Personal Injury Law

Toyota Dangers Go Beyond Floor Mats - Massive Recall Announced

The dangerous uncontrolled acceleration in Toyota vehicles appears to be caused by more than improper fitting floor mats. Yesterday, Toyota said 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 instruct dealers to shorten the length of the gas pedals beginning in January while the company develops replacement pedals for their vehicles. New pedals will be available beginning in April, and some vehicles will have brake override systems installed as a precaution.

The top selling car in America, the Toyota Camry, and the hybrid Prius are among those recalled. Also included is the Lexus ES350, the model in a fatal accident in California that killed a retired highway patrolman and his family when the vehicle began to accelerate in an uncontrolled manner.

In September, Toyota advised owners to remove the driver's side floor mats to prevent the gas pedal from potentially becoming jammed.

The latest 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.

On Tuesday, Toyota also announced a recall of 110,000 Tundra trucks from the 2000-03 model years to address rust on the vehicle's frame.

The United States 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.

If you are driving a vehicle and the accelerator pedal becomes stuck , Toyota advises drivers to press on the brake with both feet and then shift the vehicle into neutral, which will disengage the transmission. Toyota advises that 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.

Full post as published by Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog on November 25, 2009 (boomark / email).