Lexus, Toyota Recall; Floor Mat Causes Crash
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 9:45
Toyota Motor said Tuesday it will soon issue a recall for at least 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to fix a potential safety problem caused by a car’s floor mat jamming the accelerator.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, meanwhile, urged motorists not to wait for a fix. “This is an urgent matter,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “For everyone’s sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration.”
The impending U.S. recall, the largest in Toyota history, followed a horrific crash last month in San Diego in which a mat was suspected of snagging a gas pedal on a runaway Lexus, ending with a fiery crash that killed four family members.
A minute before the crash, the driver called police to say the car had no brakes and the accelerator was stuck. The runaway car was doing more than 120 mph when it hit a sport-utility vehicle, launched off an embankment, rolled several times and burst into flames. The car, equipped with all-weather floor mats, was on loan from a dealership while the driver’s own vehicle was being repaired.
“The tragic accident in San Diego was certainly an eye opener for all of us,” said Senior Vice President Irving Miller, prompting the company to review previous allegations of unintended acceleration caused by floor mat interference.
Miller said the company could not quantify the number of complaints, nor could it estimate the cost of the safety campaign.
electric car news says:
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:14 am
Oh my! That is terrible. I never thought something like that could happen. In that case – how safe are our custom floor-mats? I got a natural woven mat (looks like bamboo). Gonna remove it after this horror story!
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Robert says:
October 6th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Wow…floormat jamming the accelerator. Of all the things that could go wrong in a vehicle…
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Gun Cabinets says:
October 6th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I heard about this recall on the radio and I missed part of the report. I can understand how this could happen with the floor mat. I had this happen to me once while driving. It is not a good feeling. You have no idea at first what is happening and in the wrong circumstances this could have been bad. I just reached down and moved the floor mat. I am extra careful now with the floor mat placement. I think toyota is making the right decision to recall.
Martyn from Automatic Garage Doors says:
October 12th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Why is it that car manufacturers have to wait for a horrific death before they actually do something about a defect…. we have the same problem in the UK recently a car manufactuer was pulled up for a steering defect but they continued to deny it until Watchdog got involved.
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Steve from Toyota Dealership says:
October 12th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I saw this on the news recently. It’s terrible that the family was killed in the crash. Toyota and Lexus def need to make this right.
David Adams from locksmith san francisco says:
October 13th, 2009 at 2:19 am
Yes, Until Toyota develops a remedy, it is asking owners of specific Toyota and Lexus models to take out any removable driver’s floor mat and NOT replace it with any other floor mat. The following models are affected:
• 2007 – 2010 Camry
• 2005 – 2010 Avalon
• 2004 – 2009 Prius
• 2005 – 2010 Tacoma
• 2007 – 2010 Tundra
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Toyota Special Offers says:
October 13th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
How long have these mats been in use? Is it just 2009 vehicles, or does it go back further?
certified life coach says:
October 15th, 2009 at 4:55 am
Oh! what a horrible thing it is?… these type of errors should not be allowed, and govt should ban the vehicles until they solve the problem, they should be instructed to get a certificate from local authority for problem salvation. This is for themselves and for other selves.
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HydroFloss says:
October 15th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I’ve actually seen this happen from cheap lightweight floor mats bought at a famous retail store known for low prices. It happens that these weaker mats get jumbled up on the floor and if you are not careful can interfere with both the accelerator and the break pedals It’s scary… be careful always..
oramd
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Repossessed Cars says:
October 17th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
What an awful tragedy. At least the manufacturers are doing the right thing with the recall. Like Martyn, above, says these things are all too often let go.
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LHD Cars says:
October 19th, 2009 at 9:28 am
This is rather worrying. I wonder if it really is a problem specific to these Toyotas or if it’s a general problem with mats that we should all be more aware of.
WarrantyHeadquarters.com says:
October 19th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Just read in the LA Times that this last incident was “fifth fatal crash in the U.S. over the last two years involving runaway Toyota and Lexus vehicles made by Toyota Motor Corp.” This is frightening to say the least. Please remove your floor mats if you own one of these cars.
chino auto repair says:
October 20th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
I’ve bought floor mats from the auto parts store that have jammed underneath the brakes and jammed on the accelerator before, but nothing that could not quickly be undone. What needs to happen is for Toyota to develop some bolt on floor mats that you can take of and clean but won’t slide around like regular floor mats.
Graeme from Flowers Australia says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 2:11 am
I’m assuming this is just a USA recall? Or worldwide? I had not heard of it before, and will try to find details about if the problem is over here too (Australia), thanks for the tip.
