By now you’ve seen the news stories. Stories of people driving down the road in their Toyotas, with not a care in the world. Suddenly the Toyota, seemingly having a mind of it’s own, takes off at a high rate of speed. Tragically, in some cases, this has resulted in death.
Though the first cars were recalled because of a problem with the floor mats, the latest recalls have been due to the pedal mechanism itself.
What to Do if You Own a Toyota
If you own a Toyota, the first thing to do is check the recall list. Not every car manufactured by Toyota has been recalled, so check the status of your car, before you panic. I drive a Toyota Sienna, and fortunately, it’s not on the recall list.
Even if your car is not on the recall list, pay attention to the news. The Toyota recall started with just 7 models, suspected of having floor mat problems. Now the recall is up to 11 models, and the latest cars recalled are said to have pedal problems.
Recent news reports suggest that we may not know the true cause of the problem yet. Don’t get complacent. Until the problem is figured out, there always remains the possibility of further recalls, so keep your eye on the news.
What to Do if Your Toyota has been Recalled
Again, don’t panic. Toyota says the problem develops over time, so if you haven’t experienced problems yet, it’s probably OK to keep driving for now, using caution, of course. If it were me, though, and I happened to have alternative transportation available, I might be inclined to use it. But I’m cautious that way.
If you’re driving and your gas pedal sticks, take firm control of the steering wheel and press down on the brake (but don’t pump the brakes). That should slow the car down enough for you to gain control. If not, shift your car into neutral, so the engine stops powering the wheels. As soon as you have control of your car, pull over and call a dealer to pick you and your car up.
A fix for the problem has been identified, and it could be available as early as this week. Toyota will be contacting owners of the affected vehicles to let them know how to schedule an appointment at a local Toyota dealership to get the problem fixed. The repair will be free of charge for owners of recalled Toyotas.
There are always customers that fall through the cracks. If your believe your vehicle has been recalled, and you don’t hear from Toyota, you can call their customer service hotline at 1-800-331-4331. Be prepared for a long wait on hold. You can also contact your local dealer to find out when they will begin fixing the recalled cars and try to make an appointment. I imagine the dealerships will book up their repair slots pretty quickly, and if you don’t make an appointment as soon as they are available, you may have to wait a while for repairs.
For more information, see this CNN article on the subject.
Do you own a recalled Toyota? Are you still driving it? Are you satisfied with the way Toyota has handled the recall?
Photo by .Larry Page.
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Just released on the news: Toyota now has another recall; this time it’s failing brakes on Prius models (didn’t catch which years).
If I owned a vehicle on the recall list for anything that’s a safety matter, I would go to the dealership and get it fixed. On safety, there’s no reason to wait until a problem becomes noticeable. Just like aging, things that happen over time tend to become less noticeable. :0)
I believe that the Pruis models are the 2010, but could be wrong. I also heard on the news in Atlanta this morning that there are some Toyota dealers sending out mechanics to make house calls for the repairs. Good luck to everyone who is driving a Toyota, you hate when a generally reliable auto manufacturer has such a large problem. It will make me think of buying a Toyota in the future.