Toyota recalls more cars in U.S.

Toyota is recalling an additional 1.09 million vehicles in the United States over accelerator pedal problems.

The latest recalls affect five models: 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Venza, 2009-2010 Matrix, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.

The move comes after Toyota announced on Tuesday that it was suspending sales of eight models and slowing vehicle production in Canada and the U.S. while it moves to fix Canadian-made accelerator pedals that stick.

The pedals are made in Streetsville, Ont., by Toyota supplier CTS Corp., which is based in Elkhart, Ind.

CTS Corp. said it knows of only a few cases of drivers having problems with accelerators. The firm said that Toyota told it about fewer than a dozen cases in which drivers struggled with pedals.

It said it knows of no accidents or injuries tied to the problem and also said that it's not aware of any cases where the pedal became stuck after drivers pushed it down, potentially causing unwanted acceleration.

Rental firms pull cars from fleets

At the same time, car rental companies pulled thousands of Toyotas and the Pontiac Vibe from their fleets Wednesday over accelerator concerns.

Avis Budget Group Inc. said it is immediately removing about 20,000 Toyotas from its rental fleets.

Enterprise Holdings also said it is removing all Toyota and Pontiac Vibe vehicles, lumped into the recall, from its Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental chains.

Toyota is recalling 270,000 vehicles in Canada to address the faulty pedals. About two million vehicles in the United States are also being recalled.

As part of the plan, Toyota will halt production at seven factory lines for the week of Feb. 1 "to assess and co-ordinate activities."

One of the affected plants is in Cambridge, Ont., where Toyota makes the Corolla, Matrix and Lexus RX 350 models. A plant in nearby Woodstock, Ont., which builds the RAV4 sport utility vehicle, will also be affected. Together, the two plants employ about 5,900 people.

Darren Slind, senior director with J.D. Power and Associates, an automotive market research firm, called the move "unprecedented" in his two decades of watching the industry, and "probably a more drastic move than they were required to take."

Still, he told CBC News he expects Toyota will weather this storm.

"While Toyota may take a short-term hit to their reputation for quality, to me this is really representative of their underlying organizational commitment to do the right things for the right reasons — put the customer first," he said. "And I think long term this will prove to be the right decision."

One Ontario dealership, Downtown Toyota in east Toronto, is extending its service hours to midnight for the rest of the week to be available to customers concerned about the recall.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty praised Toyota for moving fast to address safety concerns.

"If that requires that they compromise production of new vehicles in the interim, well, that's the responsible thing to do," he said.

No Lexus or Scion vehicles are involved in the recall. Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser and some Camry models, including all Camry hybrids.

The recall comes months after Toyota recalled 4.2 million vehicles because of gas pedals that could become trapped under floor mats, causing the vehicle to accelerate.

Owners can contact local Toyota dealerships to confirm whether their vehicles are affected by the recall.

For additional help, they can contact Toyota's Customer Interaction Centre at 1-888-869-6828 or visit the company's website.