Toyota Motor Corp.'s problems continued to mount Friday, as the auto maker said it was recalling 1.8 million vehicles in Europe and dealers said they were starting to feel the pinch after the company halted U.S. sales of eight of its 
top-selling vehicles. In response to growing concerns among customers, Toyota is gearing up to run an "open letter" in major newspapers Sunday and Monday in the top 25 markets in the U.S., according to people familiar with the plan. The ad will be one of the first attempts by Toyota to publicly address the crisis. Analysts have already begun to measure the initial impact on Toyota's sales. The company is also planning "an informative announcement sometime next week," spokesman Brian Lyons said. Edmunds.com, an automotive Web site, estimated Toyota's market share in the U.S. is likely to drop to 14.7% in January, its lowest level in four years. Toyota's market share stood at 18.2% in December. Rivals Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co., which have launched new initiatives targeting Toyota customers, said this week they expect a double-digit January U.S. sales increase. On Friday, Toyota gave details of its European recall. It said its Aygo, iQ, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Verso, Avensis and RAV4 models are all affected by the gas-pedal problem and the recall will affect some models made as far back as February 2005. Including Friday's action in Europe, the Japanese company has now recalled 9.5 million vehicles since late last year over two issues—5.4 million for floor mat entrapment issues and 4.1 million for a sticky gas pedal problem. That is 22% more than the 7.8 million vehicles Toyota sold world-wide last year.
For Further: online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704343104575033350444811606.html?mod=WSJ_auto_LeadStoryCollection
top-selling vehicles. In response to growing concerns among customers, Toyota is gearing up to run an "open letter" in major newspapers Sunday and Monday in the top 25 markets in the U.S., according to people familiar with the plan. The ad will be one of the first attempts by Toyota to publicly address the crisis. Analysts have already begun to measure the initial impact on Toyota's sales. The company is also planning "an informative announcement sometime next week," spokesman Brian Lyons said. Edmunds.com, an automotive Web site, estimated Toyota's market share in the U.S. is likely to drop to 14.7% in January, its lowest level in four years. Toyota's market share stood at 18.2% in December. Rivals Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co., which have launched new initiatives targeting Toyota customers, said this week they expect a double-digit January U.S. sales increase. On Friday, Toyota gave details of its European recall. It said its Aygo, iQ, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Verso, Avensis and RAV4 models are all affected by the gas-pedal problem and the recall will affect some models made as far back as February 2005. Including Friday's action in Europe, the Japanese company has now recalled 9.5 million vehicles since late last year over two issues—5.4 million for floor mat entrapment issues and 4.1 million for a sticky gas pedal problem. That is 22% more than the 7.8 million vehicles Toyota sold world-wide last year.For Further: online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704343104575033350444811606.html?mod=WSJ_auto_LeadStoryCollection
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