Parts on way to fix Toyota pedals

WASHINGTON (AP) Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday its dealers should get parts to fix a sticky gas pedal problem this week as the automaker tries to bring an end to a recall that has affected 4.2 million vehicles worldwide.

The company said in a statement it has begun shipping parts and is training service technicians on the repairs. Some dealers will stay open 24 hours to fix the 2.3 million cars and trucks affected by the recall in the U.S.

Government regulators told Toyota last week they were satisfied with the repair plan.

The automaker also said Monday it would suspend production of eight U.S. models affected by the recall for this week.

Toyota recalled the vehicles on Jan. 21, determining that excess friction in the gas pedal assembly could in rare cases cause the pedals to stick.

Engineers traced the problem to a friction device in the assembly that is supposed to provide the proper pedal "feel" by adding resistance, Toyota said in the statement.

The device has a shoe that rubs against a nearby metal surface during normal pedal use. But wear and environmental conditions can over time cause the pedals to not operate smoothly or in rare cases stick partially open.

The company said a steel reinforcement bar will be installed into the gas pedal assembly, reducing the friction.

"With this reinforcement in place, the excess friction that can cause the pedal to stick is eliminated," the statement said. "The company has confirmed the effectiveness of the newly reinforced pedals through rigorous testing on pedal assemblies that had previously shown a tendency to stick."

Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Sales, said in the statement that nothing is more important than customer safety.

"We deeply regret the concern that our recalls have caused for our customers and we are doing everything we can — as fast as we can — to make things right," the statement said.

Toyota told its dealers in an e-mail that they should determine how to prioritize their repairs. But the company said it "strongly recommends dealers prioritize consumer vehicles first."