Local Toyota dealer fixing gas pedals

The Lynchburg area’s Toyota dealer has been busy repairing gas pedals that the auto company says could be faulty in some 2.3 million vehicles.

On Thursday, Berglund Oak Ridge Toyota received the parts needed to repair vehicles Toyota recalled last month. The fix is designed to eliminate friction so that the cars stop accelerating when drivers take their feet off the gas pedals.

General Manager Stephen Plunkett said that more than 30 customers already have brought in their cars.

The repairs are the Japanese automaker’s second solution to reported cases of vehicles accelerating suddenly or not slowing down. In September, Toyota said gas pedals getting caught in floor mats could cause the problem in some models. It designed new gas pedals and floor mats for those vehicles.

In January, Toyota recalled several models in which friction in the gas pedal assembly could cause the accelerator to stick.

Plunkett said that the friction problems were not common. When they did occur, the gas pedal would become hard to push at first, and then it would stick down, he said.

Toyota’s solution is a steel shim about the size of a postage stamp and a couple of millimeters thick that technicians slide into one part of the gas pedal assembly.

“It’s a very simple process,” Plunkett said. “It prevents any friction buildup. It allows that pedal to operate smoothly, efficiently, forever.”

After the Lynchburg dealership received the parts, its staff e-mailed customers to ask them to set appointments to have the repairs completed, Plunkett said. Also, Toyota is working on mailing letters to affected customers.

Last weekend’s snowstorm forced some customers to cancel their appointments, but the repair work continued this week. About 10 to 15 appointments were scheduled Monday.

It takes 30 minutes or less for a technician to make the repair.

Plunkett said he did not know how many affected vehicles are in the Lynchburg area.

William Farrell, president of Berglund Automotive, said that recent news of the accelerators did not affect sales at the Lynchburg store. “Sales were pretty strong until we had to stop selling them,” he said. “Sales have been on the increase, actually.”

Farrell said about two-thirds of the store’s inventory needs the repair before it can be sold. Customers’ vehicles already on the road have priority for the fix, though, Plunkett said.

The dealership will continue receiving the parts until all of its customers are taken care of. “We’re going to be there for everybody and make it as convenient as possible,” Farrell said.

About 20 Toyotas belong to Central Virginia Community Services. The agency’s employees use the cars as they make visits, and sometimes they drive their behavioral health clients.

The cars were among the first Toyotas fixed in Lynchburg last week.

“Obviously we don’t want our employees driving vehicles that potentially are unsafe,” said André McDaniel, chief financial officer of CVCS. “That’s why it’s important that we got on top of this pretty quickly.”