Gas pedal, floor mat may drive big recall
-TampaBayOnline
10/04/2009 - Federal investigators say that of the 102 accidents caused by stuck gas pedals on Toyota vehicles, there are four possible causes involving floor mats: The mats are too long or too thick, they weren't properly secured, the gas pedal design is flawed or the floor geometry is defective.
The wide array of causes presents a challenge to Toyota engineers who are trying to come up with a way to fix the problem that is leading to a recall of 3.8 million vehicles, including the Camry, the top-selling car in the United States.
On Tuesday, the Japanese automaker issued a safety advisory urging owners of 3.8 million cars and trucks - including popular models such as Camry, Prius and Tacoma - to remove driver-side mats. It wants drivers to watch out for loose or incorrect mats that could slide out of position and cover pedals.
Toyota is still studying the problem. Once it comes up with a fix, it will issue a recall of the models. It will be Toyota's largest-ever U.S. recall, accounting for about 15 percent of all the automaker's vehicles on U.S. roads, the company said.
The safety advisory was prompted by an accident last month killing four people near San Diego. In that incident, a floor mat trapped the gas pedal on a 2009 Lexus ES 350, causing it to accelerate out of control, strike an SUV, launch off an embankment and burst into flames.
NHTSA said it had received reports of 102 incidents that led to 13 crashes, 17 injuries and five fatalities in Toyota vehicles.
Toyota's warning affects 2007-10 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-10 Toyota Avalon, 2004-09 Toyota Prius, 2005-10 Tacoma, 2007-10 Toyota Tundra, 2007-10 Lexus ES350 and 2006-10 Lexus IS250 and IS350.
