Toyota recall keeps Kari hopping

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Toyota made automotive history Wednesday by announcing they would stop making and selling eight of its most popular vehicle models because of sticking gas pedals.

At Kari Toyota in Superior, phones were ringing off the hook with people looking for answers.

Kari Toyota has been selling and servicing cars in Superior for more than 70 years but they’ve never had to deal with news like this. Kari General Manager Chris Kari says the order from Toyota to stop selling some of their most popular models was a shock.

“Of course this isn’t good for us, it’s a in a bad time of the year anyways, this January has been especially slow anyway. This is definitely going to be damaging, it’ll cost Toyota hundreds of millions of dollars I’m sure. It’s going to cost us but the recall thing, I think, was the right thing to do,” he said.

Kari says Toyota believes the problem lies in a spring that brings the gas pedal back to its original position.

“Over time that spring can wear,” he said. “They test these things and over time they found that there could be a very slight, very small chance of the gas pedal not coming back up once that mechanism is worn.”

Affected models include Toyota’s Rav4, Corolla, Matrix, Avalon, Camry, the non-hybrid Highlander, Tundra and Sequoia. Kari says not all of these models are affected because vehicles made in Japan do not have the questionable pedals. Those cars have VIN numbers that start with the letter “J” and “T.” Kari says the springs wear over time so newer vehicles are still safe.

“I don’t feel it’s a danger or a threat to have my family driving in these vehicles. None of them have said they’ve experiences any of these problems,” he said.

Kari urges people who think their vehicle may be affected not to panic and call their dealer or Toyota with any questions.

Tags: kari toyota, news, superior