not condensation, but friction.
they're adding a metal plate to reduce friction (Fox News).
toyota January sales down 16%
ford january sales up 25%
source to fix
Quote:
Toyota dealers expect to receive accelerator parts
Posted: Feb 02, 2010 6:24 PM EST
Updated: Feb 02, 2010 6:29 PM EST
(NBC) - As Toyota prepares to fix the gas pedal on more than two million recalled vehicles, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Tuesday said the company was too slow to act.
LaHood called Toyota "a little safety deaf" and said the government will continue to review possible defects.
It is just one of the problems fallout from the recall could cause for the company.
At Toyota dealers across the country, workers are ready to repair faulty gas pedals on more than two million recalled cars and trucks.
"We know what the problem is. We have the fix and will take great care through dealers," said Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales in the U.S.
By the end of the week dealers will begin adding a small metal plate to the suspect gas pedals.
It's something the company says will keep them from sticking and cars from unintentionally speeding up.
But for the auto giant, it is not just the gas pedals in danger of sticking.
"The image of unintended acceleration is stuck to Toyota for awhile, it's like Velcro. It will be there for a good period of time," said auto industry analyst Jim Hall.
With U.S. sales of Toyotas down 8.7 percent in January, Toyota's executive vice president apologized for the issue saying it should have been dealt with sooner.
But skeptics wonder if the fix is enough.
And some suspect electronic sensors in the pedal may be malfunctioning as well, something Toyota says it has tested and ruled out.
"First they say it's floor mats, now they are saying it's the accelerator pedal, what the consumer must do is wait to see if it works. If it doesn't work, the consumer's life is on the line," said Clarence Ditlow with the Center for Auto Safety.
With the future of the world's largest automaker on the line as well, it seems there is a lot now riding on the repair.
Toyota already faces a number of lawsuits and some analysts say the company could be forced to severely slash earnings projections for the coming year.
Copyright 2010 NBC. All rights reserved.
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