Government Says It Had to Pressure Toyota into Recall: Investigation is Ongoing

Some things became a little clearer today when the U.S. government said that it had to pressure Toyota into recalling eight models for defective foot pedals.

And Toyota experienced a 16% drop in sales in sales in January.

As a former Toyota owner, I can tell you that this problem has been around for a while.  I had to get the gas pedal on my 1994 Toyota pickup fixed because it was experiencing the EXACT problem that this current recall is about.  I can remember the mechanic at the Toyota dealer telling me that it was a common problem.  That was twelve years ago.

I haven’t had any problems with gas pedals in my Dodge.

So, it now appears that Toyota had no intention of doing this recall, and government pressure forced them into it, which was the reason they didn’t have a fix ready to go.   In my mind, it turns this from a case of simple stupidity on the part of Toyota into one of denial and evasion, particularly since nineteen deaths have been linked to the defective gas pedals.  Shame on Toyota!