INUVIK - Clovis Savoie is thankful his snowmobile and not his child was on the receiving end of his four-by-four truck, which he said suddenly accelerated out of control on Saturday.

The accident occurred in his Kugmallit Road driveway while he was returning home in his 2007 Toyota Tundra from an afternoon errand uptown.

Clovis Savoie says his truck collided with his parked snowmobile on Saturday because the vehicle's accelerator suddenly became engaged on its own. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

Savoie said the gas pedal became pinned to the floor almost immediately after he engaged his vehicle's brake and started turning into his driveway. He shifted into neutral gear but by that time it was too late.

He rammed into his snowmobile, which was parked horizontally at the head of the driveway against the steps of his home.

"The accelerator was wide open. It scared me," said Savoie, the owner of Ulu Welding. "I had the brakes on all the time. By the time I was in neutral I was already on top of the Ski-Doo."

Savoie's truck happens to be one of eight Toyota vehicle models on the company's list for recall to fix a problem with sticking accelerator pedals. The list includes 270,000 vehicles in Canada and 4.2 million around the world.

The company has released a statement explaining the problem, which in part reads:

"Due to the materials used, wear and environmental conditions, surfaces may, over time, begin to stick and release instead of operating smoothly.

"In rare instances, the friction of the accelerator pedal may increase to a point where the accelerator pedal may become harder to depress, slower to return or, in the worst case, become stuck in a partially depressed position."

Savoie said he received a letter informing him of the problem three weeks ago, but added he was led to believe it wasn't a serious problem in immediate need of repair. Since the accident occurred Savoie said he contacted the company from which he bought the vehicle, Mic Mac Motors in Whitehorse, but said it was not helpful.

He said at the very least, the company should try to provide him with another truck until the problem is fixed. Savoie would also like to see Toyota pay for the damages done to both his truck, which is still under warranty, and his snowmobile.

"I mean they're not even worried about it," he said. "I want to see them fix my truck. If that would have happened on the road or a kid would have been in the driveway, somebody might have been dead."

He was told by Mic Mac Motors to contact Toyota Canada with his concern.

Ivo Amaral, Mic Mac Motors' service manager, said he would not comment on the accident.

Nicole Grant, a spokesperson with Toyota Canada, said the company had not heard from Savoie since the accident. She wouldn't speculate on how the company might deal with him until an accident report is done to determine what, if anything, went wrong.

Savoie said he has contacted Toyota Canada's customer service line three times but he has yet to speak to anyone.

Up until the accident, he said he's been relatively happy with his truck, but can't understand why both companies aren't showing more concern for his plight.

"I can't trust my truck," he said. "That's a problem."