Repairing Recalled Toyotas
By: Marchelle McConnell
Updated: February 17, 2010
It's been roughly two weeks since the company issued recalls for 12 different types of Toyotas.
The General Manager of Evans Toyota, Rick Evans, says they've repaired 500 recalled cars so far.
Sharon Light was in the waiting room today getting her 2008 Camry fixed. She says she's never had a problem with her car, but the recall was enough to bring it in. Light says “This is the first Toyota we've owned and did so because of their safety and the rating they have, so I was a little bit upset that this came along.”
Light is just one of many Toyota owners who've taken action on the recall. Today she had them repair the accelerator pedal and computer.
Repairs can take anywhere from a half hour to two and a half hours. The Chief Foreman, Jerry White, says they've been very busy. White says “What we're going to do is reshape the gas pedal to give it a better contour. We're going to put a shim in behind the spring so it returns better. We're also going to reshape the pad under the carpet.”
Evans has 17 technicians who have been putting in a lot of overtime. Evans says “Last week we were open until 9 or 10. It's pretty much until the last customer leaves. We stay here as late as we need to accommodate all the customers.”
The recalls affected half of the dealership's inventory. Most of those cars have now been fixed. Evans says the majority of cars will be fixed this month, but some owners will ignore the recall. Sharon say’s she'd rather be safe than sorry. Light says “Obviously there is a problem even though I believe it's slight, but you never know when it might be you.”
Evans Toyota says new car sales were down the week the recalls were announced. Sales are creeping back up to normal for this time of year.
The repairs are free to anyone who owns one of the recalled cars. There are no warranty penalties for not taking advantage of the repairs.
Toyota Recall Information:
http://www.toyota.com/recall/
Evans Toyota Recall Information:
http://www.evanstoyota.com/toyota_recall.aspx
