Toyota Motor Corp said on Tuesday it will recall some 3.8 million vehicles in the United States because of the risk that a loose floormat could force down the accelerator, a problem suspected of causing crashes that have killed five people.
The recall would be the largest ever for Toyota, the top global automaker that has built a reputation in the U.S. market for safety and the latest in a string of much smaller recalls in the past year.
Toyota, which has been working to revamp its operations in the United States under new management, said it was too early to provide a cost estimate for the move.
Despite the U.S. recall, Toyota shares were flat at 3,570 yen in Tokyo on Wednesday, compared with a 0.3 percent gain in the Nikkei stock average.
"This is an urgent matter," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
The U.S. government said it has received reports of 100 related incidents that include 17 crashes and 5 fatalities involving Toyota vehicles.
Toyota spokesman Yuta Kaga in Tokyo said on Wednesday that the floormats subject to the recall are used only in vehicles sold in the United States.
The company is also checking whether the problem originates in the floormats or the process of placing them in the vehicles, he said, without naming the floormat supplier.
Toyota and U.S. safety regulators warned owners to remove all driver-side floor mats from eight Toyota and Lexus models manufactured in the last six years -- including the Prius hybrid -- as an immediate safety precaution.
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