This from FoxNews.

After the U.S. government put out a warning to owners of Toyota and Lexus vehicles about safety problems tied to removable floor mats, the Japanese automaker announced that it will recall 3.8 million vehicles sold since 2004.
According to the consumer alert, the floor mats of the affected vehicles could interfere with the accelerator pedal and cause a crash.
The Transportation Department says owners should take out the floor mats on the driver's side and not replace them.
The consumer alert affects 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.

 

This is an old issue, no?
I am surprised that it covers 09 and 10, since this was known and dealt with mid 08.

 

Those were the dealer supplied Weathertechs. This sounds like an issue with the OEM mats. Maybe they were throwing Weathertech under the bus all this time??

Note to self... 3.8 million constitutes a "big problem".

 

One would think the metal floor hooks would keep the mat in place. Perhaps some clamps would be better. A heavier clamp near the accelerator would keep any mat from getting up on or under the accelerator.

I use cheap small thin gray rugs from walmart for my front mats. About $5 each and can be replaced every year or so with new ones.

 

what actually happens that is prompting Toyota to recall them??

 

mat bunches up under peddles and interferes with gas or brake, causing (or potentially causing) an accident

 

This is a copy and paste from an internal email @ Toyota FIY

This message is intended for all TFS associates.

The following message was sent to all TMS associates today. Please take a moment to read this important information.


Because Toyota takes public safety very seriously, the company is issuing a Consumer Safety Advisory about the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position due to an unsecured or incompatible driver’s floor mat. A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could result in a crash, serious injury or death.

Recent events have prompted Toyota to take a closer look at this issue. We consider this a critical matter and will soon launch a safety campaign on specific Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Throughout the process of developing the details of the action plan, we will advise the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Until Toyota can implement a remedy, it is asking consumers and associates who drive specific Toyota and Lexus models to take out any removable driver’s floor mat and NOT replace it with any other floor mat. The following models are affected:

• 2007 – 2010 Camry
• 2005 – 2010 Avalon
• 2004 – 2009 Prius
• 2005 – 2010 Tacoma
• 2007 – 2010 Tundra
• 2007 – 2010 ES350
• 2006 – 2010 IS250 and IS350

Should the vehicle continue to accelerate rapidly after releasing the accelerator pedal, this could be an indication of floor mat interference. If this occurs, Toyota is recommending the driver take the following actions:

• First, if it is possible and safe to do so, pull back the floor mat and dislodge it from the accelerator pedal; then pull over and stop the vehicle.
• If the floor mat cannot be dislodged, then firmly and steadily step on the brake pedal with both feet. Do NOT pump the brake pedal repeatedly as this will increase the effort required to slow the vehicle.
• Shift the transmission gear selector to the Neutral (N) position and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off the engine.
• If unable to put the vehicle in Neutral, turn the engine OFF, or to ACC. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost.
  • If the vehicle is equipped with an Engine Start/Stop button, firmly and steadily push the button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do NOT tap the Engine Start/Stop button.
  • If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the ignition key to the ACC position to turn off the engine. Do NOT remove the key from the ignition as this will lock the steering wheel.
  
  Consumers and associates with questions are asked to please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center (1 800 331-4331) or Lexus Customer Satisfaction (1 800 255-3987), or consult the information posted at http://www.toyota.com and http://www.lexus.com.
  
  If you choose not to remove the mat, Toyota is strongly recommending that you ensure you are using the correct mat, that it is properly installed and secured, that it is not flipped over with the bottom-side up, and that one floor mat is not stacked over another. Information on proper mat installation can be found on http://www.Toyota.com and http://www.Lexus.com.

 

My wife's '07 TCH mats were covered under the earlier recall. I think that was for the rubber "winter" mats. I don't remember, but I think the originals didn't have slots for the hooks. They would slide forward and jam the gas pe... um, I mean the "right-foot-activated transducer that tells the computer you want more torque so the computer can pick some mix of ICE, MG1, and MG2 settings to actually provide the torque."

(That's a nod to the "this is a complex car" thread that started today.)

Also, lots of folks -- including the ninny dealer who replaced them on my wife's -- would just put the rubber mats on top of the factory carpet ones. They did this with the replacement (!) mat. The hooks weren't tall enough to engage both mats. The rubber mat slid forward on me once, jamming the accelerator in my garage. Luckily, no damage was done. But it has to be either/or, not both.

It will be very interesting to see what the current one is all about... I have never seen any problem with the factory carpet mats, and we now have two TCH's with 3.5 years of daily driving experience between them.

But, hey, maybe we'll get new driver-side mats out of it... "3.5 years of daily driving experience" means they don't exactly look like new any more.

 

I think everyone should know how the car handles if the engine dies and power assist is lost.

On an empty road, I tried it out at 10 MPH. Shift to neutral, let RPM stabilize, key off, then key back to the "On" position I believe (just because I wanted to record that little bit I traveled...). I get about two "pumps" of the brake before I really have to mash at it. And of course, the steering is very stiff but nothing unreasonable.

 

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...7&postcount=42

I thought the problem was people were putting these mats on top of their regular carpet mats. These OEM all weather mats that I purchased earlier this year use the same clips as the carpet so I haven't noticed the mats slipping. If what Ancistrus says is true, then the older ones didn't have these the holes for the clips.

I swear I saw a TSB for all weather mats replacing the old ones. In fact, the ones I had bought had a little tag saying "DO NOT PUT ON TOP OF EXISTING MAT!" or something to that effect.