Sticky Throttle Feature: Pedals and Floor Mats Video (1/30/10)

By Edmunds Video Productions | Published January 30, 2010

3:58 min

Toyota has been in the news recently for problems associated with unintended acceleration. There have been two separate recalls affecting millions of vehicles. One regarding a mechanical defect in certain throttle pedals and the other involving floor mats. Toyota has recalled 2.3 million vehicles because there is a possibility that the accelerator pedal may mechanically stick or return slowly to its idle position. This recall involves certain units sold of the following Toyotas: The 09 and 10 Corolla, the 09 and 10 Matrix, the 07 to 10 Camry, the 05 to 10 Avalon, the 09 to 10 RAV4, the 2010 Highlander, the 07 to 10 Tundra and the 08-10 Sequoia. Should you own one of these models, write down you Vehicle Identification number and call your dealer to know for sure if your specific vehicle is affected, and if it is, what can be done to correct any potential problem. There was an earlier Toyota recall related to unintended acceleration involving floor mats, which could still pose a danger regardless of whether or not your vehicle has been effected by the more recent recall. This recall affects every 07 to 10 Camry, 05 to 10 Avalon, 04 to 09 Prius, 09 to 10 Corolla, 09 to 10 Venza, 09 to 10 Martix, 05 to 10 Tacoma, 07 to 10 Tundra, 07 to 10 Lexus ES 350 and 06 to 10 Lexus IS 250 and IS 350. To investigate this issue further and to see if it could pose a problem with different car makes and models, we conducted a random survey of 12 vehicles in the Edmunds long-term test fleet. Upon inspection we found that three of those vehicles had mats that drifted out of position toward the pedals. Another three had attachment points that were either broken or missing. During our survey we discovered that we could classify vehicles into two categories, those with top-hinged throttle pedals and those with bottom-hinged ones. We discovered no problems with vehicles that had bottom-hinged pedals. We were able to acquire two vehicles on the original floor-mat-related Toyota recall list: A 2004 Toyota Prius and 2009 Lexus ES 350. It turns out that both have top-hinged throttle pedals. Like all Toyota vehicles, the Prius�s floor mat has two hooks that prevent it from sliding forward. And if it�s in the right position, the throttle pedal and the floor mat are not close enough to each other to cause interference. As we found in our survey of Edmunds long-term vehicles, floor mats can drift out of position for a variety of reasons. And when that starts to happen, the floor mat can start to interfere with the throttle pedal. Simple carpet floor mats are soft and bend out of the way. But that�s not true of heavy, all-weather floor mats such as these. These all-weather mats have the right holes to attach to the securing hooks, but you have to remove the carpet mats first for them to work. If you don�t remove the carpet mats, the hooks connect and the all-weather mat can move dangerously forward. In this position, the edge of the mat can actually trap the throttle pedal. In this position, the edge of the mat can actually trap the throttle pedal. Toyota�s interim solution is to have the owner remove the driver side floor mat altogether. For more information on this evolving story, check back to Edmunds.com.