Government issues 'urgent' warning to remove Toyota & Lexus floor mats
detnews.com
September 29, 2009
By David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
Washington -- Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to recall nearly 3.9 million vehicles -- the largest U.S. recall in the company's history -- as the government issued an "urgent" warning to remove driver floor mats because of the danger of inadvertent acceleration.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood urged owners of the Toyota and Lexus vehicles to immediately remove driver's side floor mats because of safety risks. Toyota is in the process of submitting the formal recall documents to the government; its largest recall before this was a 2005 recall of 900,000 vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that under certain conditions, the mats from 2004-2009 model year vehicles could cause the accelerator to stick in the full open position, which may result in high speeds and serious crashes.
The agency strongly recommended removing driver-side mats and not replacing them with any other mat. NHTSA has received more than 100 confirmed reports of accelerator pedal clearance issues which provide the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position.
"This is an urgent matter," LaHood said. "For everyone's sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration."
Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, said an Aug. 28 crash that killed four -- including an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer who was at the wheel of the 2009 Lexus when it plunged over an embankment and burst into flames -- may have been the result of sudden acceleration linked to a floor mat.
Mark Saylor and his wife Cleofe, both 45, their 13-year-old daughter, Mahala, and 38-year-old brother-in-law, Chris Lastrella, were killed after reporting to a 911 operator that they could not stop their Lexus ES 350, as it careened down Route 125 in Santee, Calif.
The tape of the brief call was made public this month. It features the voice of Lastrella, telling the operator that the vehicle had no brakes. The call ended with occupants calling on each other to pray.
On Sept. 14, Toyota urged all dealers to "immediately inspect their new, used, and loaner fleet vehicles and we urge all other automakers, dealers, vehicle owners, and the independent service and car wash industries to assure that any floor mat, whether factory or aftermarket, is correct for the vehicle and properly installed and secured."
In September 2007, Toyota recalled an accessory all-weather floor mat sold for use in some 2007 and 2008 model year Lexus ES 350 and Toyota Camry vehicles because of similar problems.
NHTSA's announcement was triggered by reports of vehicles accelerating rapidly after release of the accelerator pedal. The incidents appear to be related to factors including unsecured mats, accelerator pedal configuration, and the unique steps needed to shut off the engines in some vehicles with keyless ignition.
"Consumers should take this seriously," said NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson, who said the agency was pleased that Toyota had quickly agreed to the recall.
The affected vehicles are:
2007-2010 Camry
2005-2010 Avalon
2004-2009 Prius
2005-2010 Tacoma
2007-2010 Tundra
2007-2010 Lexus ES 350
2006-2010 Lexus IS 250 and IS350
NHTSA has confirmed 102 incidents from 2004-2009 model year vehicles relating to the floor mats. Nearly half -- or 42 -- were in the 2007 Lexus ES 350.
For more information, consumers can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Hotline at (888) 327-4236 or the Toyota Experience Center at (800) 331-4331 or the Lexus Customer Assistance Center at (800) 255-3987. Information from Toyota is also posted at toyota.com and lexus.com.
dshepardson@detnews.com (202) 662-8735 |
