Toyota Urges Gen 2 Prius Owners to Remove Floor Mats to Avoid Stuck Gas Pedals

Toyota Urges Gen 2 Prius Owners to Remove Floor Mats to Avoid Stuck Gas Pedals

By John O'Dell September 29, 2009

Record Campaign Involves Seven Other Toyota and Lexus Models; Recall Will Follow

As part of a larger action involving an estimated 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus models dating back to 2004, Toyota Motor Corp. is urging owners of 2004-2009 Priuses to immediately remove the driver's-side removable floor mat to prevent possible accelerator pedal jamming.

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NHTSA photo shows loose all-weather floor mat jamming accelerator pedal.

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In addition to the 2004-09 Priuses, the safety advisory and upcoming recall involve the following models:

• 2007-10 Toyota Camrys;
• 2007-10 Toyota Tundras;
• 2007-10 Lexus ES 350s;
• 2006-10 Lexus IS 250s and 350s;
• 2005-10 Toyota Avalons;
• 2005-10 Toyota Tacomas.

The company intends to begin a formal safety campaign as early as next week and is working on a fix, but said today it did not want to wait to get the word out until owners received notification in the mail.

A recall of the involved vehicles will begin once the company has determined the proper way to prevent the problem from occurring in the future, said spokesman John Hanson.

Toyota's press conference was held simultaneously with the announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of an investigation into the floor mat problem, which has been blamed for at least one multiple-fatality crash involving a Lexus ES350.

Toyota spokesman Irv Miller said the company is aware of numerous complaints that began in 2004 with Prius owners who said their cars experienced unintended acceleration when improperly fastened, or unfastened removable mats jammed the accelerator pedal into an 'open' position.

The company said that both aftermarket and factory installed floor mats installed have been involved.

A properly installed floor mat in the Toyota and Lexus models is fastened into place with clips secured to the floor of the car. Mats can become unfastened after being cleaned or sometimes by being tugged loose by a driver's foot. Some aftermarket mats don't have attachment points or have points that don't line up with the floor-mounted securing hooks on the vehicles.

Hanson said that neither Toyota nor NHTSA has found any vehicle operating systems-related causes for the unintended acceleration events.

The company didn't mention it, but the NHTSA announcement says that in September, 2007, Toyota recalled an all-weather floor mat sold as an accessory for 2007 and 2008 Camrys and Lexus ES 350s. The recall involved the same problem.

When Toyota begins the new floor mat recall it will be the company's largest U.S. recall campaign, following the 2005 recall of  900,000 vehicles due to faulty steering rods..

For more information, you can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Hotline at 888-327-4236; the Toyota Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331; or the Lexus Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-255-3987.

Toyota also has posted information about the safety campaign on the Toyota and Lexus Websites.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.