Why Scion and Lexus Escaped the Toyota Acceleration Recall

The Toyota unintended acceleration recall is still a very real concern for millions of vehicle owners who have yet to receive a definite fix for the gas pedal problem that has plagued many of the brand’s offerings. In addition to the uncertainty over when exactly a comprehensive repair for the issue will be made available is confusion over why only some vehicles manufactured by Toyota seem to have been affected – and particularly why the Lexus and Scion brands have been completely excluded from the recall.

Suffice it to say that there are legions of Scion and Lexus owners who are concerned that their cars, trucks and crossovers might be ticking time bombs waiting to unleash the same Toyota unintended acceleration problem in the near future. The same can be said for new and used car shoppers who might be hesitating over the decision to buy a Scion or Lexus due to this fear. Fortunately for each party it is extremely unlikely for history to repeat itself in this instance, due to the differences between the gas pedal assemblies found in each of these different brands.

The accelerators found in the vehicles affected by the Toyota unintended acceleration recall make use of a drive-by-wire system that features no direct connection between the gas pedal and the throttle. Instead, a small sensor is used to determine where exactly the pedal is resting at any given time, and this data is then electronically transmitted to the throttle in order to have it open to the desired degree. The problem with this design relates to a single component that is designed to mimic the same progressive feel provided by a traditional throttle cable setup.

A small mechanism controls the rate at which the pedal returns to the at-rest position by providing a degree of resistance against the spring that pushes the pedal back against the foot. This mechanism has displayed a tendency to wear out over time, and the end result is a pedal which fails to properly spring back after foot pressure has been removed. The pedal can in fact stick either fully or partially down, creating the phantom acceleration problem that has caused several accidents and threatened Toyota’s reputation for quality.

Scion and Lexus vehicles, even though they make use of the same basic design as the affected Toyota models, are exempt from the recall because they do not use the same problematic control mechanism. All models sold under these two brands are built in Japan – with the exception of the Lexus RX, which is built in Canada – and each feature a throttle pedal assembly built by the manufacturer Denso. This is true even for the Lexus RX.

The Toyota vehicles involved in the recall – the Toyota Camry, Toyota Avalon, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Tundra and the Toyota Sequoia – feature a mix of North American and Japanese build locations. Toyota models which have been built outside of Japan were outfitted with throttle pedal assemblies built by a company called CTS, and which have been labeled as defective. Toyota dealers are able to discern which editions of a given model are outfitted with CTS-built components through the vehicle’s VIN combined with an actual inspection of the gas pedal itself.

The difference in parts suppliers has meant the difference between a good night’s sleep and a world of worry for Scion and Lexus owners. New and used car shoppers can continue to search out vehicles from these two brands without having to be concerned that they too will become embroiled in the same unintended acceleration issue which has seriously affected Toyota owners.