PORT ANGELES — The North Olympic Peninsula’s largest auto dealership is getting calls from customers wondering whether their cars need repair and has pulled a third of its new Toyotas off the lot.
“I’m probably getting 20 extra calls a day,” said Dan Wilder Jr., general manager of Wilder Auto Center and Wilder Toyota-Scion east of Port Angeles.
He encouraged customers to call if they have questions — “we want them to call us.”
Earlier this week, Toyota said it was suspending U.S. sales and production of eight models — including the Camry, America’s top-selling car — to fix faulty gas pedal systems that could stick and cause acceleration without warning.
Toyota then announced an additional recall of 1.09 million vehicles in the United States covering five models.
To date, no customers on the Peninsula have reported stuck gas pedals.
The Wilder dealership is operating normally — and has plenty of Toyota models, including Japanese-made Camrys, without the troublesome accelerator pedal.
And Wilder staff members are happy to inspect gas pedals for signs of trouble.
When customers call, Wilder staff helps them find out if their cars, trucks or SUVs are affected by the recall.
“The first thing we have to do is decide if their car is one of the cars [on the list],” said Dan Wilder Sr., owner and patriarch of the 33-year-old auto dealership on U.S. Highway 101 at Deer Park Road, the only Toyota dealership in Clallam and Jefferson counties.
“I understand most customers don’t have any issues.
“We want to make sure that if they do, we know that.
“The important thing we tell them is we’re committed to taking care of them and making sure if their car is one of the cars with issues.
“As soon as we can get it fixed, we’ll get it fixed.”
Even if you own one of the cars on the recall list, that doesn’t necessarily mean the gas pedal is in danger of locking up.
If accelerator locks
But what should you do if your gas pedal sticks?
If you’re driving down the highway and unexpectedly picking up speed, hit the brake hard and hold it firmly, shift into neutral, shut the engine off and steer carefully and slowly to the shoulder or into a parking lot, said Wilder Sr.
“Very few cars across the nation have this problem,” he said.
“Obviously, if they have a car that has a problem, we’re going to do whatever we can to help them.
“Generally, what happens is, we will give them a call when the parts come in.”
Dealers will be paid by Toyota to make repairs. Car owners will not be charged.
Toyota insisted the sudden, uncontrolled acceleration was “rare and infrequent” and said dealers would deal with customers on a case-by-case basis.
“We’ve sold a lot of Toyotas on the Peninsula,” said Wilder Sr.
“A significant number of customers are calling, and we want them to call us.”
Japanese-made cars
Only those cars built in the U.S. have had issues with their accelerators.
Toyota also ships Japanese-made Toyotas to its West Coast dealerships, including Wilder.
Wilder has a number of Japanese-made Camrys. RAV4s and Highlanders for sale that don’t have defective gas pedals.
In addition, other Toyota models — such as the Prius, 4Runner, Sienna and Tacoma — are not affected by the recall.
“None of those vehicles have that accelerator assembly,” Wilder Sr. said.
“I just walked our lot, and we have 67 Toyota vehicles, 44 of them trouble-free and for sale.”
Only 23 of the 67 new Toyotas on the Wilder lots cannot be sold for now.
He said he had 22 new Toyota models coming in — including new Camrys that have no problems, Wilder Jr. said.
Both Wilders said Toyota has been in daily contact with their dealership.
“They were real proactive on this,” said Wilder Sr., who was traveling to Los Angeles from corporate meetings in Phoenix when reached by cell phone on Thursday.
“They care about their customers.”
Wilder Jr. was holding staff meetings in Port Angeles sharing information about the recall.
Proud of Toyota
Two weeks before the recall, Toyota made headlines for being named the most reliable car by a consumer magazine, Wilder Sr. said.
He said is proud of Toyota’s reputation as a manufacturer and stands behind the company.
“They’re trying very hard,” he said.
“They want to get this fixed.”
Wilder sells between 300 and 400 new Toyotas per year and a “significant” number of used Toyotas, Wilder Sr. said.
“Obviously, when this kind of information comes out, some people are leery,” he said.
“At Wilder, we’re going to take care of our customers like we have for 33 years.”
Wilder also sells new Hondas, Nissans, Scions, Jeeps and Volkswagens and a wide spectrum of used cars.
“We’re open for business,” Wilder Sr. said.
“Be assured, we’re going to stand behind our customers along with Toyota.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
