Citroën and Peugeot recall 100,000 cars as Toyota 'sticky accelerator' crisis spreads

A Citroen C1 is seen on the joint assembly line of the new TPCA (Toyata Peugeot Citroen Automobile) factory near the town of Kolin


French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen is recalling 100,000 cars across Europe to change accelerator pedals on two models.

The company says the recall of the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 models produced in the Czech town of Kolin comes after Japan's Toyota - which uses the same pedals on some Aygo models - found a defect.

A PSA spokesman said that owners of the two models will be notified by mail of the recall, which involves cars built between mid-2005 and mid-2009


Sorry: Toyota president Akio Toyoda speaks during a press conference. He aplogised for the recall during a visit to the World Economic Forum


Toyota recalled some 4.2 million cars and trucks on three continents because of a sticky accelerator pedal problem caused by condensation that builds up in the assembly.

The president of Toyota yesterday apologised for the recall of millions of vehicles around the world.

Akio Toyoda said: 'We're extremely sorry to have made customers uneasy.

'We plan to establish the facts and give an explanation that will remove customers' concerns as soon as possible.'

The firm's president had been conspicuously silent since it was revealed the accelerator pedal in eight models might stick.

The global recalls of Toyota cars and trucks has swollen to about 7.5 million vehicles, almost as many as it sold worldwide in 2009.

Toyota has said the defective pedal was not used in any of its cars in Japan, Australia and Asia excluding China.

The total includes repairs for an issue involving floor mats becoming stuck under accelerator pedals.

Toyota has not recalled any cars in Japan, where it uses different suppliers.

With calls mounting for Toyoda to address the media on the escalating ordeal, the world's top carmaker had said it was studying some form of comment or action from headquarters.

A company source said a news conference may be held early next week, prior to Toyota's announcement of third-quarter financial results on February 4, but that the company was still working on a final plan.


A newly assembled Toyota Aygo being washed at the joint assembly line of the new TPCA factory


The source did not say whether Toyoda, or another executive, would hold the briefing.
Toyoda, a family scion who took up his post last June, last commented publicly on the matter in October, when he expressed regret for the deaths of four people in a California crash linked to the defects last year.

He has vowed to revamp Toyota's sprawling organisation to make problems at every level of operation more visible, as a rapid expansion over the last decade left it with too much production capacity when the economic crisis hammered car demand globally.

In an editorial, Japan's Asahi Shimbun said on Saturday that Toyota was skirting the responsibility to allay Japanese customers' anxiety over the safety issue, and that its brand image, crafted over years of effort, would be damaged.

'Toyota's response may indicate a growing complacency as the company has surpassed General Motors as the world's No.1 automaker,' it said


A newly manufactured Peugeot 107 at the joint assembly line of the new TPCA (Toyata Peugeot Citroen Automobile) factory


Toyoda's tenure as head of the company founded by his grandfather is widely expected to last at least a decade given his relatively young age of 53.

As part of the recalls, Toyota has been forced to suspend sales of eight models in the United States, including its Camry model, the best-selling car in the world's second-biggest car market.

Sources briefed on Toyota's U.S. sales plans said the sales shutdown would continue until at least mid-February. A resumption assumes a smooth and swift rollout of a remedy to fix faulty accelerators in vehicles already sold or at dealerships, the sources said.

Competitors moved to profit from rising consumer frustration, readying plans to poach sales with incentives targeting Toyota customers.

Ford Motor Co, Hyundai Motor Co, and Chrysler Group LLC said they were rolling out incentives, following General Motors' lead.

Volkswagen, jockeying with Toyota for the title as global sales leader, is considering a similar move.

source: dailymail