Toyota drivers face long wait to get ‘lethal’ fault fixed

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The firm is to begin sending letters to over 180,000 British owners on Monday advising them that their car needs to be checked.

It plans to run emergency training courses for garage staff on Monday and Tuesday, before beginning repairs on Wednesday.

The news of the faults has triggered near-panic among owners, with more than 10,000 trying to use Toyota's hotline and website, leaving many complaining lines were jammed.

"The sheer number of cars involved means in London it could be several weeks before we are able to look at a car," said Toyota's Richard Seymour. Within the M25 there are just 15 garages able to deal with the fault, he added.

The world's biggest car firm has recalled eight million vehicles over fears two separate faults with accelerator pedals have left them unsafe.

So far, 270 Toyotas in the UK have been reported as being defective. The first UK claim for a crash was made yesterday by a solicitor for a driver in the Midlands.

Seven models are affected in Britain — the Auris, Avensis, Aygo, Corolla, iQ, Verso and Yaris.

If examined cars suffer from the faults, engineers will install a small custom-made metal plate in the pedal to stop the problem occurring.

Today the company faced growing pressure to recall its petrol-electric hybrid car, the Prius, over a possible brakes fault. It is believed 270,000 worldwide may have to be checked.

The scare has seen £19 billion wiped off Toyota's share value as sales have slumped.

Toyota GB said the company was "truly sorry" it had let customers down, but insisted the cars were safe.

Robert Gifford, director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, called last night for a government inquiry.