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Toyota finds fix for gas pedals

DETROIT: Toyota Motor Corp. has told employees that it has figured out how to fix a problem with sticking accelerator pedals and will brief them on the details later on Friday.

The company said in an E-mail to employees obtained by The Associated Press that it presented the remedy to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The memo did not say when the repairs would make their way to customers.

“Plans are being developed on a variety of fronts. Tomorrow, we will update you with further details,” said Toyota in the mail, sent on Thursday night.

The company said on its website that engineers were working round the clock to fix the problem in eight of its models, including the top-selling Camry midsize sedan.

The automaker and the company that makes the gas pedal systems say the accelerators rarely stick.

But earlier this week Toyota halted sales and production of the models.

It has recalled at least 2.4 million cars and trucks in the U.S., Europe and China because of the problem.

A second House committee, meanwhile, is launching an investigation into the problems with Toyota’s accelerator pedal systems.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has scheduled a February 4 hearing entitled, “Toyota Gas Pedals: Is the Public at Risk?”

“There appears to be growing public confusion regarding which vehicles may be affected and how people should respond.

“In short, the public is unsure as to what exactly the problem is, whether it is safe to drive their cars, or what they should do about it,” wrote Chairman Edolphus Towns, a New York Democrat, in a letter Thursday to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Separately, a House investigative panel is planning a Feb.ruary 25 hearing on the Toyota recalls.

In a letter to NHTSA administrator David Strickland, lawmakers requested a timeline from January 2000 until the present for NHTSA’s investigations into Toyota defects and other data related to reports of sudden acceleration.

Toyota’s recall of eight models in Europe over faulty gas pedals will involve up to 1.8 million cars, said the world’s largest automaker.

It said it would recall the Yaris — its biggest seller in the region — Corolla, Aygo, iQ, Auris, Verso, Avensis and the RAV4 sports utility vehicle. — AP

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