The 2010 Toyota RAV4 is one of eight different models the maker is recalling as part of its latest safety campaign.

Already in the midst of recalling 4.2 million vehicles for a “floor mat entrapment” issue, Toyota will call back yet another 2.3 million cars, trucks and crossover vehicles to repair sticking accelerator pedals.

The majority of the products impacted by the latest recall will also be covered by the earlier, larger callback, according to a Toyota spokesman.  But this new issue alone poses potential image problems for a maker, long known for bulletproof quality, that has had to acknowledge a raft of safety-related reliability issues, in recent months.

Though he described the latest prolem as “a rare issue,” likely to actually involve a relatively small number of Toyota Division products, spoesman John Hanson acknowledged the automaker is well aware of the concerns about “sudden acceleration” involving its products.  That, he said, “was enough for us to decide to act quickly.”

The latest problem revolves around complaints that accelerator pedals might stick on as many as eight different Toyota products, some sold as far back as 2005, and continuing through to the 2010 model-year.  The vehicles affected by the recall are:

• 2009-2010 RAV4,
• 2009-2010 Corolla,
• 2009-2010 Matrix,
• 2005-2010 Avalon,
• 2007-2010 Camry,
• 2010 Highlander,
• 2007-2010 Tundra,
• 2008-2010 Sequoia.

The new recall is somewhat different from the one first announced last October.  That problem involved the possible “entrapment” of the accelerator pedal by vehicle floor mats – on Toyota as well as Lexus brand models.  That recall was triggered by the fiery death of a California Highway Patrol officer and several family members when their Lexus sedan began accelerating uncontrollably before crashing, rolling over and bursting into flames.

When first announced, Toyota officials said 3.8 million vehicles would need repairs including the replacement of the accelerator pedal and, in some cases, the installation of a device that would not allow the brake and throttle to be operated simultaneously.  But now, said spokesman Hanson, Toyota has increased the total to 4.2 million cars, trucks and crossovers, reflecting some models sold to consumers after the October announcement.  The revised figure also includes vehicles being recalled in Canada.

To further complicate the math, about 1.7 million vehicles involved in the latest recall are already on the list for the other, floor mat-related repairs.  So, doing a bit of addition and subtraction, that means about 600,000 new vehicles are involved solely in the latest recall for sticking accelerator pedals – an issue unrelated to floor mats.

Whatever the reason, it adds to the problems of a company that was rarely ever tarnished by safety or quality matters until recently.  But Toyota has run into a number of other problems, of late.  About 110,000 Tundra pickups were ordered in for repairs by federal regulators worried that “excessive corrosion” could lead to brake failure and the possibility that parts, including spare tires, could drop off the vehicles.

Meanwhile, an investigation into sudden stalling involves more than 300,000 Corollas and Matrix crossovers.  And, as TheDetroitBureau.com reported, late in December, an investigation is also underway looking at reports of brake problems involving Toyota’s green halo car, the third-generation, 2010 Prius hybrid.