Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday it would recall about 2 million cars from the European market to fix accelerator pedal flaws, the same trouble that forced the world's top carmaker to recall 2.3 million vehicles in the United States.
The number of vehicles to be recalled by Toyota for repair will amount to a record 4.3 million units, or about 60 percent of its annual total sales, inevitably affecting Toyota's brand image and sales adversely, analysts said.
Accelerator pedals supplied by a U.S. parts maker, which were blamed for recalls in the United States, were also used for the manufacture of some Toyota models in Europe after being supplied by the European subsidiary of the U.S. parts maker, a Toyo-ta official said.
Several models, including the Aygo small car, will be recalled in Europe. Following a series of complaints since last spring that accelerator pedals did not return smoothly to the idling position after being depressed, Toyota has been investigating where the problem lies.
In Europe, the recall system differs from country to country, and the system per se does not operate in some countries. Even in the latter-category nations, Toyota plans to recall the cars in question for free repairs.