Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

FLOORMATS!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33077383

sho_nuff1997

iTrader: (2)

How are they going to fix this? New floor pans?

Will Y.

There have apparently been a few accidents due to the floormats.
There was also a recent Car Talk thread about an off-duty cop and his family in a fatal accident in an ES; the question was whether it was a defective DBW throttle or...

Wanna tell Eggplant his just-purchased IS is getting recalled?

Moog-Type-S

chewing gum, hot glue, and velcro should fix this. :wink:


Toyota has no problem recalling over floor mats.

Honda/Acura? You keep your transmission(s). There is nothing wrong with them

AS3.0CL

idk how the IS is included in on this....the floor mats has holes in them where hooks attached to the floor pan holds them in place.

even the all weather ones have the same holes for the hooks so the matt doesn't slide.

what i bet is people are putting the all waethers on top of the regular one....which is wrong their dopes.

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

OMG... you have got to be kidding me... do they think that the whole freaking U.S.'s IQ has just dropped 100 points????????

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

I wonder what else will get inspected while they are looking a the floor mats????

ecu's, throttles, solenoids...?

I can hear it now...

"awwww its nothing important under your hood sir ...just the floor mats... we will be done in just a few...go back to the waiting room and drink your coffee..."

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

Got this off the Toyota site:

http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/t...ry-102572.aspx

osted to: Avalon, Camry, Corporate, Prius, Tacoma, Toyota, Tundra
Toyota Consumer Safety Advisory Potential Floor Mat Interference with Accelerator Pedal
floormatimageFINAL
Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. takes public safety very seriously. It believes its vehicles to be among the safest on the road today.

Recent events have prompted Toyota to take a closer look at 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 cause a crash, serious injury or death.

Toyota considers 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, it will advise the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Until Toyota develops a remedy, it is asking owners of 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

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 recommends 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.

In the event owners choose not to remove their floor mat, Toyota strongly recommends that they ensure that the correct floor mat is being used, that it is properly installed and secured, that it is not flipped over with bottom-side up, and that one floor mat is not stacked over another. Information on proper floor mat installation can be found on http://www.toyota.com.

Owners with questions or concerns, are asked to please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center (1 800 331-4331) or consult the information posted at http://www.toyota.com

September 29, 2009

EXAMPLE OF PROPERLY INSTALLED FLOOR MAT

- Click here for Toyota Carpeted / All-Weather Floor Mat Inspection, Application & Installation Instructions

- Click here for Toyota All Weather Floor Mat Quick Reference Chart

Will Y.

Well, apparently some Toyota/Lexus buyers don't have that many IQ points to spare.

TSX69

Toyota/Lexus Owners Warned to Pull Floor Mats Immediately

We've all likely dealt with a floor mat that doesn't want to stay put at one time or another, but few pose a serious danger to occupants. That's apparently not the case with a range of Toyota and Lexus floor mats, however, as the Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a warning to owners of affected vehicles to immediately remove their driver's-side floor mats and not replace them due to a possible interference with the accelerator pedal. Toyota is expected to issue a large-scale recall later today.

The Lexus vehicles affected include the 2007-2010 Lexus ES 350 and the 2006-2010 Lexus IS 250 and 350. Other Toyota vehicles within the scope of the warning include: the 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, and the 2007-2010 Tundra, according to an AP report. As many as 3.8 million vehicles may be affected.

Toyota's diagram showing how to properly install floor mats

The floor mat issue appears to have been fairly long-standing for Toyota, with a previous recall of floor mats that could trap the gas pedal in 2007. A fatal crash involving a family of four in a 2009 Lexus ES 350 last month near Los Angeles is believed to have been the impetus for the latest recall.

As Toyota put it in its official statement, "Recent events have prompted Toyota to take a closer look at 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 cause a crash, serious injury or death."

It's not clear if the floor mats now at issue are the same or similar to those recalled in 2007, but the latest warning from the DOT overlaps the models recalled in 2007, which covered 2007 and 2008 model-year Lexus ES 350s and Toyota Camrys.

Toyota advises the following course of action if you think your car may have the problem:

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 recommends 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.

In the event owners choose not to remove their floor mat, Toyota strongly recommends that they ensure that the correct floor mat is being used, that it is properly installed and secured, that it is not flipped over with bottom-side up, and that one floor mat is not stacked over another. Information on proper floor mat installation can be found on http://www.toyota.com.

Owners with questions or concerns, are asked to please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center (1 800 331-4331) or consult the information posted at http://www.toyota.com

For more on this story, check out John Voelcker's article on the recall at TheCarConnection.

majin ssj eric

Yeah, I don't get how this could happen to our IS350. The floormat has hooks that prevent it from moving anywhere.....

LuvMyTSX

This is BS.

http://autocoverup.com/#STS=g088b5h2.1eg9

d-townhakuzo

This is why toyota is worse than honda

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Nice blanket statement.

Every manufacturer has many faults, to say that Toyota is worse than Honda, or Honda is worse than Toyota is hard to validate considering both make some of the most reliable cars on the market with high resale values. Both have had problems severe enough in the past 10 years to force a recall notice to vehicle owners. And did the auto transmission recall from Honda/Acura simply fade from your memory, I think that affected something like 300K honda and acura vehicles.

