TOKYO — Toyota is reportedly on the brink of deciding to make accelerator pedals shorter in millions of vehicles, as a fix to a problem with floor mat sticking that has led to a 4-million-vehicle recall.
Kyodo News reported that Toyota has set aside about $5 million to cover the cost of the change and would make it for free at U.S. dealerships. However, Toyota safety and quality communications manager Brian Lyons told Consumer Reports that the company is "not ready to announce anything." He said Toyota is "still developing vehicle-based remedies and still in open discussions with NHTSA."
The vehicles recalled for the floor mat issue are the 2007-'10 Camry, Tundra and Lexus ES 350; the 2005-'10 Avalon and Tacoma, 2004-'09 Prius, and 2006-'10 Lexus IS 250. At least one fatal accident has been blamed on the sticking mat causing the accelerator pedal to become stuck in the fully engaged position.
Toyota Motor Sales' official statement about the recall says: "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."
The Canadian publication Wheels said today that Toyota still has not sent letters to Canadian customers about the floor mat issue. The publication quoted a Toyota Canada spokesman as saying the company is still conducting a review with Transport Canada before sending out any notification but has issued an alert on its Web site to tell Canadian customers about the issue.
Inside Line says: Toyota owners are standing by for the final word from the automaker on this one. — Laura Sky Brown, Corresponden
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jw_boxster says:
04:52 PM, 01/25/2010
This is a electronics design defect such that full throttle (sensed by DBW) overrides the brake input (stability/abs/traction program). Unsafe at any speed.
http://suddenacceleration.com/?p=431
toxic_science says:
09:32 AM, 01/22/2010
I agree with magbarn about the failsafe that Audi/VW has in their cars (sucks when you autocrossing and want to trail brake though). Toyota is slowly getting a clearer view that the problem isn't the floormats (look at their location vs. the pedal) but some other system in the car; be it the actually pedal, linkage, or other computer system. Many of the acceleration issues happened on cars without floor mats (NHSTA.com).
I don't think it would be difficult at all the reflash the ECU either with the brake/accelerator overrides or for push button start cars to put in a panic button push scheme (3 taps turns the car off instead of holding button for 3 seconds).
mrjost55 says:
04:59 PM, 11/22/2009
That deadly accident with the Camry could've easily been avoided by shifting into neutral. I personally don't see a problem with the floor mats. I have the all weather stacked on top of the regular one and it fits just fine. I know it's dangerous but I don't want to store my floor mats in the garage. Also for those people who do this kind of thing, it clearly says on the floor mat to not stack them together. So Toyota is actually being very generous towards its dumbass owners.
magbarn says:
06:49 AM, 11/19/2009
The better answer would be just for Toyota to man up, and put a safety feature found on all Audi's (and others) since their 80's debacle: if you put the brakes down at full stop, have the car's computer CUT OFF THE DBW ACCELERATOR! OF course, this would be more expensive as they would have to either replace or reprogramm ECU's, but at least if joe blow throws in a 3rd party cheap floormat, he and his family won't be plastered in an intersection.
atenza94546 says:
02:02 PM, 11/18/2009
Still can see the Physcial side of the floor mat being stuck on the gas pedal. With most driverside floor mat are designed to accomadate the shape and size the coskpit floor. For that the mat should shape like the above picture which are more likely to be stuck on the brake rathr than the gas pedal. Unless the floor mat are being replace with a larger or un fitted size or may be over lapping with after market floor mat.