Toyota and Honda recall 2 million cars

Toyota will be recalling eight models in Europe in order to solve a potential accelerator pedal problem, and Honda has announced that it will recall Jazz models after one caught fire.

Toyota's troubles
Up to 1.8 million Toyota cars could be affected. The models involved are
• AYGO (Feb 2005 Aug 2009)
• iQ (Nov 2008 Nov 2009)
• Yaris (Nov 2005 Sep 2009)
• Auris (Oct 2006 5 Jan 2010)
• Corolla (Oct 2006 Dec 2009)
• Verso (Feb 2009 5 Jan 2010)
• Avensis (Nov 2008 Dec 2009)
• RAV4 (Nov 2005 Nov 2009)

Tadashi Arashima, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe said: 'We understand that the current situation is creating concerns, and we deeply regret it. We would also like to reassure customers: the potential accelerator pedal issue only occurs in very rare circumstances.'

Toyota said it has identified a fix for the problem in which accelerator pedals can stick in the open position. Once this is confirmed Toyota will let customers know what to do next.

Only a few related incidents have been reported in Europe, and the company is not aware of any accidents being caused.

Ongoing vehicle production will not be affected because different parts are already being used in new models.

Worried owners should contact Toyota's customer relations team on 0800 1388744.

Honda Jazz recall

Honda will be recalling 172,000 Jazz models in Britain after a fire broke out in one of the superminis in South Africa last year, killing a child.

The cars are being recalled so that the master power window switch can be examined. If it's exposed to large amounts of water, for example if the window is left open frequently or for long periods in heavy rain, the switch can malfunction, potentially causing a fire.

Although there have been no reported cases of this happening in the UK, all recalled cars will be fitted with a waterproof skirt to prevent water entering.

Globally, 646,000 jazz models are affected.