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Toyota Floor Mat |
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| The largest recall in U.S. Toyota
history is underway with a potentially dangerous problem
with the gas pedal to floor mat interference. A total of 3.8 million vehicles are being recalled by Toyota because of the removable floor mats that can get stuck on the accelerator pedal and can cause an accident. "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," Toyota spokesman Irv Miller said. "This is an urgent matter," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said 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." NHTSA notes that there continue to be reports of accelerator pedal clearance issues which provide the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position. A stuck accelerator may result in very high vehicle speeds and a crash, which could cause serious injury or death. NHTSA warned owners to remove all driver-side floor mats from the models listed below immediately as an interim safety measure in advance of the recall and fix. |
 Example of mat interference. |
| How to stop a run away Toyota or Lexus with a Power Button |
| A
horrifying accident in California prompted this recall.
An unstoppable Lexus which "topped speeds of 120 mph before launching off an embankment and crashed and burst into flames in Santee," according to the Associated Press. A passenger called 911 and said they couldn't stop the speeding car just before the deadly crash. Four people were killed including the driver, a California Highway Patrol officer, and three family members. A preliminary investigation indicated the accelerator may have become entrapped by a rubber floor mat, sheriff's Sgt. Scott Hill said. The question that most people ask is why didn't the driver simple turn off the engine and car. The car in question was a Lexus ES 350 which does not use a key. Now Toyota has issued a warning for both Lexus and Toyota Models regarding the power button which replaces the traditional turn-key ignition switch. With the button the car can't be turned off in an instant in an emergency. In issuing its warning, Toyota tells owners to "make sure that they don't just tap the button in an emergency. Press it steadily for three seconds." Three seconds might seem like an eternity in a panic situation |
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