UPDATE 2-US transport secretary comment shakes Toyota

* Secretary LaHood says he misspoke about driving Toyotas

* LaHood says he will call Toyota president

* Toyota confident cars safe if no problems noticed

* US reviews complaints on throttles, Prius brakes

* Toyota shares regain some ground in afternoon trade
(Recasts first sentence, adds Toyota comments, updates share
movement, adds new investigations)

By John Crawley

WASHINGTON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Transportation Secretary Ray
LaHood sent shares of battered Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T)
(TM.N) plunging even further on Wednesday when he advised
owners of recalled vehicles to stop driving their cars, later
characterizing the remark as a misstatement.

Toyota shares fell as much as 8 percent on the New York
Stock Exchange but recovered some ground to trade down 5
percent at $74.30 on Wednesday afternoon.

LaHood's explosive comment at a House of Representatives
hearing fueled new confusion over how consumers should respond
to a January recall of 2.4 million cars and trucks due to
faulty accelerator pedals.

LaHood, in comments to reporters shortly before the
midmorning hearing, had repeated his recommendation that
affected Toyota consumers should "exercise caution" and seek
out dealers for information on repairs.

But he sharpened his tone in an exchange with lawmakers.

"My advice is if anybody owns one of these vehicles is to
stop driving it and take it to a Toyota dealer because they
believe they have the fix for it," LaHood said.

LaHood appeared after the hearing to clarify his statement,
saying it was an obvious misstatement to say owners should stop
driving their vehicles.

"I want to encourage owners of any recalled Toyota models
to contact their local dealer and get their vehicles fixed as
soon as possible," he said.

Toyota said in a statement that it appreciated LaHood's
clarification, and advised owners to contact dealers if there
was an accelerator pedal problem.

"If you are not experiencing any issues with your pedal, we
are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive," the
statement
said.

Toyota shares have dropped more than 17 percent since Jan.
26 when it suspended sales of eight models in the United
States, including its popular Camry and Corolla models.

Edmunds.com Chief Executive Jeremy Anwyl said the
"flip-flop" by LaHood only added to the confusion about the
Toyota recall and how consumers should respond.

"But in this situation, there are facts and there is
speculation, and no factual revelation popped up this morning
to cause anyone any additional concern," Anwyl said.

LaHood's agency has boosted pressure on Toyota in recent
days, expressing public frustration with how the automaker
handled the recall, which followed another recall in late 2009
for floor mats that can jam accelerator pedals.

LaHood said he plans to call Toyota President Akio Toyoda,
the grandson of the company's founder, soon to ensure that the
company understands the Obama administration is serious about
ongoing safety matters.

Separately, LaHood said the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration was pressing ahead with a new investigation of
complaints about Toyota electronic throttle systems to see if
they are in any way related to unintended acceleration.

"It's not so complex that we can't figure it out," LaHood
told reporters. "We have the resources to do this and we're
going to do it."

LaHood said NHTSA has received new complaints recently and
the Japanese automaker is cooperating.

LaHood said the electronic throttle review would also look
at other automakers. But it is not clear what companies or what
systems would be included. Complaints about unintended
acceleration have cut across the entire industry over the
years.

Potential electromagnetic interference with Toyota's
electronic throttles is one technical issue NHTSA is looking
into as part of its review, LaHood said.

Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer of Toyota
Motor Sales USA, told Reuters television on Monday that the
automaker is convinced accelerator problems have nothing to do
with electronics.
(Reporting by John Crawley, editing by Gerald E. McCormick and
Matthew Lewis)