I don't own a Toyota and never will because I don't like the way they look, but unless you can back up your claim, don't offer up a blanket statement.

majin ssj eric

I just think we should all take a breath and remember about the past cases of "unintended acceleration". All I'm saying is that I have an 06 IS350 and have driven several 09 ES350's as loaners and I have never experienced anything like this. Now I'm not saying it didn't happen, but it is possible that the mats are getting caught on the pedals. Its also possible that some of these claims are being made to mitigate guilt in an accident (curiously they are mostly at-fault rear-end accidents). Pretty convenient that the car just "went out of control". As this story gains popularity I wonder how many people who are legitimately at fault in an accident will claim this "unintended acceleration" defense???

dom

I don't get how a mat can cause the accelerator to stick. Any pics or diagrams showing how it can jam?

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

fking this is some funny bs.

dtc5

Even looking at the pic which came from Autoblog where they used it as an example I'm still not sure if I get how it is possible...

SG81

iTrader: (1)

floormats

but seriously, anything with the ability to move near your pedals can be dangerous

Moog-Type-S

Simple: Accel. pedal gets pushed down to WOT or almost WOT. Floor mat is in wrong position. When bottom of pedal meets up with front edge of mat, when pedal is released, mat ends up on top of accel pedal....if mat is heavy enough,(all weather types especially) it will cause the pedal to be depressed...resulting in unintended throttle.

Bottom line: Floor mats should be secured.

LuvMyTSX

But floor mats have been around for a long time. If floor mats are the cause of this, why didn't it start happening way before now?

Moog-Type-S

Perhaps Toyota's floor mats on some vehicles are designed incorrectly as to interfere with the accel. pedal. ie. too long in length, do not secure correctly, wrong material thickness....etc.

Bearcat94

So that's what it is. I always knew Honda was better, but couldn't quite put my finger on why. Who would've thought it was Floormats all along.

Hmmm. Wonders never cease.





In other news .... I've got an '10 Camry with about 13k on it. Guess it'll be going under the knife for a little "floor mat repair" ( ). With any luck they'll take a look at other mechanicals and electrical related to acceleration.

So far no issues though.

Colin

LOL at the Prius 'unintended acceleration' article. I didn't know a Prius could accelerate at all!? Intended or unintended?

majin ssj eric

Lol. Good one!

pebe

It's totally possible. happened to me the other night in my Passat. Car just took off while I was on a dead end street, could have slammed right into parked cars. threw it in neutral and slowed down then killed the engine. Mat was curled under the accelerator. Scared the shit outta me. My wife drives the car alot. When I got home, I asked her what she would do if it happened and the first thing she said was hit the brakes. I told her no, make sure you pop it in neutral then slow down and kill the power. IF that was her that night, who knows what would have happened

Belzebutt

This stuff can never happen with the floor-hinged accelerator pedals on the TSX.

TSX69

Your Lexus Floor Mats will Look Like Crap

We told you about Toyota's zip tie quick-fix they're forcing upon dealers to solve that pesky little deadly killer floor mat problem. Now here's exactly how crappy your brand new Lexus or Toyota will look. Below, how it's done.

Here's the story, straight from a Lexus dealership employee and poster on the CamaroZ28 forum — along with the step-by-step instruction manual. Just click next:

Belzebutt

I can't find the words to describe this... solution.

LuvMyTSX

majin ssj eric

Yeah I can't wait to go get this done to my car...

Colin

IMO this whole recall is a seriously dangerous precedent for all auto enthusiasts. At a certain point, I have to think that common sense and personal responsibility needs to take place. If your floor mats came unhooked, re-hook them. If the hook breaks, buy new hooks, mats or remove them.

The other day, I cut my finger of the sharp corner of a cut off zip tie. If this were in my Toyota after the retrofit, could I sue? C'mon.

dom

They could have at least used black zip ties.

Colin

At the top of the actual bulletin it say;s :"semi-permanent" Installation Instructions. I'm not quite sure how to interpret this. Does this mean that a more satisfactory fix is in the works and this is temporary? Or does it mean that it's semi-permanent in that you can cut the tie to take the mat out?

AS3.0CL

i have both the all weather mats and regular mats. in the hooks, neither of these matts move at all and are very secure.

Toyota also released a document to resolve this problem, and it was about the installations of the floor mats. you are not suppose to put the all weather mats on top of the regular floor mats, since well the hooks are not large enough to hold both mats when stacked on top of each other. one one type of mat is suppose to be installed at a time.

i'm willing to bet that most likely is the cause. i have over 50K on my car. and i have the regular mats in during the summer and the all weathers during the winter months and i have never had an issue.

for me its the user and common sense, hate to say it but Toyota just wants it to be out there.

Fishy

Just picked up my wife's Venza today... the all season mats were on top of the regular mats and the hooks are big enough to hold both. The mats are cut such that they are well clear of the pedals.

As far as this mat issue is concerned, its like the warning "Caution! This coffee may be hot." placed on coffee cups. Some idiot will burn themselves and some scum sucking lawyer will sue for this idiot.

Belzebutt

That's what I think it means.

Belzebutt

If that was the case then all cars with such floor mats (e.g. Acura) would have the same incidence of "unintended acceleration". For some reason it seems like Lexus and Toyota cars are suffering from this issue.

Unless a bunch of other car makers come up with the same recall then clearly it's a Toyota problem (either their floor mat hook design or they're covering up some other issue).

(Cj)

AS3.0CL

well most honda/acura the accelerator is pinned at the bottom like so .\, it's a lever action you push down on the top, nothing can it to stick since nothing can get under the front of the accelerator. BMW is the same way.

however on the toyota/lexus the accelerator is pinned at the top like so '\ as seen in the picture in this thread. so since the all weather mats have a lip on them and they get pushed up near the accelerator it is possible to have it catch that lip.