Toyota Plans Recall of 3.8 Million Vehicles Due to Defective Floor Mats

Toyota Motor Corp. said today it will soon announce its largest-ever U.S. safety recall, affecting nearly four million cars and trucks, due to reports of all-weather floor mats in the vehicles sliding out of place and trapping the accelerator pedal to the floor, forcing cars to speed out of control.

The auto maker has issued an urgent safety warning for owners of eight vehicle models from about 20 model years to warn them of the risks of deadly accidents when defective or poor fitting floor mats interfere with the ability to control the vehicle.

The safety warnings are a precursor to a larger safety campaign and a recall, which could be launched as early as next week, Toyota said. The company is still looking into problems with floor mats in individual models before issuing an official recall, officials said.

“This is the largest action that Toyota has taken in the U.S.,” a Toyota spokesman said during a conference call with reporters, according to media reports.

In 2007, Toyota recalled 55,000 Camrys and Lexus ES 350s in the U.S. for a similar defect. Toyota’s largest U.S. recall to date involved 978,000 vehicles to fix a steering-related flaw that could cause drivers to lose control, according to a Bloomberg.com report. The recall now planned dwarfs those early recalls.

Eight Models Included in Safety Warnings

Safety warnings were issued today for the following vehicle models:

• 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 Lexus IS 350

San Diego Accident Prompts Massive Recall

In August, an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer and three of his relatives were killed in a wreck on a freeway outside San Diego. The officer was driving a loaner Lexus ES350 while his own vehicle was in the shop for repairs when the accident occurred.

A passenger in the vehicle called 911 moments before the accident to say the car was speeding out of control at speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour and the brakes would not stop it. Traffic accident investigators quickly determined that all-weather plastic floor mats installed in the vehicle by the dealership had slid up and trapped the gas pedal to the floor of the car, causing it to speed out of control.

The floor mats in the officer’s loaner vehicle were not the right model for the car and could not be properly attached to the floor to prevent them from sliding out of place, officials said.

In the wake of that tragic accident, Toyota (which manufactures the Lexus vehicle) advised all its dealers to inspect the floor mats in all vehicles to ensure they are the proper fit for the cars.

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