Mass Toyota recall extends to Europe

The vehicles recalled are suspected to have the same accelerator pedal issues as the US models, and the affected models are the 2005-2009 Toyota Aygo, the 2008-2009 Toyota iQ, the 2005-2009 Toyota Yaris, the 2006-2010 Toyota Auris, the 2006-2009 Toyota Corolla, the 2009-2010 Toyota Verso, the 2008-2009 Toyota Avensis and the 2005-2009 Toyota RAV4.

Toyota has not confirmed the number of affected vehicles in Europe, but estimates that it could go up to 1.8 million cars in total for Europe. The carmaker says that only the named models are affected, with no Lexus cars involved.

"Toyota's policy is to put its customers first, in all circumstances", said Tadashi Arashima, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe."We understand that the current situation is creating concerns, and we deeply regret it. We would also like to reassure customers: the potential accelerator pedal issue only occurs in very rare circumstances. The announced action is a preventive measure aimed to guarantee the highest safety standards to all customers."

According to Toyota, there is a chance that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms on the affected models may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position. Toyota said that the issue is caused because the accelerator pedal mechanisms concerned may become worn. The Japanese automaker added that only a limited number of incidents have been reported in Europe, and that the company is not aware of any accident resulting from this issue.