Suresh from How to lose Weight quickly says:
October 24th, 2009 at 4:10 am
This is because of the low price mats, technical fault and engineering repair of the particular part of the design. It is not a matter to urges & it is a matter to ban the product(s) till it got repaired or cleared. The company itself do favour to all the customers to solve this and the owner of cars should get some clearance certificate from govt. officers.
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kris from mortgage calculator says:
October 26th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Wow. That’s scary to imagine you can’t only slow down your car but it actually is speeding up. I don’t own a Lexus but my jeep actually has a small hook that keeps the mat in place. Maybe that’s what Lexus will need to do.
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Reno Chiropractor says:
October 26th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
This is a tragic story and I am glad to hear that Toyota is doing the right thing with the recall, as I would expect them to do since they are a quality company. This however is not the only time this stuff happens we are only hearing about it because of the accident. Most companies are now making floor mats with pins or snaps that hold them to the floor and keep them from shifting while driving. People also need to learn how to handle these types of situations while driving. In this event the person driving should have put the car in neutral and applied the brake and everything probably would have been fine. I realize things are different when you are under stress, but that is what I would have done.
Bob from Wooden Flooring says:
October 27th, 2009 at 7:24 am
This is tragic. However there are a lot of car manufacturers that do not provide car mats fitted correctly for the vehicle. In fact some do not even provide car mats as standard and is an additional extra. The consumer then purchases car mats off the shelf which do not fit. My feeling is that this should be legislation and car manufacturers should provide correctly fitted mats for their vehicles!
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October 27th, 2009 at 7:50 am
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Jeff from Louisiana Fishing, Hunting, Outdoors Forum says:
October 30th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
How many vehicles have had this issue in the past? You’d think they would learn. That is why all Ford and Chevy vehicles have mat hooks built into the floorboard.
luke from harley davidson says:
November 1st, 2009 at 5:11 am
OMG… Where have the quality control department guys gone? No more tragedy, please.
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David from WeddingPhotographerNottingham says:
November 2nd, 2009 at 7:25 am
That is truly a nightmare scenario.
Bean Bag says:
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:12 am
OMG this is one of the most horrific stories I have heard in a long time. I am based in Ireland and this never hit the news over here. I am hoping that the same cars arent on sale here in the light of what happenned in the US.
mike from conversion-vans.net says:
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:45 pm
These kind of stories are unfortunate… sad really. But I do not understand, like many of you why this person did not turn off the ignition switch killing the motor? And why did they not have brakes? The accelerator jammed should not have effected either of these.
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Free Mobile games download says:
November 5th, 2009 at 1:22 am
Yes, Until Toyota develops a remedy, it is asking owners of specific Toyota and Lexus models to take out any removable driver’s floor mat and NOT replace it with any other floor mat. The following models are affected:
• 2007 – 2010 Camry
• 2005 – 2010 Avalon
• 2004 – 2009 Prius
• 2005 – 2010 Tacoma
• 2007 – 2010 Tundra
Martin Abbey from restaurant furniture says:
November 6th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Toyota also confirmed that such things could happen if you don’t go for Branded accessories of Car, so i always prefer to get my car to Toyota service station and become tension free.
Billy from Long Mynd Hotel says:
November 6th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Yeah i agree with Martin, we should always go for Branded accessories, since it will always work in accordance with warranty and company also give assurance on it,so its more safe.
Brett says:
November 7th, 2009 at 12:32 am
I’ve got branded ones in my Mom’s Nissan Sentra — fits like a glove! Of course, if you read the safety info you’re advised to remove the existing floor mats before installing the winter mats so you’re not bulking up too much.
Of course anything under an accelerator or brake is bad news (ever thought that dropping your coffee mug / water bottle could end up rolling under the peddle?) so just take it easy and use common sense!
Ryan from Dodge Sprinter Rv says:
November 12th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Wow! I have read about this issue a couple of times now and I am just amazed that something like this is happening. Who would have ever thought about floor mats jamming the accelerator. Such a small design flaw causing terrible accidents.
mercruiser engines says:
November 15th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
This reminds me of the time a bottle of water fell from the center console into the footwell and rolled below the brake pedal in my track Miata. I had to duck down and dislodge the bottle before the next hairpin came up. I realized then why they make you dump everything out of the car (floor mats included) before you’re allowed on to the track
mercruiser engines says:
November 15th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
This reminds me of the time a bottle of water fell from the center console into the footwell and rolled below the brake pedal in my track Miata. I had to duck down and dislodge the bottle before the next hairpin came up. I realized then why they make you dump everything out of the car (floor mats included) before you’re allowed on to the track
Jim from Classic Cars For Sale says:
November 16th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Terrible situation. There may be more to this than first reported. Still waiting for full investigatiion.
