Toyota investigation expands

Toyota mechanic Matthew Lee has recalled a gas pedal on a Toyota Toyota dealership in Palo Alto, California, Wednesday.

Paul Sakuma / AP Photo Enlarge image

Toyota mechanic Matthew Lee has recalled a gas pedal on a Toyota Toyota dealership in Palo Alto, California, Wednesday.

Was WASHINGTON - Americans should remember when they park at the Toyota dealers for repairs drive and accelerators, Minister of Transport Ray LaHood warned Wednesday - when did it quickly - as skepticism grew the company and resolve of the government probe into the other models in the U.S. and Japan expanded. Now, questions are raised about the brakes on the Toyota Prius hybrid tent.

The Prius is not part of the recent recall, but said the company in Japan Ministry of Transport of the symptoms of brake problems with the hybrids examined. LaHood said his department also looked to brake problems.
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Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi said Thursday in Tokyo was that the car manufacturers of the 77 complaints about brake problems known in Japan for the Prius - just one days after the Japanese government confirmed 14 complaints had come in the same Prius brake problems. More than 100 complaints about the Prius brakes are filed in the U.S.

Harried traders began receiving parts of defective accelerator in millions of car repair and said she would try to expand the hours in the night to catch up. Toyota said the problem would be solved - what she said was extremely rare rate - number of cars in one inexplicable.

At a hearing in Congress, LaHood said his advice to the owner of a Toyota recalls would "stop is gone. Take it to a Toyota dealer because they think they have a solution for them." His comments prompted new questions and Toyota rattled shareholders, who shares up 8 percent, before they make a return, falling 6 percent for the day.

LaHood told reporters later: "What I said was clearly a false information. ... What I meant was if one of these vehicles or if you doubt yourself, take to the dealer and they can be repaired.

Adding to the problems of Toyota, LaHood said his department had received new complaints about electronics and would be a comprehensive review, the views of Toyota vehicles, whether in car engines are disturbed by electromagnetic interference from power lines or other sources. Toyota has said that examination of electronic problems and not on an individual case, this trend seems to be found.

Canadian Transport Minister John Baird advised Toyota drivers affected by the memory of their vehicles to their Toyota dealer for service as soon as possible.

"Given the nature of the problem with the throttle, I would avoid Canadian Toyota drivers affected by the recall for rapid risk repair and to press" Baird said in a statement accomplish.

Toyota Motor Corp., in a statement, said that if the owners experienced problems with the gas pedal ", please contact your dealer. If you have any questions concerning your pedals, we believe that your vehicle safe to drive. "

But the damage had been done for many motorists.

Meredyth Waterman, who bought the 2010 Toyota Corolla, in December, said the alarming statements from Washington, they're confused, waiting, and they plan to an operator and told her to come to the update on their car for repair.

"If in the first place is considered a rare example, he would say, why people stop car?" Waterman said, the Burrillville, Rhode Iceland. "It was irresponsible to say what to do."

The confusion came as the No. 1 automaker in the world with fresh probes in the U.S. and Japan in the Prius, addresses the best-selling gas-electric hybrid, and the growing interest of Congress and other investigators. Toyota has signed a new vehicle assembly lines and parts dealers rushing to solve problems with the accelerator to try the reputation of building reliable, durable vehicles to get.

Since October, Toyota recalled, first announced about five million vehicles over problems with mats catch and throttle now, remember, January 21, approximately 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S. and 270,000 in Canada under the fear that would throttle may get stuck or slowly return to resting position. The latest recall affects 2009-10 RAV4 crossover, Corolla 2009-10, 2009-10 tailgate Matrix, Avalon 2005-10, 2007-10 Camrys, 2010 Highlander crossover, 2007-10 and 2008-10 Sequoia SUV Tundra pickups.

The legislature, now in the dig, said she would also look at the Prius. Rep. Bart Stupak, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce investigations subcommittee, said his panel would be a briefing by officials of the Toyota Hybrid research.

New York Rep. Edolphus Towns, Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee and Supervision, more information about the acceleration problem by Yoshi Inaba, President and CEO of Toyota Motor North America, and asked the question in the minds of Toyota owners: "Is securing the Toyota models that have been recalled to the station? "

Cities Committee, which has a February 10 hearing of plans would also like information on how Toyota deals with complaints about strangulation pedal, stuck his reports on gas and electrical problems. Another panel in the House and Senate planning hearings.

Many consumer groups have raised the question of whether Toyota stable job, and have suggested that it might be connected to problems with the electronic throttle.

Joan Clay Brook, formerly led Public Citizen, a watchdog group, noted that Toyota said owners in recent years, remember to keep the gas pedal to floor mats to remove jammed before. "I do not think that's what the problem is. I think it should be done through electronic means, if it takes off and slam dunks and drives 120 miles per hour," said Clay Brook.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, meanwhile, said CTS, Indiana companies to remember that behind the pedals latest Toyota made as the same problem could exist for other car manufacturers. CTS makes pedals for Honda, Nissan and a small number of Ford vehicles in China, but the car said that the problem is limited to Toyota.

LaHood, who spoke with President Akio Toyoda, Toyota recalled more than that, said the government is considering civil penalties against the automaker plans. But he also said that it seemed "Toyota is an all-out effort, all that they can fix these cars."

The Obama is forced to attach to several statements in the first years, despite warnings LaHood was especially pronounced.

Last year, when LaHood beat examine records, tax motorists on how many miles they drive instead of gasoline, how much they are buying his designs quickly rejected by the White House. Vice President Joe Biden broke one days after the swearing in public backtracking from trains and planes because the swine flu concerns.

LaHood comments upset many dealers since fielding calls from nervous clients for one days. Most dealers will only receive the parts, a steel plate a few millimeters thick, in the pedal assembly to cause potential friction means that the pedals could be left to address are inserted.

The Secretary has the best intentions, but unfortunately we can not 100 cars set at the same time, "says Adam Lee, president of Lee Auto malls, and the owner of a Toyota Dealers in Topsham, Maine." I'm sure he the best intentions, but it is not very constructive for us. "

Earl Stewart, a Toyota dealer in North Palm Beach, Florida has, "said LaHood remarks" could bring a panic "about. Stewart expects to begin making repairs - at half hours per vehicle - later Wednesday.

"We have our service department is open to leave" until the last customer of today, "he said." According to Ray LaHood, it can all night. "

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AP Business Writer Dan Strümpfe in New York and Associated Press writer Larry Margasak and Andrew Taylor in Washington and David Sharp in Topsham, Maine, contributed to this report.