According to Toyota, the company's engineers have finally tracked down the culprit behind an ongoing recall problem that has affected 4.2 million vehicles across the globe. The verdict? A friction device that provided accelerators with "proper" pedal feel and that, due to wear and environmental conditions, could degrade and stick in a partially "open" position, resulting in the unintended-acceleration concerns that have been the bane of Toyota's existence for several months.

Toyota has moved quickly to announce a resolution to the problem, with a press conference this morning and head of U.S. sales Jim Lentz appearing on the "Today" show to discuss the fix. Some Toyota dealerships even announced they would stay open around the clock to install the steel reinforcement bar (in order to reduce the friction that could lead to sticking) on the approximately 2.3 million affected U.S. vehicles.

On the heels of the ongoing unintended-acceleration problem, Toyota announced last week that it had suspended production and sales of eight models, which led to a constant hammering in the press. Consumer Reports even pulled its "recommended" tag from the affected models until it was convinced the problem had been resolved. Kelley Blue Book has also predicted a 4 to 5 percent drop in resale value for affected models over the next several weeks.

(Source USA Today.)