Davos , Switzerland ( CNN ) -- Toyota 's president apologized Friday for the gas pedal problems that have forced the recall of millions of vehicles in the United States and Europe , Japanese media reported . It was Akio Toyoda 's first remarks since the latest round of recalls began last week . `` We 're extremely sorry to have made customers uneasy , '' he told Japanese news agency NHK . `` We plan to establish the facts and give an explanation that will take away the customers ' concern as soon as possible . '' The recall is to correct a problem that , under certain circumstances , could cause the gas pedal , as it becomes worn , to stick partway down . Toyota recalled 2.3 million vehicles in the United States for the problem this week , although no repair procedure has been put in place . A Toyota spokesman said that the carmaker is close to announcing a solution for cars in the United States . The company would still need to get regulatory approval for any proposed repair in the United States and in Europe before a fix could be made . The European recall involves eight models , several of them not sold in the United States . The number of vehicles involved in that recall is under investigation , but could reach 1.8 million , Toyota said in a statement . The recall is separate from one begun in November to fix a problem in which the gas pedal can catch on the edge of the removable floormat . The floormat recall was recently expanded to cover 5.3 million vehicles . In many cases , the same vehicles are involved in both recalls . It was not clear how many different vehicles , in total , are part of both actions . When it came to capturing U.S. market share , Toyota Motor had its pedal to the metal for years . But the gas pedal problems could throw its sales into reverse . The halt of sales and production of the company 's most popular U.S. models will cause this month 's sales to tumble 12 percent compared to January 2009 , according to a forecast from sales tracker Edmunds.com . Michelle Krebbs , senior analyst for Edmunds.com , said that , if not for this week 's problems , Toyota 's sales would have been up at least slightly for the month . The expected drop could send Toyota 's market share below 15 percent , which would be its lowest level in nearly four years . Most of Toyota 's rivals are expected to post higher sales compared to a year ago . Ford Motor , which last year reported its first market share gain in the United States since 1995 , is expected to pass Toyota in market share in January , according to Edmunds.com . Ford has joined General Motors and other automakers trying to capitalize on Toyota 's problems , offering $ 1,000 to buyers who trade in Toyotas when purchasing a new car . That could be a big problem for Toyota . `` People buy Toyotas for their bullet-proof reliability , '' said Krebbs . `` That was their main selling point , and that 's taken a huge hit . '' Share iReports of auto stories . Even after Toyota fixes the gas pedal problems , it is likely to have trouble regaining share , some say . A loss in market share this year would be Toyota 's first since 1994 . `` This is a game changer for Toyota , '' said Art Spinella , head of CNW Market Research . `` They have some serious , serious work to do to repair the damage done to their image . '' Spinella said Toyota was already vulnerable . His firm 's consumer survey from mid-January showed Toyota had fallen from its long-held position of first or second in quality estimates to seventh among potential buyers . Apparently , recalls that began late last year are having an impact . `` This was just the latest recall problem for Toyota , '' said Spinella . `` Word of mouth is the key for all of this , and always has been . And it 's much tougher to move back up the list than to fall down . '' Toyota spokeswoman Sona Iliffe-Moon said the company wo n't comment about any potential hit to sales or market share before its scheduled release of January sales on February 2 . `` Clearly there will be a sales impact with the stopped sales , '' she said . `` Really , right now our focus is working on a remedy . '' CNN 's David Goldman contributed to this report .
Toyota 's president apologized Friday for the recall of millions of vehicles . The company said it would pay a record fine and take steps to improve its quality control in future recalls. Eight models of cars have been recalled in the U.S. , Europe and China .