What an idiot, Ford and GM have nothing to do with this. Learn the meaning of "slander" before you try to use it. The fact is the NHSA is telling Toyota to look deeper than simple floormats. There is an issue with the vehicles people have died, and you're stupid enough to call it "Slander". Please don't reproduce.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_toyota_floor_mats WASHINGTON – Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will replace accelerator pedals on about 4 million recalled vehicles in the United States because the pedals can get stuck in the floor mats. As a temporary step, Toyota will have dealers shorten the length of the gas pedals beginning in January while the company develops replacement pedals for their vehicles, the Transportation Department and Toyota said. New pedals will be available beginning in April, and some vehicles will have brake override systems installed as a precaution. Popular vehicles such as the Toyota Camry, the top-selling passenger car in America, and the Toyota Prius, the best-selling gas-electric hybrid, are among those recalled. Also included is the luxury Lexus ES350, the model in a fiery fatal accident in California that focused public attention on the danger. Toyota, the world's largest automaker, announced the massive recall in late September and told owners to remove the driver's side floor mats to prevent the gas pedal from potentially becoming jammed. The recall and extensive fix is the latest problem to confront the Japanese automaker's sterling reputation for quality during a period of rapid growth, and it prompted top executives to push for improved quality controls. "The safety of our owners and the public is our utmost concern and Toyota has and will continue to thoroughly investigate and take appropriate measures to address any defect trends that are identified," Toyota said in a statement. The recall includes 3.8 million vehicles, including the 2007-10 model year Camry, 2005-10 Toyota Avalon, 2004-09 Prius, 2005-10 Toyota Tacoma, 2007-10 Toyota Tundra, 2007-10 Lexus ES350 and 2006-10 Lexus IS250/350. Toyota officials said about 4 million vehicles would be covered, including new cars and trucks sold since September and others manufactured since the recall was announced. Toyota spokesman Irv Miller said company investigators found pedal entrapment to be the major issue and the company is "very, very confident that we have addressed this issue." Miller said Toyota has found "no reason to believe that there is a problem with the electronic control systems." Toyota spokesman Takanori Yokoi said the recall only involved vehicles in North America and did not affect vehicles in Japan. He had no estimate on how much the recall would cost Toyota. Masato Nozawa, spokesman for the Transportation Ministry, said "if similar problems are found in Japan as well, then a recall could be considered." On Tuesday, Toyota announced a recall of 110,000 Tundra trucks from the 2000-03 model years to address excessive rust on the vehicle's frame. The recall involving the accelerators was Toyota's largest in the U.S. It was prompted by a high-speed crash in August involving a 2009 Lexus ES350 that killed a California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family near San Diego. The Lexus hit speeds exceeding 120 mph, struck a sport utility vehicle, launched off an embankment, rolled several times and burst into flames. A family member in the runaway Lexus made a frantic 911 call moments before the crash, telling emergency responders that the accelerator was stuck and the driver couldn't stop the car. The call ended as someone was overheard urging others to hold on and pray, followed by a woman's scream. In Japan, Toyota President Akio Toyoda called the fatal crash "extremely regrettable" and offered his "deepest condolences" to the California family. Investigators with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration determined that a rubber all-weather floor mat found in the wreckage was slightly longer than the mat that belonged in the vehicle, and could have snared or covered the accelerator pedal. The government has attributed at least five deaths and two injuries to floor mat-related unintended acceleration in the Toyota vehicles and has received reports of more than 100 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck. A Massachusetts-based safety consultant who has investigated the Toyota cases, however, has found more than 2,000 incidents involving 16 deaths and 243 injuries potentially tied to the Toyota gas pedals. To fix the problem, Toyota and the government said dealers will shorten the length of the accelerator pedal on the recalled vehicles and in some cases remove foam from beneath the carpeting near the pedal to increase the space between the pedal and the floor. They said owners of the ES350, Camry and Avalon would be the first to receive notification because the vehicles are believed to have the highest risk for pedal entrapment. Toyota plans to install a brake override system on the Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES350, IS350 and IS250 models as an "extra measure of confidence," Toyota and NHTSA said. The brake override system, commonly called a "smart brake," will ensure the vehicle will stop if both the brake and the accelerator pedals are applied simultaneously. Toyota also plans to make the brake override system standard