Floor Mat Problem Prompts Largest Recall in Toyota History
Making its floor mat bulletin official, Toyota yesterday recalled 3.8 million vehicles -- the largest Toyota recall ever and the country's sixth-largest. A loose floor mat is being blamed for the August death of California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, his wife and two children, prompting the recall of the following vehicles:
2007 - 2010 Camry
2005 - 2010 Avalon
2004 - 2009 Prius
2005 - 2010 Tacoma
2007 - 2010 Tundra
An improperly secured or incompatible driver's side floor mat in any of these vehicles could cause the same problem. Toyota doesn't have a fix yet, until it works one out with NHTSA it is asking owners of these models to take out any removable driver's floor mat and NOT replace it.
Owners will receive a formal recall sometimes before the end of the year. For more information, consumers can contact the NHTSA at (888) 327-4236, Toyota at (800) 331-4331 or Lexus at (800) 255-3987.
When we published our article How To Survive the Top 10 Driving Emergencies, we knew that most people would think, "That'll never happen to me." This recall shows that Tip #3: Stuck Throttle does indeed happen, often due to a stuck floor mat. Toyota recommends the following actions if your car keeps accelerating after you get off the gas:
- First, if it is possible and safe to do so, pull back the floor mat and dislodge it from the accelerator pedal; then pull over and stop the vehicle.
- If the floor mat cannot be dislodged, then firmly and steadily step on the brake pedal with both feet. Do NOT pump the brake pedal repeatedly as this will increase the effort required to slow the vehicle.
- Shift the transmission gear selector to the Neutral (N) position and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off the engine.
- If unable to put the vehicle in Neutral, turn the engine OFF, or to ACC. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost.
- If the vehicle is equipped with an Engine Start/Stop button, firmly and steadily push the button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do NOT tap the Engine Start/Stop button.
- If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, 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.
In the event owners choose not to remove their floor mat, Toyota strongly recommends that they ensure that the correct floor mat is being used, that it is properly installed and secured, that it is not flipped over with bottom-side up, and that one floor mat is not stacked over another. Information on proper floor mat installation can be found on http://www.toyota.com.
- Posted by
- Joanne Helperin October 6, 2009, 10:35 AM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Car Safety, Toyota, Vehicle Recalls
pardon my ignorance -- how would you not be able to shift into neutral? shifting into neutral seems the best first step -- allows good control with brake and steering power preservation. wouldn't your brakes fail quickly if you just braked with the gas down? as much as i like my 328hp, you would probably not see such high-speeds no matter how far down your throttle is stuck down in a 50-hp piece-of-crap...
What if your shifter broke off and your key broke off? If the accelerator got stuck, you'd be screwed unless you found a runaway truck ramp.
Dan Edmunds reported that Karl Brauer was unable to kill a BMW engine by holding the starter button and that it took exactly 3 staccato presses in rapid succession. 2 was an insufficient number and 4 merely restarted the engine. Can we get some followup on this BMW behavior story?
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2009/10/floor-mat-walkaround.html
yellowbal, I think you've been watching too many cartoons. A scenario like you listed would be so extraordinarily remote and far-fetched as to not even warrant the slightest amount of consideration (and if you do, you might want to worry about such things as alien abduction and demonic possession while you're at it...)