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November 17th, 2009 at 12:12 am
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used cars by owner says:
November 17th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Lexus and Toyota were the only brands recalled because of it. And it was only the cheaper Lexus models, such as the IS and the ES. If your mat does slip and it hits the accelerator, try to dislodge the mat from the pedal, or steadily press on the brake and pull over, park, and remove the matt from the driver’s side.
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future car says:
November 17th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Free floating floor mats are such a thing of the past. In the future I suggest if the carmakers still want to offer floor mats that they use some discreet bolt on system where the mat won’t shift.
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harry from used cars for sale says:
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:07 am
Accident can happen with anybody or with any car so It is very necessary that to get your car to service station regularly to to Avoid a Car Accidents. After all our lives in our hand.
Aaron from Free Roommate Finder says:
November 24th, 2009 at 12:21 am
Toyota and Honda are both known for having very thorough engineering processes. TUrns out that floor mats did not really enter into their vaunted rigorous engineering process. It does say a lot about mechanical quality though, that when a problem was finally found it was related to floor mats.
At least they are cheap to replace.
Nick from Solar Power Battery Chargers says:
November 24th, 2009 at 1:55 am
Wow, It’s amazing they can’t figure this stuff out earlier. I’m surprised too that it’s Toyota, since they normally are so good with stuff like this.
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Dave Sappers from Web Design says:
November 25th, 2009 at 2:11 am
Yeah it happened with me one day, my break belt get jammed due to mat, but I handeled it very carefully and stopped my car, so when such incidence happens you need to handle the situations very carefully.
David from Promotional Products says:
November 25th, 2009 at 8:05 am
one thing can be done, if branded floor mat has a problem, we can modify them and change a new one, so that accelerator belts would never stuck to it, i don’t think so its a big issue or problem from the Toyota side.
Emma from online car auction says:
November 26th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Of all the things to be wrong with a car! But this has happened to be before. If you have those floor mats that can me removed they tend to slide around when you are driving. You do think during the testing phase, someone would have picked this up.
Muscle Car Tees says:
December 1st, 2009 at 3:15 pm
A floor mat that doesn’t stay in place should have been very obvious very early in the car’s development and testing cycle. I wouldn’t be surprised however that the car was never tested with floor mats in place. They were probably shipped with the car and simply installed by the dealers.
blue car says:
December 3rd, 2009 at 6:15 pm
First it’s the floor mat then its the gas pedal, next it will be the brake pedal that will be recalled. Finally it will be the parking brake. I’m surprised at Toyota’s hit or miss approach to this problem as they are usually much better than this.
used autos for sale says:
December 4th, 2009 at 1:04 am
It is really a latest news that recent events have prompted Toyota to take a closer look at the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position due to an unsecured or incompatible driver’s floor mat.
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solarglobalgreen says:
December 4th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Just when Toyota looked like they could do no wrong. This will take some of the shine off the success of the Prius.
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December 8th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
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Tuxedo Tonneau Covers and Cover Accessories for Trucks says:
December 10th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
That is horrible, but good to know. Thanks for the information
ian from Cars For Sale By Owner says:
December 11th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Wow, that’s terrible. God bless them.
That must have put a dent in Toyota’s image. Was this is an isolated incident, or has this happened to more toyota/lexus owners?
ciro from cardetailing says:
December 13th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
What a stinker for Toyota! Frankly, I don’t like using floor mats when driving, especially thick ones that alter the hight of my feet in reference to the pedals!
Dave from Fleet Services says:
December 14th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
It’s odd for such a recall to occur. These are some of the best middle of the road priced cars around. That’s good news for American car manufacturers though. Ford has been gaining ground on quality for a while.
Ford Explorer for sale says:
December 15th, 2009 at 8:33 am
It is kind that automakers are quick in detecting their defects or else could result increase in road mishaps. I myself faced the same problem , which i later on complained about it to Toyota service center.
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Thomas from San Jose Toyota says:
December 16th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
This is huge news! I heard that Toyota has had issues with their floor mats in the past as well. I have also read that Toyota is considering a new break system. Where the breaks override the acceleration when they are simultaneously being used (so in the case of the mats and the acceleration sticking this would counter-act it).
