nobby: It is all the fault of that Ontario gas pedal supplier.....The Japanese built gas pedals do not have that problem......Do you know if Magna is the supplier???
HA! No it's not Magna. It's an American company with a plant in Mississauga.
Like most companies that make thousands of parts in automobiles, CTS Corp. was virtually unknown to the average car buyer. That was until its gas pedal was blamed for big problems with some very popular cars.
The Elkhart, Ind.-based company found itself the focus of intense scrutiny Wednesday after Toyota halted sales of eight of its car and truck models over problems with gas pedals made by CTS.
The move followed Toyota's recall of 2.3 million vehicles such as late-model Camrys and Corolla sedans, RAV4 crossovers and Tundra trucks last week over fears that gas pedals could get stuck and cause unwanted acceleration. CTS made the accelerators at a plant outside of Toronto.
The parts supplier tried to tamp down concerns over its accelerators, saying it knew of fewer than a dozen cases of problems in Toyota vehicles. It also said there were no reports of pedals getting stuck, though Toyota warned federal safety officials last week that could occur in "the worst case."
CTS said it is working with Toyota on a new pedal design. The new equipment has been tested and is being shipped to some Toyota factories, according to the parts company. Separately, Toyota said that a redesigned pedal is in full production at CTS.
The Toyota recall hit one of CTS's bigger automotive supply businesses. The company makes gas pedal systems for a variety of automakers, including Toyota, Honda and Nissan.
But the problems are limited to Toyota models, and spokesmen for Nissan and Honda said their CTS-produced pedals are based on different designs. CTS said the Toyota business comprises only about 3 percent of its overall sales. The pedals were made to Toyota's design specifications, the company said.
Employees at the CTS plant in Mississauga, Ontario, where the Toyota accelerators are manufactured, would not comment Wednesday. Inside the building lobby was a 2005 trophy that read "Toyota Excellence." CTS was also recognized by Toyota in 2007 for "outstanding quality performance" in the prior year at the Canadian plant, according to a company press release.
