Breaking news: Toyota issues massive recall over floormats

September 29th, 2009, 2:56 pm · 14 Comments · posted by Matt Degen

(Updated 9/30 with additional safety info, graphic)

The government today issued a massive warning to owners of Toyota and Lexus vehicles regarding certain vehicles’ removable floormats.

According to the Associated Press and other media reports, the automaker is set to recall more than 3.8 million vehicles because the floormats could interfere with a car’s accelerator and cause a crash.

Toyota said it is working with the government’s traffic safety department to fix the issue and that affected owners could be notified of the official recall next week.

“A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop a vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death,” said Toyota spokesman Irv Miller

“This is an urgent matter,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood added in a statement. “For everyone’s sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration.”

The AP says the warning was prompted by crash a that recently killed four family members in August near San Diego. The crash killed California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, 45, and three others on State Route 125 in Santee while riding in a Lexus, which it Toyota’s luxury brand.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, meanwhile, said it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck on the Toyota vehicles involved.

Toyota is telling owners that if they think their vehicle is accelerating out of control, they should check to see whether their floor mat is under the pedal. If a driver can’t remove the floor mat, the automaker advises drivers to step on the brake pedal with both feet until the vehicle slows and then try to put it into neutral and switch the ignition to accessory power. Do not pump the brake pedal, Toyota says, because doing so can increase the effort to stop the vehicle.

For vehicles with engine start/stop buttons, Toyota said the engine can be shut off by holding the button down for at least three seconds.

If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, Toyota recommends that owners turn the ignition key to the ACC position to turn off the engine. “Do NOT remove the key from the ignition as this will lock the steering wheel,” Toyota advises.

The federal Transportation Department is telling owners of the following cars to remove the floormats from the driver side and not to replace them.

The vehicles affected are:

2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry
2005-2010 Toyota Avalon
2004-2009Toyota Prius
2005-2010 Tacoma
2007-2010 Toyota Tundra
2007-2010 Lexus ES350
2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350

For more information, consumers can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s hot line at 888-327-4236, Toyota at 800-331-4331 or Lexus at 800-255-3987.

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ocbear says:

September 29, 2009 at 3:43 pm

Listen to the chilling 911 recording on the web of the San Diego stuck accelerator accident. I just wonder though, why didn’t the driver try to shift it into neutral? Does that car not allow shifting into neutral? Lesson: In times of emergency, think quick and don’t freeze up.

Post Reply

Brian says:

September 29, 2009 at 3:56 pm

I’m confused by this. I have a 2009 Camry with removable floor mats that are secured with the clips that are shown in the image on this page: http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/toyota-consumer-safety-advisory-102572.aspx

Are those clips the problem? Can the mat come loose from the clips and move?

Obozo_The_Prez says:

September 29, 2009 at 4:09 pm

Oh what a feeling…….BOOM!

anonymous says:

I would assume the clips keep the mat secured to the floor which is what the accelerator gets stuck under.

Irving says:

September 29, 2009 at 4:13 pm

The original news story regarding the crash that killed the family was that the mats in question had ALREADY been recalled. The family was driving a loaner car while theirs was being serviced, and for some reason the loner had the recalled mats still in it. This was a heartbreaking story, but one can’t help but wonder why the driver didn’t throw the car into neutral or turn off the ignition. What makes it all the more puzzling is that the occupants, instead of taking the steps I mention, DID have the time and inclination to dial 911 while they were out of control.

seriously says:

September 29, 2009 at 4:14 pm

having the accelerator stuck in full throttle is a scarey proposition but as the other person said you have to keep a clear head. Turning off the key is an option but you have to make sure that you don’t turn it so far that the steering wheel locks. If you shut off the engine keep in mind you will lose your power steering and your power brakes.

The article says to push both feet on the brake pedal and then turn the ignition off but only to the accessory function, this would keep the steering from locking and also keep the brakes at full force, if you let up on the brakes after you turn the engine off you will lose your power brakes, you can still push on the brake pedal but with much less affect to the brakes.

Very scary.

Rodney Mesriani says:

September 29, 2009 at 4:54 pm

Let’s not forget that the CHP officer who died was driving a loaner vehicle and he might not exactly be familiar with how to drive a vehicle with engine stop/start buttons…it was really unfortunate but in some instances, quick wits are no match for a vehicle going 100+mph.

I really feel bad for the family who lost their lives just because of stuck accelerator because of a floor mat. I hope a tragedy like that doesn’t happen ever again. Toyota, please don’t just act on complaints when a fatal accident occurs, investigate when consumers start reporting such malfunction!

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