Moving to correct what federal regulators have termed a "very dangerous problem," Toyota Motor Corp. said it would modify and replace gas pedals on 4.26 million cars and trucks to reduce the vehicles' risk of accelerating out of control.
Toyota said the measures were designed to prevent floor mats from jamming the accelerator pedal open. As an additional precaution, the Japanese automaker said most of its cars would be modified so that the brake overrides the accelerator if both pedals are pressed at the same time.
The action follows widespread reports of runaway Toyota and Lexus vehicles, including an Aug. 28 crash near San Diego that killed a California Highway Patrol officer and three family members. Sudden acceleration incidents involving Toyota-made cars and trucks have claimed 19 lives since the 2002 model year, The Times has reported, which federal officials say is more than all other manufacturers combined.
"We are very, very confident that we have addressed this issue," Toyota spokesman Irv Miller told reporters in detailing the recall plans Wednesday.
Toyota declined to estimate the cost of the recall, the biggest in its history. But industry experts said it could easily top $250 million, citing the time and labor that will be needed to service more than 4 million vehicles.
                

     本报讯   华人最喜欢购买的汽车当属丰田了！近期的《消费者报导》（Consumer Guide）指出，在对2008年车型突然加速而提出的暴冲投诉案件（超过1，000案例），有41%是针对丰田汽车及其凌志(Lexus)豪华车型，针对丰田车系的投诉超过对克莱斯勒、通用汽车(GM)、本田和日产车的投诉案件总和。