Maybe I'm just getting paranoid in my old age, but this story is very strange, IMHO. I can't EVER remember any auto company doing this - can you?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. said Tuesday it is asking dealers to temporarily suspend sales of eight models.

The company's sales suspension is part of a recall announced last week to correct a problem that could cause the accelerator pedal to stick.

"Helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company," said Toyota USA group vice president Bob Carter. "This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized."

About 2.3 million vehicles will be affected by the recall, Toyota (TM) said Tuesday in a statement. That's more autos than Toyota sold in all of 2009, when it sold 1.8 million vehicles.

The automaker also said that it will halt the production of vehicles in certain production facilities in Canada, Indiana, Kentucky and Texas during the week of Feb. 1 to "assess and coordinate activities." The vehilcles currently being built will not be sold until they are fixed, a Toyota spokesman said.

"Suspending sales and production is certainly good to reassure the public that they are serious about doing something, but too many jobs and lost sales are involved for this to be a PR stunt," Edmunds.com Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds said in statement. "They must really be concerned about this being something other than a rare condition. Hopefully this means the fix is very close to being ready, because suspension of production and sales is not tolerable for very long."

The recall affects Toyota's 2009-2010 RAV4, Corolla, Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, certain 2007-2010 Camry, 2010 Highlander, 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.

General Motors' Pontiac Vibe, which is essentially the same car as the Toyota Matrix, was also included in the recall. GM is not participating in the order to stop selling the cars because it has already stopped production of Pontiac vehicles as part of its wind-down of the Pontiac brand, a GM spokesman said.

This new recall is to correct a situation in which the gas pedal could stick without the presence of a floor mat.

The situation is rare, according to Toyota, but can occur when accelerator pedal mechanisms become worn. The problem will usually develop gradually, Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said. The pedal may become harder to press and may become slower to return when released. In the worst cases, it may become stuck in a partially depressed position.

A Toyota spokesman said there are no confirmed deaths traceable to the defect.

The new recall, involving sticking accelerator pedals, is separate from an ongoing recall of 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles due to the risk of pedal entrapment because of a loose floormat.

About 1.7 million Toyota Division vehicles have been affected by both recalls.

Toyota owners with questions should call Toyota's customer service line at 800-331-4331.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/26/news/companies/toyota_recall/index.htm?hpt=T2

Driver: My Prius took me for a ride

(CNN) -- The driver of a Toyota Prius says he was taken on a wild ride Monday after the car's accelerator became stuck, reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph on a winding, hilly portion of a southern California interstate.

It took the California Highway Patrol to bring the car safely to a stop.

The driver, Jim Sikes, said he was traveling east on Interstate 8 outside of the San Diego area when he attempted to pass a slower vehicle.

"I pushed the gas pedal to pass a car, and it just did something kind of funny ... and it just stuck there," he said at a news conference outside a Highway Patrol office. "As I was going, I was trying the brakes ... and it just kept speeding up."

Sikes said he called 911 for help, and dispatchers talked him through instructions on how he might be able to stop the car. But nothing worked.

At one point, Sikes said he reached down to try to pull the accelerator up, but it "stayed right where it was."

Alerted by emergency dispatchers, a California Highway Patrol officer was able to catch up to Sikes' Prius and used the patrol car's public address system to instruct Sikes to apply the brakes and the emergency brake at the same time.

The tactic worked, and the car slowed to about 50 mph. Sikes said he was able to shut off the car, and it rolled to a stop. The responding officer, Todd Neibert, positioned his patrol car in front of the Prius as a precaution to prevent it from moving again.

Toyota recently issued widespread recalls due to problems related to the accelerator pedal in several of its auto models. One theory behind the sticky accelerators is the vehicles' floor mats.

But Sikes said "my mat was perfect. There was nothing wrong with my mat."

Sikes said he took his 2008 Prius into a local Toyota dealership about two weeks ago for service and gave workers there his recall notice. He said he was told his car wasn't on the recall list.

"I'll be back there tomorrow," he said Monday, visibly shaken up.

CHP spokesman Brian Pennings said the ordeal lasted just over 20 minutes.

"We are extremely thankful that there was a safe end to this," Pennings said.

A Toyota spokesman issued a statement Monday night saying the automaker had been notified of the incident.

"Toyota has dispatched a field technical specialist to San Diego to investigate the report and offer assistance," the statement said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/08/california.runaway.prius/index.html?hpt=T2

U.S. to seek $16M penalty over Toyota recalls
Fine would be largest civil penalty issued to an automaker by government
By Ken Thomas
The Associated Press
updated 4:18 p.m. CT, Mon., April 5, 2010

WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Corp. faces a maximum penalty of more than $16 million, a record civil penalty against an automaker, for failing to promptly notify the U.S. government about defective gas pedals among its vehicles.

Toyota has recalled more than 6 million vehicles in the United States and more than 8 million worldwide because of acceleration problems in multiple models and braking shortcomings in the Prius hybrid.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Monday that documents obtained from the Japanese automaker showed that Toyota knew of the problem with the sticking gas pedals in late September but did not issue a recall until late January. The sticking gas pedal recall involved 2.3 million vehicles.

"We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations," LaHood said in a statement. "Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from U.S. officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers and their families."

For those reasons, LaHood said, the government is seeking a fine of $16.375 million, the maximum penalty possible. In 2004, General Motors paid a record $1 million fine for responding too slowly on a recall of nearly 600,000 vehicles over windshield wiper failure.

In a statement, Toyota did not say whether it would pay the fine. The automaker has two weeks to accept or contest the penalty.

