Consumers still worried about Toyota recalls

When Dennis Reynolds of Glen Ellyn drove up to a four-way stop near the Wheaton College campus on Jan. 11, he didn't expect what happened next with his 2009 Toyota RAV 4.

As he took his foot off the accelerator, he says, the car actually sped up. He braked, but it was too late. He rear-ended the car in front of him, Reynolds said.

"In front of the car that I hit was a pedestrian crossing," Reynolds, 60, said. "If it were not for the car in front of me, I could have killed or seriously injured pedestrians."

He bought the RAV4 new at a dealer in Lombard last July. The vehicle now has about 6,000 miles on it, and Reynolds finds himself among thousands of other drivers of Toyota vehicles seeking a fix on recalls for a sticking gas pedal and floor mats that supposedly entrap the pedal.

Both problems are associated with unexpected acceleration. Toyota issued the floor mat recall in November and the gas pedal recall in January, shortly after Reynolds' accident.

Brian Lyons, safety and quality control communications manager for Toyota Motor Co. USA in Torrence, Calif., said all owners who have vehicles affected by the recalls will be contacted directly by Toyota, regardless of whether they purchased the vehicle used or new through a dealer.

"Our preference is to have owners wait until we contact them, but if they want, they can go into any dealer today and get the gas pedal fixed," Lyons said.

Lyons said he is unaware of any dealer reporting that it lacks the necessary parts.

Owners of the Camry or Lexus ES350 can get both the both sticky gas pedal and the floor mat recalls done immediately. However, the company still is working on the mat recall fix for other models, Lyons said.

Calls to Toyota dealers in Palatine, Schaumburg, Libertyville, Naperville and Lombard were not immediately returned Monday.

Reynolds said that after he learned of the gas pedal recall, he contacted his dealership, which referred him to Toyota's customer experience center: 800-331-4331. He talked with three people before a field technician came to his home to examine the RAV4 in his driveway. Now, he must arrange to have the vehicle towed to the dealership to get the pedal fixed. He's awaiting a response from the company to his request that it also cover the damage to his car.

"I'm just hoping Toyota will do the right thing now," Reynolds said.