Toyota to Issue Largest-Ever Recall

3.8 Million Vehicles Have Floor Mat Issue that Could Cause Crashes; Camry, Prius, Tundra, Two Lexus Models Affected

(AP)  Updated at 9:42 p.m. EASTERN
Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will recall 3.8 million vehicles in the United States, the company's largest-ever U.S. recall, to address problems with a removable floor mat that could cause accelerators to get stuck and lead to a crash.

The recall will involve popular models such as the Toyota Camry, the top-selling passenger car in America, and the Toyota Prius, the best-selling gas-electric hybrid.

Toyota said it was still working with officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to find a remedy to fix the problem and said owners could be notified about the recall as early as next week. Toyota spokesman Irv Miller said until the company finds a fix, owners should take out the removable floor mat on the driver's side and not replace it.

"A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop a vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death," Miller said.

NHTSA said it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck on the Toyota vehicles involved. It was unclear how many led to crashes but the inquiry was prompted by a highspeed crash in August in California of a Lexus barreling out of control. As the vehicle hit speeds exceeding 120 mph, family members made a frantic 911 call and said the accelerator was stuck and they couldn't stop the vehicle.

"This is an urgent matter," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. "For everyone's sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration."

The recall will affect 2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350.

Toyota's previously largest U.S. recall was about 900,000 vehicles in 2005 to fix a steering issue. The company declined to say how many complaints it had received about the accelerator issue.

The Japanese automaker warned owners that if they think their vehicle is accelerating out of control, they should check to see whether their floor mat is under the pedal. If a driver can't remove the floor mat, Toyota advises drivers to step on the brake pedal with both feet until the vehicle slows and then try to put it into neutral and switch the ignition to accessory power.

For vehicles with engine start/stop buttons, Toyota said the engine can be shut off by holding the button down for three seconds.

In the August incident near San Diego, the fiery crash of a 2009 Lexus ES 350 killed California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, 45, and three members of his family on State Route 125 in Santee. The runaway car was traveling at more than 120 mph when it hit a sport utility vehicle, launched off an embankment, rolled several times and burst into flames. One of the family members called police about a minute before the crash to report the vehicle had no brakes and the accelerator was stuck. The call ended with someone telling people in the car to hold on and pray, followed by a woman's scream.

NHTSA investigators determined that a rubber all-weather floor mat found in the wreckage was slightly longer than the mat that belonged in the vehicle, something that could have snared or covered the accelerator pedal.

Toyota spokesman John Hanson said the final report had not yet been submitted in the California case.

"We don't know what the actual cause was of that accident other than preliminary reports that have been published so it's impossible for us to comment on that particular incident," Hanson said.

In mid-September, Toyota ordered 1,400 Toyota and Lexus dealers nationwide to ensure that each new, used and loaner vehicles had the proper floor mats and that the mats were properly 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.

For more information, consumers can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's hotline at [phone], Toyota at [phone] or Lexus at [phone].

[jennice123]

**Very Important**If your vehicle continues accelerate put the vehicle into ***NEUTRAL***

[Rizlona]

I noticed that the article has a photo of a 2010 Prius, but this vehicle is not affected by the recall. Glad that we can always count on CBSNews for accurate journalism.

[hungry1968-16]

by retiredgustav September 29, 2009 6:27 PM EDT
I hope you don't put a "Proud to be an American" bumper Sticker on the back of it. Those incidents with Ford and GM occured 40 years ago.






Yep - they did.

Now the junk they produce rusts instantly, loses value like now foreign car does, and STILL has far worse reliability and resale value.



The next time you see a car with "malfunctioning taillights" - brake light out, one marker light lit instead of both, etc - take a look at the make and model. I can virtually GUARANTEE that it's an "American car" (even though it was probably manufactured in Mexico).

[fer60us]

OMG!! Even a baby knows that what are you are talking about is most of the time due to a lousy driver/owner rather than the brand of the car. I never thought on buying a Toyota, now even less. I can imagine if they "great" design teams don't know how to deal with a mat (which I think is a scapegoat to a bigger problem with the gas pedal or system) what could I expect with their "reliable" cars. Most of them are pieces of garbage, nice on the outside full of flaws on the inside. But I understand people who has a Toyota, if you want to sell it at a nice price don't talk bad about it. American cars are much better than imported ones, except for the European ones. Toyota has copied every single American car and Lexus every European one; they lack on design and inventive; they just steal and copy. Buy American!!

[retiredgustav]

I had a Saturn with 250,000 miles on it until it drowned in hurricane Ike. I always buy American made vehicles and keep them for at least 200,000 miles. Just do the maint. on them and they will last forever.

[hungry1968-16]

by jsd330 September 29, 2009 6:52 PM EDT
Toyota is no differen't then any automaker, it's all about profits. That floormat design was probably a few cents cheaper then a safer design. Notice it is almost all of their models being recalled.






I have a Toyota Matrix, and since I live near snowy and cold Buffalo, I pulled the carpet mats that came with the car, and replaced them with heavy duty, thick rubber mats.

You're probably not going to believe this, but THEY SLIDE FORWARD TOO!!

I suppose I COULD take a chance on killing someone, but I find it MUCH easier to reach down and pull the mat back once or twice a month.




And you might want to do even MORE research, because Toyota currently has MORE than 5 models available.

[jsd330]

Toyota is no differen't then any automaker, it's all about profits. That floormat design was probably a few cents cheaper then a safer design. Notice it is almost all of their models being recalled.

[bubbadubba]

Well I won't be buying a Toyota now because of this carpet mat recall.
LOL
Get real America.

[omded]

On the surface, this does appear to be a silly issue, however, it can actually be very serious. If the floor mat slides forward, it can push up against the accelerator pedal, causing it to remain depressed, even when the driver removes his/her foot from it. In fact, the floor mat can slide forward causing the accelerator pedal to depress all the way to the floor, and the car can reach very high speeds. The driver doesn't know what's going on, and can't figure out why the car keeps going faster when he/she wants it to stop. This can create some very dangerous, even fatal situations.

[pete_in_az]

Oh man what about turning the key off or pushing the start/stop button? Does the floor mat creep up the dash and cover that too? I think i'm going to have to do a remake of the blob with a giant floor mat. By the way, you suck.

[omded]

Pete,
You sound a little angry. Turning off the ignition would solve the uncontrolled acceleration problem. Shifting into neutral would too. However, some people tend to panic, and won't think about these rational solutions. Also, they may not have much time to think if they're about to rear end someone, or if they're about to overshoot a sharp turn, etc. So, this issue really does need to be addressed. Remember, from the moment you realize you have a problem, you may have only seconds or less before a serious accident, so, thinking about turning off the engine, and reaching up, grabbing the key and turning it may be a lot easier said than done in the time available.

[bubbadubba]

God in heaven protect us, it's a loose floormat recall!
The largest recall in history?
How stupid and pathetic is the world, can it get any worse?

[hungry1968-16]

Ford's Pinto's were exploding left and right in balls of flames, before they FINALLY did something about it.

GMC pickup trucks, used to have the gas tanks outside the frame rails, causing them to explode in balls of flame when t-boned.



Toyota is recalling their vehicles because of floor mats.

That's the BIGGEST problem that Toyota has -- floor mats.

No wonder I keep buying those much higher quality "foreign vehicles" that are assembled in America with American parts.

[retiredgustav]

I hope you don't put a "Proud to be an American" bumper Sticker on the back of it. Those incidents with Ford and GM occured 40 years ago.

[pete_in_az]

I need to get a job pumping this **** out for consumers. Who do you people work for Field Source? A law firm? Shut the **** up and grow a skin.