Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have issued urgent consumer safety alerts to owners of a wide range of Toyota and Lexus models to take out any removable driver’s floor mat and NOT replace it with any other floor mat.
“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,” Toyota said in a press release.
The advisory follows an August 28 crash in Santee, California that killed four. California Highway Patrolman Mark Saylor was at the wheel of a 2009 Lexus ES350, when the vehicle apparently suffered an sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) event. Some investigators suspect that the floor mat may have entrapped the pedal.
The affected models are:
- 2007 – 2010 Camry
- 2005 – 2010 Avalon
- 2004 – 2009 Prius
- 2005 – 2010 Tacoma
- 2007 – 2010 Tundra
- 2007 – 2010 ES350
- 2006 – 2010 IS250 and IS350
“Have all-weather floor mats caused unintended acceleration in some Toyota and Lexus models? Probably. But is it the only cause in these vehicles? I don’t think so” says Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies. “Reviewing complaint data, interviewing owners, and examining evidence from SUA incidents leads us to conclude there is more going on here. This not likely the last we’ve heard of Toyota and Lexus sudden acceleration.” Continue reading