Toyota adds 1 million vehicles to floor mat recall

The carmaker did not say why it expanded the recall, which originally involved 4.3 million cars and trucks. The move comes a day after it stopped selling and making eight models over gas pedal safety.

By Ralph Vartabedian And Ken Bensinger
January 27, 2010 | 6:47 p.m.

Toyota Motor Corp. said today that it will add 1 million more vehicles to an earlier recall of cars and trucks because floor mats could jam their accelerator pedals.

In a statement, the Japanese automaker did not indicate why it had expanded the recall, saying only that it had decided to include the 2008 to 2010 Higlander, 2009 and 2010 Corolla, 2009 and 2010 Venza and 2009 and 2010 Matrix to the action. It also will add the 2009 and 2010 Pontiac Vibe, which until August was made by Toyota in a joint venture with General Motors Co.

The latest action comes a day after the Japanese automaker halted sales and production of eight models as it works to fix a problem in which the gas pedals can get stuck, leading to unintended acceleration.

The automaker originally announced a floor mat recall last fall, and Wednesday's decision expands that to 5.3 million vehicles. That comes on top of 2.3 million vehicles that Toyota recalled separately a week ago because of the gas pedal problem.

The sudden-acceleration problem has resulted in growing political, legal and business fallout for Toyota, the nation's second-largest seller of motor vehicles that was built on a reputation for quality and safety.

At least two rental car companies said Wednesday they were temporarily removing tens of thousands of Toyota vehicles from their fleets, reflecting a growing concern about the safety of the Toyota brand. Meanwhile, the United Auto Workers seized on the controversy to schedule a protest in Washington against the non-union manufacturer.

And there appears to be growing attention on Toyota's safety issues among federal regulators and members of Congress, who have begun investigating the company's handling of the sudden-acceleration problem since it surfaced publicly last summer.

"We are growing very concerned about the public-safety issue," Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), chairman of oversight and investigation panel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in an interview. "The problem has not been exactly identified. Therefore you have no solution and consumers are left in the lurch."

ralph.vartabedian@latimes.com
ken.bensinger@latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-t ... 0381.story