WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Model-year 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles are being recalled because of the risk that the accelerator pedal may malfunction.

This recall is related to the Toyota accelerator pedal recall. The Vibe, essentially the same vehicle as the Toyota Matrix, was the product of a joint venture between GM and Toyota until GM ended it last summer. GM is no longer building the Vibe. No more than 26 new Vibes remain in Pontiac dealerships, a GM representative told Dow Jones Newswires. Sales of the vehicles have been suspended.

Toyota will be handling the Vibe recall, Dow Jones reported.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site, the recall is related to how the friction lever interacts with the sliding surface of the accelerator pedal inside the pedal sensor assembly. The sliding surface of the lever has the potential to become smooth during vehicle operation. In this condition, any condensation that may form on the surface -- which can occur while the heater is operating (without AC) and the pedal assembly is cold -- can lead to greater friction when the accelerator pedal is engaged. This can result in the accelerator pedal becoming harder to depress, slower to return to idle or, in the worst case, mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position.