U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is backing off a statement he made earlier today urging people to "stop driving" their Toyotas.
LaHood stands by his prior statements that the U.S. government will closely monitor Toyota's progress in dealing with the recall, and that anyone worried about their recalled vehicle should get it fixed as quickly as possible.
But his revised statement was less forthright than the improvised remark he'd made earlier before House committee.
"My advice is if anyone owns one of these vehicles stop driving it and take it to Toyota dealer because they believe they have a fix for it," he had said.
Later in the day, LaHood sought to clarify the comment.
"What I said was obviously a misstatement," LaHood said, according to the New York Times.