Although I think that is also ridiculous… Toyota needs to change their mat design.
fuel card says:
December 17th, 2009 at 9:34 am
all these new developments in cars engines and safety and now we have the car mats jamming in the accelerator omg could be laughable if it wasnt dangerous
Juandy says:
December 18th, 2009 at 12:41 am
A responsible automotive company, that’s what the public need right now…
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car port says:
December 18th, 2009 at 6:59 am
seems a bad mistake by toyota they take so much car with other safety stuff they miss the little things
first car says:
December 20th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
This iis why I take the floormat out on the driver’s side completely. I haven’t found a mat yet that doesn’t ride up where it shouldn’t at time and that I’ve had to struggle with. I don’t mind the frequent carpet cleanings as long as its a safety issue.
bankowned says:
December 21st, 2009 at 9:23 am
Some do not even provide car mats as standard and is an additional extra. The consumer then purchases car mats off the shelf which do not fit. My feeling is that this should be legislation and car manufacturers should provide correctly fitted mats for their vehicles!
Hino Trucks For Sale says:
December 28th, 2009 at 5:15 am
right bankowned.. you are right.
car manufacturers have to provide perfectly fitted car mats.
Gary from Thermal Labels says:
December 31st, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Wow, that is really terrible. But it’s good that Toyota is doing the recall despite the immense cost involved. I have a Toyota car and this got me a little scared, but I don’t think the Corolla is included in this recall. In the Corolla, the mat is secured to the floor with hooks, so it can’t slide under the pedals.
Cheap Auto Insurance Site says:
January 7th, 2010 at 1:35 am
Most companies are now making floor mats with pins or snaps that hold them to the floor and keep them from shifting while driving. People also need to learn how to handle these types of situations while driving.
Beth from San Jose Toyota Dealer says:
January 7th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
I heard that Toyota is planning on recalling, then modifying their cars with a new brake system. The system supposedly focuses on the brake pedal when both the accelerator and the brake are being pressed.
It would be awesome if Toyota could integrate this system in their recalled models AND their new models but it’ll probably cost more money than fixing the problem with zipties (another fix rumor read on a blog).
Autobody Shop Columbia,SC says:
January 7th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
This is certainly terrible to about that wreck with the floor mats, I guess any floor mat could get in the way and cause the gas to stick, I am truly sorry to here about that family my prayers are with the other family members
Brian S. says:
January 12th, 2010 at 11:03 am
Who would have thought such a simple and standard vehicle feature could make such severe problems? Well, I’ve been looking to replace my floor mats anyways- now I have a reason to!
Tonneau Covers and Tonneau Cover Accessories says:
January 13th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
It is amazing how car companies will sacrifice human lives to save money. if it costs less to replace the mats then have a few deaths the company will look to increase profits. Very scary!
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Calgary diesel repair says:
January 23rd, 2010 at 1:39 am
this makes me laugh, 20 million dollar recall for a 2 dollar mat
Charles Heinrich from Car Dealers in Buffalo says:
January 27th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
As the owner of a car dealership, I can’t even imagine the headaches this would cause. That’s a very serious slip up on the manufacturer’s part. Although aren’t they now saying that it wasn’t actually the floor mats but rather something with the car’s gas pedal?
Teena from V8 Supercars says:
January 30th, 2010 at 11:28 am
This is a very terrible news. Car companies should be extra careful in making cars or whatever that can result to accidents. It’s a good thing that they are taking actions about what happened.
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Salvatore from Wisdek says:
January 31st, 2010 at 8:27 am
When I was in Driver’s Ed on a drive with the instructor, the instructor would, without warning, reach his foot over and stop the accelerator. The student driver was required to shift the transmission into neutral, then shut of the ignition. It was a simple test, and every student in the class passed it.
Joan J. Haynes says:
January 31st, 2010 at 11:54 pm
This is very sad news although it’s good that the company has a very aggressive move to address this problem, this should not be the case in the first place. As mentioned by Ryan also, such a small design flaw made the difference and eventually, results to a great lost for the company and a mark on its credibility… That’s how it goes.
Chris from Document scanning says:
February 4th, 2010 at 1:35 am
Toyota said it was still working with officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to find a remedy to fix the problem and said owners could be notified about the recall as early as next week. Toyota spokesman Irv Miller said until the company finds a fix, owners should take out the removable floor mat on the driver’s side and not replace it