The Auto Writer

Example of accelerator pedal interference caused by out-of-position all-weather floor mat.

Toyota’s sterling image has been tarnished of late as “cracks in its armor” have been identified by Consumer Reports, it long time ally. Toyota’s boss, Akio Toyoda, has admitted that the company “grew too much too fast” which explains why the automaker lost billions during the last fiscal year.

Immediate Recall Launched

Now Toyota is facing its largest recall ever – affecting some 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus models. No, there isn’t a problem with an engine nor do drivers have to worry about their air-conditioning unit conking out. Rather, Toyota will be recalling millions of cars to address a safety problem – the driver side floor mat could slip and jam the accelerator, sending your Toyota Camry or Lexus ES 350 careening down the highway at light speed.

Don’t laugh – this happened to me once and I wasn’t driving a Toyota product at the time!

Toyota issued the recall based on a fiery crash in San Diego last month that took the lives of four members of one family. Moments before the crash, the driver called the police to tell them that his Lexus was roaring down the road at 120 mph with no brakes and a stuck accelerator. The vehicle, a loaner car from the dealer while the driver’s car was being fixed, featured all-weather floor mats. The crash occurred when the Lexus struck an SUV, flew off an embankment, rolled over several times and then burst into flames.

NHTSA Warns Drivers

Not wanting drivers to wait for an official recall notice to be issued, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging affected Toyota and Lexus owners to remove the driver’s side floor mat from their car immediately and to NOT replace it with a new mat from Toyota or other brand.

“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.”

Affected Models

Toyota and Lexus vehicles affected by this consumer alert are:

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS350

Previous Floor Mat Recall

The NHTSA noted that 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.

For more information, consumers can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Hotline at 888-327-4236 or the Toyota Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331 or the Lexus Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-255-3987. Information from Toyota is also posted at http://www.toyota.com and http://www.lexus.com.