BY BILL O'BRIEN
TRAVERSE CITY -- Don Sproul has wheeled his 2007 Toyota Tundra pickup across the country, often dragging a trailer, and hasn't had a problem with a sticky gas pedal.
But he isn't taking any chances. Sproul on Thursday drove from Charlevoix to have his vehicle repaired at Traverse Motors on Garfield Avenue in Traverse City.
"Usually when we travel, we take the grandchildren with us, and I thought, 'I don't want to deal with a problem like this,'" said Sproul, a retired police officer. "I wanted to have it checked."
Sproul is among northern Michigan motorists affected by Toyota's massive vehicle recall prompted by potentially sticky accelerator pedals on several of its popular models.
Toyota in October recalled about 5 million vehicles over problems with floor mats that trapped gas pedals. Now, about 2.3 million vehicles are being recalled amid concerns that gas pedals could become stuck or slow to return to the idle position.
The latest recall involves 2009-10 RAV4 crossovers, 2009-10 Corollas, 2009-10 Matrix hatchbacks, 2005-10 Avalons, 2007-10 Camrys, 2010 Highlander crossovers, 2007-10 Tundra pickups and 2008-10 Sequoia SUVs.
Paul Nielsen, Traverse Motors' general manager, said dealers started receiving repair parts late last week and motorists are filtering in for gas-pedal fixes. The dealership also repaired about 30 cars on the lot included in the recall.
"We've got a lot of parts on hand, so we're ready to go when the people come in," Nielsen said.
Nielsen said the repairs involve a relatively quick fix that can be made in 15 to 20 minutes. The primary repair part is a steel shim a couple of millimeters thick that's inserted in the pedal assembly to address the potential sticking problem. Other pedals are modified with a small plate to avoid problems with the floor mats.
The dealership is extending its service hours to 7 p.m. and will work Saturdays to keep pace, Nielsen said. Toyota owners can make an appointment or stop in for repairs, and the dealership also will provide a shuttle service so drivers can have the repairs made while they're at work.
"People have busy lives, so we're doing everything we can to make it easy for them," Nielsen said. "We'll go the extra mile."
Toyota for the first time this week gave an estimate of the costs of the global gas-pedal recall. The $2 billion total represents $1.1 billion for repairs and $770 million to $880 million in lost sales.
Toyota is expecting to lose 100,000 in vehicle sales because of the recall fallout -- 80,000 of them in North America.
Nielsen said he hasn't noticed a steep fall-off in local sales, but the problems impacted Toyota's production and cut into the dealership's inventory. The dealer was without Toyota's popular Corolla model for about a week because of production interruptions, he said.
Sproul also owns a 2009 Toyota Siena, a model not affected by the recall. Despite Thursday's inconvenience, Sproul said it wouldn't dissuade him from purchasing another Toyota product down the road.
"No, not at all," he said. "Any car's going to have possible issues."
But Toyota dealers are bracing for another potential safety issue involving its 2010 Prius, a popular gas-electric hybrid vehicle.
The Transportation Department opened an investigation Thursday into brake problems in the vehicle. Toyota acknowledged design problems with the brakes in its prized hybrid, but said it was still deciding how to inform customers and whether a recall is needed.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Transportation Department's safety agency, said it's received 124 reports from consumers about the Prius brakes, including four reports of crashes. The investigation will look into allegations of momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over uneven road surfaces, potholes or bumps.
The NHTSA said investigators have talked to consumers and conducted pre-investigatory field work. The preliminary evaluation involves about 37,000 vehicles in the United States. Toyota said in a statement it would fully cooperate with the NHTSA's investigation.
Traverse Motors owner Otto Belovich said dealers are monitoring the situation involving the Prius but didn't know if it will result in another vehicle recall.
"The only thing we know is what you know -- Toyota's getting a few complaints and they're investigating," said Belovich, acknowledging that the problems are creating anxious times for sellers of the normally reliable Toyota brand.
"Every day it seems like something else happens," Belovich said. "We'll do whatever we have to do when it happens."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
