Toyota techs get word on fixing pedals

North Haven (WTNH) - Dozens of Toyota technicians from dealerships all over the state got out of the garage and into the classroom Thursday for the training they need to give Toyota owners what they want -- safe accelerator pedals.

"Perception amongst the public is they want to come in and have their car fixed," said Paul Nevins, who works at Lynch Toyota in Manchester.

Nevins said they've been deluged with calls from anxious customers. He was at Gateway Community College in North Haven with other technicians to find out how to fix the problem of sticking accelerator pedals.

That fix involves a little metal shim, smaller than a quarter, that will keep the accelerator pedal from getting stuck.

"Because what happens over time is the pedal, the friction actually wears into it," Toyota field technical specialist Joel Goldschmitt said. "There are very rare instances of this happening, but we just don't want to take any chances with our customers."

The risk of stuck accelerators prompted Toyota to stop selling and stop making some of its most popular vehicles. Now specialists from Toyota are teaching folks from the dealerships about the solution.

"It's very, very easy to do, and it shouldn't take the technicians very long to perform this repair and make customers feel a little more comfortable about driving their vehicle," Goldschmitt said.

Nevins hopes to start making repairs soon. "I think today," he said. "As soon as we're done with the training today, we can start to fix the cars.

"The kits are at the dealerships, the shims are at the dealerships, and after our training's complete we can start fixing the cars," he said.

Dealers still need customers to be patient a little longer. Don't call your dealer just yet. Wait for your dealer to call you.

"Because there's a lot of the cars that are produced by the manufacturer that are not affected by this," Nevins said.

Toyota dealers want to make that very clear. Now that they can fix the cars, they are going to contact the owners. When you get that call or that notice in the mail, that is when you can make the appointment to get your car worked on.