By Robert Channick and Mike Hughlett | Chicago-area dealers are gearing up for a massive repair backlog — and some customer backlash — after Toyota Motors Corp. announced plans Monday to fix a sticking gas pedal that could cause unintended acceleration in some 2.3 million cars in the U.S.

The 30-minute repair will install a steel reinforcement bar into the pedal assembly in order to reduce friction. With parts and technical manuals expected to arrive beginning Wednesday, many local dealers will offer extended service hours through next week. Few, however, are planning to stay open round the clock, something the company touted in its effort to speed repairs to the vehicles, and its own tarnished image.

“I don’t think people will be driving in the door at 1 o’clock in the morning,” said Kurt Schiele, general manager of Elmhurst Toyota, a 43-year-old family-owned dealership. “There might be some people that might not do it until their next oil change.”

Production was halted for eight Toyota models and a recall issued January 21. The affected models are: Corolla, RAV4, Matrix, Avalon, Highlander, Tundra, Sequoia and certain Camry sedans, along with the Pontiac Vibe, made by Toyota in a joint venture with General Motors Co. More details are available at: www.toyota.com/recall/.

Notices will be sent out in the next few weeks, but concerned owners may arrange for earlier installation through their dealerships, according to officials. Elmhurst Toyota plans to more proactive.
 
“We’re going to call each and every one of our customers and we’re going to take care of the problem, and we’re going to make things right,” Schiele said.
 
The dealership expects about a thousand of its customers will be affected by the recall. While not adding any new staff, mechanics are committed to working overtime to handle the expected rush to repair the pedals, with Schiele, a former grease monkey himself, volunteering to pitch in a pinch.

“We’ve manned ourselves up in terms of employee count and hours that it’s going to take to do it,” Schiele said. “Heck, if I have to roll up my sleeves up and do it, I will be there to do it too.”

Deluged with calls from worried owners since the recall, an air of frustration has set in at Libertyville Toyota, which is as anxious to get the fix in place as its customers.

“Toyota has been pretty forthcoming with their information, but it’s been a challenge to get the process started,” said Adrian Basich, general manager of Libertyville Toyota. “We’re ready, it’s just a matter of when.”
 
Owned by Florida-based AutoNation, the largest automotive retailer in the U.S., Libertyville Toyota had received several complaints from customers over the years about a sticky gas pedal, but their mechanics were never able to find the problem in the shop, according to Basich. While confident that the new fix will get the job done, repairing Toyota’s image, and that of the dealership, may not be as easy.

“Will the customer understand that this is just a one-off and we’re going to move forward?” Basich said. “Who knows at this point.”
 
Steve Hemmer,  service manager at Arlington Toyota in Palatine, said he talked with Toyota this morning. “They say we should have the parts here by the end of this week.” Hemmer expects to start training mechanics Tuesday as soon as he gets technical information regarding the repair.

“We should be able to start (repairs) by early next week,” he said, noting that he was e-mailing customers updated information on recall-related repairs this morning.

To handle demand created by the recall, Arlington Toyota will be temporarily extending the shifts of its mechanics from eight to 12 hours, Hemmer said.

Dennis Pecho, general manager of Countryside Toyota in Hodgkins, said his dealership recently added three technicians and two service advisers to help cope with the glut of repairs. Customers may stream in over several weeks, not just all at once, he said.

The new positions at Countryside will be permanent, Pecho said, as Arlington expanded its service department in August and is growing business at a healthy pace.

“It’s a terribly uncomplicated repair,” Pecho said. “That’s a very good thing.”