According to a statement given by federal safety officials
on Wednesday the famous Chinese automobile manufacturer, Toyota, will recall
floor mats from 55,000 Camry and Lexus ES 350 models due to complaints of unintended
acceleration caused by the mats sticking underneath the accelerator pedal.
Toyota Motor Co. will recall floor mats from 55,000 Camry
and Lexus ES 350 models due to complaints of unintended acceleration caused by
the mats sticking underneath the accelerator pedal, federal safety officials
and the automaker said Wednesday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
took the unusual step of highlighting Toyota's
recall announcement, advising owners of other Toyota models, including the Prius hybrid and
Avalon sedans, to ensure their floor mats are properly installed.
As the Free Press first reported last month, NHTSA had
opened an investigation into the floor mats after amassing 40 reports of
unintended acceleration in 2007 Lexus ES 350 sedans, including eight crashes
and 12 injuries.
Since then, NHTSA has received complaints from owners of
other Toyota
models about the problem.
In several of the original complaints, drivers said the
vehicles only stopped after an accident. One driver told the agency the vehicle
had hit speeds of 100 M.P.H. over a 6-mile stretch of freeway due to the
problem.
A Michigan
woman said the problem caused her to lose control of her Lexus, triggering a
rollover crash on I-75 that totaled her car. Because some ES 350s are sold with
stop/start buttons rather than traditional ignitions, some drivers said they
were unable to shut off the engine by pressing the button as the car
accelerated.
At the time, Toyota told
safety officials it had identified an optional all-weather floor mat that if
not properly secured by clips to the floor could stick under the accelerator
pedal; in some cases, Toyota
said owners had simply put the rubber mat over the standard floor mats.
The company contended it had dealt with the problem through
a mailing to customers earlier this year.
