In the process of conducting Toyota Avalon and Camry pedal recalls, technicians might need a Toyota TSB to repair weld nuts that strip.
Toyota issued a statement late today that takes the media to task for calling a Technical Service Bulletin on fixing the gas pedals on Toyota Camry and Avalon models a recall.
Technically the technical service bulletin or TSB sent to dealers is not a formal Toyota safety recall. But this Toyota technical service bulletin, since it involves possible damage to the gas pedal by technicians while conducting the safety recall for stuck gas pedals on Camry, Camry Hybrid and Avalon models, is a potential safety issue. If you have had the gas pedal recall done, and your gas pedal feels loose or funny, contact the dealership immediately.
Two “weld nuts” that hold the pedal assembly may be damaged when removing the bolts used to attach the accelerator pedal to the bulkhead.
In a statement Toyota said the TSB was issued following inquiries to the Toyota Technical Assistance System by a “few technicians who were instructed how to repair the weld nuts prior to returning the vehicle to its owner. Since repair of the weld nuts is an extremely rare repair, the information is not included in the repair manual and the purpose of a TSB is to provide such information as needed.”
The weld nuts may accidentally be stripped when removed. In the unlikely case when a threaded weld nut is stripped, technicians repair the weld nuts before returning the vehicle to operation, according to Toyota.
Toyota says that “no customer vehicles on the road are affected.”
Toyota also says the Camry and Avalon TSB were not issued to resolve customer complaints about accelerator pedal feel after the recall.
No TSB is planned for other Toyota models recalled for gas pedal entrapment. The weld nuts are unique to the Camry and Avalon platform, according to Toyota.
Toyota has completed more than 5 million accelerator pedal entrapment and sticking pedal safety recall repairs, which require removal of the accelerator pedal, including more than 1.3 million Camry and 265,000 Avalon models in the U.S.