"While we have not yet received their letter, we understand that NHTSA has taken a position on this recall," Toyota said in the statement. "We have already taken a number of important steps to improve our communications with regulators and customers on safety-related matters as part of our strengthened overall commitment to quality assurance."

Toyota noted they have appointed a new chief quality officer for North America and given their North American office a greater role in making safety-related decisions.

Under federal law, automakers must notify the department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration within five days of determining that a safety defect exists and must promptly conduct a recall.

The Transportation Department said the penalty against Toyota is specifically tied to the sticking pedal defect, and Toyota could face additional penalties under the government's continuing investigation.

The government has linked 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by accelerator problems in Toyotas. The recalls have led to congressional hearings, a criminal investigation by federal prosecutors, dozens of lawsuits and an intense review by the Transportation Department.

Toyota has attributed the problem to sticking gas pedals and accelerators that can become jammed in floor mats and has cited no evidence of an electrical problem. Toyota dealers have worked on 1.7 million vehicles under recall so far.

Consumer groups have said electronics could be the culprit, and dozens of Toyota owners who had their cars repaired in the recall have complained of more problems with their vehicles surging forward unexpectedly.

Reviews of some recent high-profile crashes in San Diego and suburban New York have failed to find a mechanical or electronic problem. In the New York case, a police investigation found that the driver, not the car, was to blame.

Following the recalls, the Transportation Department demanded in February that Toyota turn over documents detailing when and how it learned of the problems with sticking accelerators and with floor mats trapping gas pedals.

NHTSA said documents provided by Toyota showed the automaker knew about the sticky pedal defect since at least Sept. 29, 2009, when it issued repair procedures to distributors in 31 European countries and Canada to deal with complaints of sticking pedals, sudden increases in engine RPM and sudden vehicle acceleration.

The government said the documents also show that Toyota knew that owners in the United States had experienced the same problems. Toyota has provided NHTSA with more than 70,000 pages of documents during the investigation.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36181616/ns/business-autos/

Toyota to temporarily halt sales of Lexus GX 460

WASHINGTON — Toyota Motor Corp. is temporarily halting sales of the 2010 Lexus GX 460 after Consumer Reports issued a rare "Don't Buy" warning amid concerns the large SUV has handling problems that could cause it to roll over during sharp turns.

The Japanese automaker said Tuesday it had asked dealers to temporarily suspend sales of the SUV while it conducts its own tests on the GX 460.

"We are taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue Consumer Reports identified," said Mark Templin, Lexus vice president and general manager.

The decision to stop selling the SUV is the latest blow to Toyota's tarnished safety reputation after the recall of millions of cars and trucks over gas pedals that are too slow to retract or that can become stuck under floor mats. The GX 460 is not covered by the pedal recalls.

But it reflects Toyota's attempt to respond more quickly to safety concerns after federal investigators accused the automaker of dragging its feet on recalls to address the faulty gas pedals. Toyota faces a $16.4 million fine from the Transportation Department and has until April 19 to decide whether to contest the penalty or accept it.

Toyota said about 6,000 GX 460s from the 2010 model year have been sold since the vehicle went on sale in late December and an estimated 1,600 of the SUVs are at dealerships.

Consumer Reports is closely read by many car buyers before choosing a new car or truck. In January, it pulled its "recommended" rating on eight vehicles recalled by the automaker due to faulty gas pedals.

The magazine said the Lexus problem occurred during tests on its track. In a standard test, the driver approached a turn unusually fast, then released the accelerator pedal to simulate the response of an alarmed driver. This caused the rear of the vehicle to slide outward.

In normal cases, the electronic stability control should quickly correct the loss of control and keep the SUV on its intended path. But with the GX 460, the stability control took too long to adjust, which could cause a rollover accident if one of the sliding wheels were to strike the curb or another obstacle, said Gabriel Shenhar, Consumer Reports' senior auto test engineer who was one of four testers who experienced the problem.

The magazine said it is not aware of any reports of the GX 460 rolling over. It tested two separate vehicles, both of which experienced the problem, but neither rolled over.

The warning label on the model will remain until Toyota addresses the handling issue with the seven-seat SUV.

Templin said in a statement he was "confident that the GX meets our high safety standards" and said Toyota's engineering teams were testing the GX using Consumer Reports' specific parameters. Lexus will provide a loaner car for any customer who bought a 2010 GX 460 and is concerned about driving the vehicle, Templin said.

Customers who have questions or concerns about the GX 460 can call Lexus at (800) 255-3987.

The "Don't Buy" label is unlikely to hurt Toyota's broader sales since the GX 460 accounts for a fraction of its total, said Erich Merkle, president of the consulting company Autoconomy.com in Grand Rapids, Mich. However, it comes at an unfortunate time as the automaker tries to move beyond the recalls.

"I think it will have a bigger impact from a negative-PR perspective than from an actual sales perspective," Merkle said.

The GX 460, which starts at about $52,000, is built on the same platform as the Toyota 4Runner. However, Consumer Reports said the problem did not occur during similar tests on the 4Runner. According to Toyota's Web site, both vehicles are about six feet tall but the GX 460 is about 3 inches taller.

Consumer Reports said the last vehicle to receive such a safety warning was the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited, a large SUV. In that case, testers said the wheels lifted off the road during standard avoidance-maneuver tests, which also posed a rollover risk.

At the time, Mitsubishi disputed the magazine's findings and did not make any modifications to the vehicle, Mitsubishi spokesman Dan Irvin said. The designation appeared to have little effect on the Montero's sales, which increased overall during the second half of 2001.

The Montero remained on sale in the U.S. until 2007 and continues to be sold overseas as the Mitsubishi Pajero.

Toyota shares traded in the U.S. fell 52 cents to $79.03.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6957688.html