to floormats and not a vehicle design flaw or problems with components related to braking, fuel or accelerator systems.

On one hand, Hideaki Honma, Toyota spokesman, publicly denied that the Japanese car manufacturer managed to reach an agreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and said that the discussions are still in progress. On the other hand, NHTSA said that discussions with Toyota continue "as to what the remedy will entail" and that the accelerator pedal is "among the subjects under consideration."

The costs of the repair might be incredibly large, but Toyota said that it will not be affected, as the company has set aside nearly 500 billion yen ($5.6 billion) in provisions for recalls. The models under question included the Camry and Avalon sedans, the Prius hybrid, the Tacoma and Tundra pickup trucks and luxury Lexus models, the IS250, the IS350 and the ES350.