Calls swamp Toyota dealers

NEW YORK (AP) — Toyota dealers across the country were swamped with calls Wednesday from concerned drivers but had few answers a day after the company announced it would stop selling and building eight models because of faulty gas pedals.

Toyota insisted the problem — sudden, uncontrolled acceleration — was “rare and infrequent” and said dealers should deal with customers “on a case-by-case basis.” But drivers of Toyotas and those who share the road with them were left with uncertainty.

In an unprecedented move, the company said late Tuesday it would halt sales for the eight models — which make up more than half of Toyota’s U.S. sales volume — to fix the gas pedals. Last week, Toyota issued a recall for the same eight models, affecting 2.3 million vehicles.

A private firm said it had identified 275 crashes and 18 deaths because of sudden, uncontrollable acceleration in Toyotas since 1999.

Earl Stewart, a dealership owner in North Palm Beach, Fla, said about half his cars are affected by the recall. He said customers had been flocking in with concerns. He sent some home with loaners.

“They’re very frightened,” he said. “Many are concerned their accelerator pedal is going to stick and they’re going to be involved in an accident.”

Toyota has said the problem appears to be related to the buildup of condensation on sliding surfaces in the accelerator system that help drivers push down or release the gas pedal. The gas pedal mechanism can wear down, causing the accelerator to become harder to press, slower to spring back or stuck.

Outside safety experts say it could also have to do with the complicated electronic sensors that relay the message from the gas pedal to the engine, the design and location of the sensor system and a lack of an override mechanism.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told WGN Radio in Chicago the government had urged Toyota to stop making the cars while it investigated the problem.

The sales and production halt involves some of Toyota’s best-known lines, including the Camry and Corolla sedans and the RAV4.

In addition, the problem could spread to Europe, where a similar accelerator part is being used, said Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi. She declined to give the number of cars affected. The company was studying possible responses there, including a recall.

Toyota had little to say about how common the problem is.

“It’s rare,” Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said. “I’d like to say even more than that but right now I’m held to rare, rare and infrequent.”

Safety experts said drivers should watch for warning signs, such as when the act of pressing the gas pedal starts to feel rougher or when the pedal does not fully return to its regular position.

“If you don’t have that problem, I would probably say it’s probably fine to keep driving your Toyota because this really only happens in rare instances,” said Rik Paul, automotive editor at Consumer Reports. “If you do experience any roughness in the accelerator pedal, don’t drive it any more and take it to your dealership.”