Toyota agrees to Brazil Corolla recall: report
Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> has agreed to recall a yet-undetermined number of vehicles sold in Brazil since 2008 due to floor mat problems, the latest in a string of safety problems the Japanese automaker faces globally, local newspapers reported on Saturday.
Toyota executives agreed to replace the floor mats of its Corolla model after a meeting with government regulators and consumer protection agencies, Folha de S. Paulo reported.
In 2009, more than 54,500 Corollas were sold in Brazil, O Globo newspaper said on Saturday.
The move comes after the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais ordered dealerships on Thursday to suspend sales of the Corolla, citing consumer complaints of accidents. Toyota, the world's largest automaker, said it will abide by the state's decision but denied any wrongdoing.
More than 8.5 million Toyota vehicles have been recalled around the world due to safety problems.
Calls made to the Sao Paulo-based offices of Toyota on Saturday were not answered.
Folha said the company has yet to decide whether it will recall models produced and sold between April 2008 and October 2009 or since April 2008 to the present. Toyota also agreed to inform customers of potential dangers with the floor mats and encourage dealers not to sell imitations, Globo reported.
According to O Globo, Brazilian consumer protection officials complained that the floor mats posed a safety threat by blocking accelerator pedals. Toyota will reveal details of the recall through television, radio and newspaper advertisements, the paper added, without giving a timetable.
(Reporting by Guillermo Parra-Bernal; Editing by Will Dunham)
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