PORT ANGELES — Service staff members at Wilder Auto Center and Wilder Toyota-Scion east of Port Angeles have repaired about 40 gas pedals on Toyotas after the faulty part prompted last month’s recall of eight models.
The Japanese automaker suspended U.S. production and sale of the cars — including the top-selling Toyota Camry — to repair faulty gas pedal systems that could stick and cause vehicles to accelerate without warning.
The Jan. 21 recall affected 2.3 million vehicles nationwide.
Dan Wilder Jr., general manager of the largest auto dealership on the North Olympic Peninsula, said no Peninsula customers have reported stuck accelerators.
“There are no documented cases that we know of in the state of Washington,” added Ross Kunce, Wilder Auto Center service manager.
The dealership began repairing the accelerators last week. The work is free and takes about 30 minutes.
Driving recalled cars
In a show of solidarity with affected customers, Wilder, Kunce and other managers at Wilder Auto have been driving recalled vehicles.
“I drove one this weekend — our cars here that are under the recall — just to show that we’re not concerned about the cars,” Wilder said.
Should a customer notice a problem with the accelerator, that car owner should call the service center immediately, Wilder said.
“If they’re having an issue, we want to get it in right away and get them out of the car,” Wilder said.
The January recall affected the 2007-2010 Camry, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 RAV4, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2008-2010 Sequoia and 2010 Highlander.
Of the 40 vehicles brought in to Wilder Auto for replacement gas pedal systems, most have been on the Camry and Corolla.
In rare occurrences, accelerators in recalled Toyotas have become stuck because of friction at contact points in the assembly.
To reduce the surface tension, mechanics are installing a precision-cut steel reinforcement bar, or shim, to space the parts precisely.
“It’s a very simple, straightforward, in-and-out procedure,” Kunce said.
“We just install the shim, check the operation of the pedal, run a diagnostics on the electronics to make sure there’s no codes or anything stored in the system, and then let the customer go.”
“There’s six difference sizes, and we’ve probably got 100 of those shims,” Kunce said.
In separate remedy, service staff on Monday worked to reshape a gas pedal on a Toyota Corolla to provide more clearance between the accelerator and the floor board.
Problems rare
Wilder and Kunce stressed that problems with the recalled vehicles are rare.
Kunce, who has been driving a 2007 Tundra, reported nothing unusual about the accelerator.
Wilder said customers have been understanding about the recall.
“I think it’s because Toyota has always taken good care of their customers,” Wilder said.
“If anything, they’re like, ‘We know Toyota’s quality. We’re not concerned.’ That’s pretty much the response I get.
“Probably more than anything, they’re almost consoling me.”
After driving a new Camry over the weekend, Wilder said the only thing he noticed is how much he enjoyed it.
“Now I know why everybody buys them,” Wilder said.
Toyota officials have been in daily contact with dealerships about the recalls.
“I talk to my reps probably once a day at the minimum, and e-mails like crazy,” Wilder said.
Kunce said that if Toyota recalls its 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid because of possible braking problems, then the dealership will be ready for that, too.
Service staff at Wilder Auto has been busy since the gas pedal recalls were announced.
“It panicked a lot of people,” Kunce said.
“We’re scheduling these as quickly as we can. We’re making efforts to stay open.”
Staying open
Wilder Auto will keep its service department open on President’s Day next Monday. The service department is typically closed on President’s Day.
“We’re going to be open to accommodate anybody that has an issue,” Wilder said.
Toyota is sending letters to owners of recalled cars, beginning with the Camry, Avolon, Prius, RAV4 and Corolla.
“They’ll go right down the list,” Kunce said.
“They’re trying to send them out in waves so that the dealers don’t get inundated, so that we can work through these as efficiently as possible.”
Wilder Auto is posting updates about the recalls on its Web site, www.wilderauto.com.
Concerned customers can phone Wilder Auto at 360-452-3888. Ask for the service center.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