equipment throughout the Toyota and Lexus lineup starting with January 2010 production of the ES350 and Camry. Most new models will get the equipment by the end of 2010. Dealers will be instructed on how to modify the pedals before the end of the year and will begin shortening the accelerators in 2010. New replacement pedals are expected to be available for some models beginning in April and will be provided even if the vehicles have already received a modified pedal under the recall. The automaker and government regulators have been discussing a potential fix for several weeks. In late September, Toyota announced the recall and told owners to remove driver's side floor mats and not replace them until the company had determined a remedy for the problem. The automaker said unhooked floor mats or replacement mats stacked on top of the originals could lead to stuck accelerators. In early November, Toyota issued a statement saying NHTSA had confirmed "that no defect exists in vehicles in which the driver's floor mat is compatible with the vehicle and properly secured." But in a rare rebuke, NHTSA accused Toyota of releasing misleading information about the recall, saying removing the mats did not "correct the underlying defect." Toyota said it was not the company's intention to mislead anyone. If a vehicle accelerator pedal becomes stuck and a driver can't dislodge it, Toyota advises drivers to press on the brake with both feet and then shift the vehicle into neutral, which will disengage the transmission. The automaker says drivers should continue braking until the vehicle comes to a stop. A driver can also try shutting off the engine or turning the key to the "ACC" position on the ignition. Drivers will not lose control of the steering or the brakes. But once the vehicle is turned off the driver won't have the benefit of power brakes or power steering. For vehicles that have a start/stop button for the engine, drivers are advised to hold the button for three seconds to turn it off. For more information, owners can contact Toyota at 800-331-4331 or the NHTSA hot line at 888-327-4236.
In every automatic I've driven, the brake has to be pressed in order to change gears. If the brake is unresponsive, then..
That doesn't sound right. Yes, to go from park to any other gear the brake should need to be depressed, but from any other gear you should be able to shift w/o having to depress the brake. That's at least how all the dodge,toyota, honda, and mitsubishis I've driven have worked.
This sounds correct. I think the only time you have to press the brake is when you go from Park to Drive, or Reverse to Drive since it can lock the transmission otherwise.
not only was the car a loaner, but the dealership had stacked the all-weather mats ON TOP of the regular mats. just sayin...
i have a camry involved in this recall. i'm not going to try to call the dealership today since all reports say they're being bombarded with inquiries and they really don't know what to tell their customers. anyone have any what's going to happen? afaik, they don't have a solution to the issue and that pretty much deems my car worthless if i tried to trade it in. any idea what i could expect to see in recourse?
Did you get official notification from Toyota via mail that your car is involved? My wife has a Camry Solara (2008) and hasn't received anything.
I heard they weren't notifying anyone until they have a fix for it. All the people calling in would have realized the deal if they paid any attention to the news. Anyone calling their dealer is just wasting their time and wasting the dealer's time. It's going to be big news when they have a fix announced for it. People are panicking when only 12 cars have been involved (I believe those were all floormat related) in over 3 million cars sold. Just need to have an idea what to do in case it happens.
And this is why I drive standard only. I think it is mandatory for all drivers to learn how to drive standard before they drive automatic.
That's what I thought, but based on Groogrux's comment, I was curious if he had actually received something. My wife's car fits the general recall profile, but from what I understand, the recall is for selected cars within that profile.
Are you serious?? You don't remember the Ford problem of the 90's??? When the ignition system would cause a vehicle to burst into flames? Or about the break problems recently in Dodge vehicles where a car cannot stop? I'm still standing by Toyota only because I've had experienced with both domestic and import. My good friend who's an auto mechanic (and if you ask around) will tell you the most problematic cars are domestic... He loves them because he makes a living off fixing them... My whole family has had nothing but Toyota, Honda, but we have had a few Chevy's and ford... My dad loved his 1970's mustang (but that was some a while ago).. Recently with domestics I can tell you that Chevy vans SUCK A#@ and OMG Dodge/Plymouth Grand Voyager SUCKS (Stupid speed sensor problem after only 15,000 miles..) But I rag my cars out and that's probably why I come across more issues than normal.. But nothing as of "YET" can change my mind about the quality of imports.
My favorite with Ford is the cruise control switch fire recall. The cars can basically catch fire just sitting in your garage by the mere fact that there is power continously going to the switch even when your car is off.
