WASHINGTON — The Indiana auto parts supplier at the crux of Toyota’s recall of 2.3 million vehicles over sticking accelerator pedals says it has begun shipping replacements to Toyota factories, saying it had made the parts under investigation to Toyota’s specifications.
The Japanese automaker has said the problem with
accelerator pedals that could stick open as they aged was limited to a
pedal mechanism supplied by CTS Corp., built in the supplier’s Canadian factory.
CTS said Wednesday that the problem identified by Toyota
had been reported “fewer than a dozen” times, and “in no instance did
the accelerator actually become stuck in a partially depressed
condition.” It also said it was unaware of any accidents or injuries
stemming from the flaw.
“The products we supply to Toyota, including the pedals covered by the recent recall, have been manufactured to Toyota’s design specifications,” CTS said in a statement, adding it had worked with Toyota on a new pedal “to meet tougher specifications.”
“The newly designed pedal is now tested and parts are beginning to ship to some Toyota factories,” the company said.
Toyota said earlier
Wednesday that it did not yet know when a fix might be available. The
automakers’ representatives could not be immediately reached for
comment.
CTS, based in Elkhart, Ind., has about 5,000 employees and revenues of just under $700 million a year. The supplier said Toyota’s business accounted for about 3 percent of its annual sales.
U.S. auto safety regulators said Wednesday that Toyota was legally required to stop production on eight models under recall for faulty accelerator pedals.
Toyota said Tuesday it was halting production at six assembly plants in North America and halting sales of the models in the United States and Canada until it finds a fix.
The Japanese automaker has described its recall of 2.3 million vehicles as a voluntary move.
David Strickland, the new chief of the National Highway Safety Administration, said Toyota had consulted with regulators before making its move Tuesday.
“Toyota’s decision was an aggressive one, and one that was the legally and morally correct thing to do,” Strickland said.
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