A recall of vehicles made by Toyota has spread beyond the United States.

Reliability issues surrounding accelerator pedals have already seen seven million cars recalled in the U.S. and now the company has announced it is to extend the recall to Europe and China. At least 75,000 vehicles may be recalled in China, the world"s largest car market and a region where Toyota has been struggling to replicate success it has enjoyed elsewhere.

The scale of the recall in Europe has not been estimated but it is likely to be significant. The recalls could not come at a worse time for the Japanese company.

It is battling to restore the company to profit after fiscal 2008 saw Toyota"s first full-year loss since it switched from making looms to building cars 60 years ago. The announcements sent Toyota"s shares tumbling a further 4.3 percent adding to losses seen last week.

American owners of the affected vehicles are being asked to bring them in for inspection after a series of incidents in which the accelerator pedals became stuck in the depressed position, causing accidents in some cases.

转自:http://www.enbar.net/en/2010-01-29/content7_50680.shtml