Shanghai, January 29 (Gasgoo.com) Toyota Motor's recalls in the U.S. have spread to China, with a possible accelerator pedal flaw prompting the recall of 75,552 RAV4 SUVs starting yesterday, and Ford Motor has halted its Transit van production in China due to the affected gas pedal, Dow Jones reported.
Earlier this week, Toyota halted sales of most of its popular models in the U.S. on safety concerns. It had recalled millions of vehicles in the U.S. last week following growing reports of unintended acceleration.
The recall in China is due to the same accelerator pad problem affecting the U.S. vehicles, China-based spokesman Niu Yu said yesterday. The company has not received any complaints or reports of injuries related to the flaw here, he said.
The recall will likely compromise the Japanese auto giant's image in China, now the world's largest market that global automakers have come to rely on for growth. Last year China saw its auto sales soar 46% to 13.6 million units.
Toyota is a significant player in China's passenger car market, with sales rising 21% in 2009 to 709,000 units. The locally made RAV4 (by FAW-Toyota), along with the Corolla and Camry sedans, helped to drive sales.
Ford Motor's Chinese partner Jiangling Motors has suspended production of a Transit light bus model to review a pedal part recently sourced from CTS Automotive, the supplier involved in the Toyota recall.
