How many Toyota and Lexus cars were recalled because of faulty floor mats?
Toyota (TM) is launching its biggest recall ever to prevent sliding floor mats from jamming accelerator pedals, a problem that may have killed four in the crash of a runaway Lexus. The automaker on Tuesday warned the owners of 3.8 million late-model Toyota and Lexus vehicles to immediately remove any driver’s side floor mat. Official notice will go out to owners next week. The federal government, which also issued a “safety alert” on the mats, says it has 102 reports of jammed accelerators in Toyota and Lexus models, including 13 crashes, five deaths and 17 injuries. Four died Aug. 28 in a Lexus driven by an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer that crashed at an estimated 120 mph. In a panicked 911 call, the doomed passengers said the accelerator was stuck and they were unable to turn off the engine. The Lexus was a dealer service loaner that may have had mats from another model. That accident “was certainly an eye opener for all of us,” said Irv Miller, a vice president of Toyo
The Feds released a warning today for millions of Toyota and Lexus owners about dangerous floor mats which could get stuck on their car’s gas pedal, causing the vehicle to accelerate out of control. This in response to an investigation on the West Coast into what exactly caused the fatal crash that killed off-duty California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor and three members of his family. The 2009 Lexus ES they were riding in sped out of control, crashed into another car, flipped and burned. Officials looking into the case are checking out the possibility that the Salor’s car may have been the subject of a massive floor mat recall that affected 2007 and 2008 Lexus ES 350 vehicles and other Toyota models. Reports say someone from inside the car called 911 before it crashed saying it had no brakes and the accelerator was stuck. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says Toyota will issue another recall for these mats. In the meantime, to be safe, owners of several Toyota
An alert issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the potential for floor mats in various late-model Toyota and Lexus vehicles to jam the accelerator open prompted Toyota to place a recall for 3.8 million vehicles. The NHTSA issued the alert following an investigation into the crash of a 2009 Lexus ES350 in San Diego last month, which might have been caused by the floor mat sticking the gas pedal in the open position. The cars affected by the recall are the 2007-to-2010 Camry, 2005-to-2010 Avalon, 2004-to-2009 Prius, 2005-to-2010 Tacoma, 2007-to-2010 Tundra, 2007-to-2010 Lexus ES350, and 2006-to-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350. Toyota advises drivers of vehicles with stuck accelerators to shift into neutral, and then steer to the side of the road. The NHTSA is urging owners of the affected vehicles to remove driver-side floor mats until Toyota effects a solution. Sources: http://reviews.
