WORK is about to begin on more than 400 cars on the Island affected by the Toyota recall, due to a worldwide potential problem with accelerator pedals, although Island dealer Wight Motors is not aware of any serious problems here.
The owners of models affected are being contacted directly by Toyota and Wight Motors will carry out the modification in its workshops at Sandown.
Each car will require approxiately one hour in the workshop, during which the modification will be carried out and tested and the car washed and vacuumed by Wight Motors. Wight Motors is also giving each customer a £20 M&S voucher, as its way of saying "sorry".
"We are about to start the recall on several models in the Toyota range," said Wight Motors director Barbara Butler.
"There has been a lot of press speculation and misinformation over the last couple of weeks and I would like to clarify the situation forcustomers on the Island," she said.
"Our staff have received the appropriate training, the necessary parts are already being delivered to our workshops and we are booking in the first customers. We will try to book customers in at times to suit them.
"Toyota has apologised for the inconvenience this has caused and I would like to add my apologies to our customers, who have remained very loyal to us and the marque throughout this difficult period.
"We have received some lovely phone calls from customers who understand both Toyota and Wight Motors are trying to do everything we can to deal with the problem.
"On the Island, we are not aware of any serious accelerator problems caused by this glitsch but we understand the publicity surrounding this will have caused concern amongst Toyota drivers. If anyone is worried, please don't hesitate to call us on 01983 405551 or go to www.toyota.co.uk/recall, which will identify if your car is affected."
"Despite all the adverse publicity, the national press seems to be heaping upon the brand, Wight Motors is heading for a record first quarter and I would like to thank all our customers for the support and understanding they have shown.
"Toyota has built its reputation on building great cars and I am sure the lessons learnt from this will be taken on board and suppliers will be put under even more pressure to ensure the components they supply meet Toyota’s very high standards.
"There were more than 90 industry recalls in Great Britain last year, covering all franchises. Toyota has one of the highest success rates in the industry for completion of recalls.
"I want to assure all our customers we will be doing our very best to complete this process as quickly and painlessly as possible."
Don’t panic if your accelerator sticks
AS Toyota recalls cars nationwide due to accelerator problems, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) is advising drivers on what to do in event of an engineering malfunction.
Stephen Mead, IAM assistant chief examiner, said: "Keep calm — surprisingly the perception of the average driver with a stuck accelerator is that they can’t brake either but this is a misconception brought on by panic.
"Press the brake firmly, then the clutch to disengage the power. In an automatic, drivers should brake, wait for a reaction from the vehicle and then put the car into neutral. You can still steer, too, so a stuck accelerator isn’t actually the disaster it sounds."
"Look for somewhere to stop safely, indicate and make the manoeuvre as you would under normal circumstances.
"There will be loud revving in the background and you will probably be in a state of shock, but if you remain calm you can avoid serious danger."