Toyota says stuck accelerator problem entirely due to floor-mat jams
- USA Today
11/03/2009 - Toyota said today that its cars don't have a rampant sudden acceleration problem for any reason other than driver’s side floor mats that can become lodged under the gas pedal.
“The question of unintended acceleration involving Toyota and Lexus vehicles has been repeatedly and thoroughly investigated by NHTSA, without any finding of defect other than the risk from an unsecured or incompatible driver’s floor mat,” said Bob Daly, senior vice president for Toyota Motor Sales USA, in a statement.
Toyota said there is no evidence that unintended acceleration could be caused by any defects other than an improperly installed or incorrect floor mat, the Associated Press reported. It pointed to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report that it says cleared the automaker of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles six times. Sounds like the same report we showed you last week.
A recall is underway by the Japanese automaker on 3.8 million vehicles in the U.S., including both Lexus and Toyota models. Notices are going out asking owners to remove the driver-side floor mats while Toyota researches a longer-term fix. The recall follows a crash near San Diego in August in which an off-duty highway patrolman and his family were killed when the accelerator pedal in the Lexus ES 350 sedan in which they were riding, like the one in the photo above right, became stuck and they were unable to shut off the car or switch the transmission into neutral.
The recall includes the Toyota Camry for the model year 2007-10, Toyota Avalon (2005-10), Toyota Prius (2004-09), Toyota Tacoma (2005-10), Toyota Tundra (2007-10), Lexus ES350 (2007-10) and Lexus IS250/IS350 (2006-10).
If you or a loved one have been injured or suffered a loss due to a recalled Toyota or Lexus floor mat you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Toyota Floor Mat Recall Lawyers of Ennis & Ennis, P.A. today by filling out the form on this page or calling toll-free: 1-800-856-6405. Nationwide Free Case Evaluations.