February 9, 2010
TOTOTA SAFTEY RECALL UPDATE
Fleet Vehicles
Four Fleet Vehicles are involved in the Toyota Floor Mat Pedal Entrapment Recall:
· Two 2008 Prius Hybrid (fleet vehicles 1 and 2)
· Two 2009 Prius Hybrid (fleet vehicles 3 and 4)
The driver’s floor mat has been removed from these Prius Hybrids per Toyota’s request that customers take out any removable driver’s floor mat and not replace it with any other floor mat until the safety recall remedy has been completed on the vehicle.
No fleet vehicles are involved in the Sticking Accelerator Pedal Recall. All four Prius Hybrids were manufactured in Japan as indicated by each VIN starting with the letter “J”. Toyota has indicted that a VIN starting with “J” indicates that the vehicle is not affected because it was built in Japan with a Denso of Japan throttle pedal assembly.
The Toyota recall letter is attached to the Fleet Vehicle log book in each vehicle in the event a driver wants to read the information supplied by Toyota.
President’s Vehicle
The President’s 2007 Highlander V6 Hybrid is not involved in the Sticking Accelerator Pedal Recall or the Floor Mat Pedal Entrapment Recall.
The President’s vehicle is involved in new Service Campaign 90A - Steering Link Replacement. Toyota recently initiated a service campaign to replace the entire power steering rack in 2007 Highlander Hybrids. Toyota’s description of the problem is: “the motor may gradually loose torque when the wheel is turned to the complete left or right position. If this condition occurs, customers may experience a noticeable gradual increase in the steering effort necessary at low speeds. This condition may be most perceptible when parking the vehicle.” Fleet Services will contact the President’s Office to schedule the maintenance work required to satisfy this service campaign. The replacement is covered under warranty.
WeCar Vehicles
Carleton’s WeCar vehicles are administered by WeCar, a division of Enterprise Leasing Company of Minnesota, LLC. WeCar representatives have verified by VIN that both the 2009 Prius Hybrid and 2009 Camry Hybrid used by Carleton’s WeCar members are not involved in the Sticking Pedal Accelerator Recall.
The Prius is involved in the Toyota Floor Mat Pedal Entrapment Recall; therefore the driver’s floor mat has been removed from the Prius Hybrid WeCar and will not be replaced with any other floor mat until the safety recall remedy has been completed on the vehicle.
Submitted by Julia H. Burmesch, Director of Campus Services