Toyota puts the brakes on sales of eight models

WASHINGTON - In what was described as the largest such move ever by an automaker in the United States, Toyota has halted sales of eight models of cars and trucks until it can find a fix for sticking accelerator pedals under a safety recall.

The move, which will cut production for at least a week at seven Toyota plants in North America, comes six days after the Japanese automaker announced the recall of 2.3 million vehicles due to the accelerator problem that it first encountered in 2007.

The models, including top-selling Camry and Corolla sedans, accounted for 56 percent of Toyota's U.S. sales last month. No imported models are covered by the stop-sale order.

The decision mars a reputation for high quality that Toyota had relied on to become the world's largest automaker and claim 17 percent of the U.S. market.

Between this recall and an earlier one involving floor mats, Toyota has called back 4.8 million vehicles to fix problems that could lead to sudden uncontrolled acceleration. Safety advocates have linked the problems in Toyotas to 19 deaths and more than 2,000 complaints.

While Toyota says the problem is rare and confined to older models, it has not been able to specify under what conditions the pedals might stick. With no remedy for the new problem, Toyota launched a Web site last week giving consumers advice on how to stop their vehicles if their pedals were stuck, including shifting into neutral and shutting off the engine.

"This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized," said Bob Carter, head of Toyota's U.S. sales arm. "We're making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible."

Toyota's decision to halt the sale of eight of its most popular vehicles in the United States is the latest in a string of reversals the automaker has made while facing complaints of sudden and uncontrolled acceleration in its vehicles.

The world's largest automaker was still scrambling to tackle the consequences of the move Tuesday, which affects models that accounted for 10 percent of all U.S. auto sales in 2009. While the shutdown of plants is only scheduled for one week, Toyota does not yet have a fix for the flaw and would have to repair all of the vehicles in dealers' lots before it could put them back on sale.

Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the problem was rare and that Toyota was acting from an abundance of caution by halting sales. Lyons said customer complaints and Toyota research show the problem would not crop up suddenly and would likely affect only older models.

"Every indication we have at this point is it's happening gradually over a period of time," Lyons said.

Toyota's recall also includes the 2009-10 models of the Pontiac Vibe, which Toyota built for General Motors at the closed GM-Toyota joint plant in Fremont, Calif.