Toyota to Recall Four Million Vehicles…
November 25, 2009 – 5:35 pm | by wisnuajiJAPAN’S Toyota Motor is planning to recall about four million vehicles in the United States to fix a potential problem affecting their accelerator gas pedals.
The recall was due to a risk that loose driver-side floor mats could slip forward and jam the pedals, Kyodo news agency said, quoting sources close to the matter.
Ford carried out this same recall in 2001 on its Explorers. It just goes to show, people do not learn from history, Toyota would have had some record of this happening to Ford. Ford fixed their problem in 2001 by installing a clip to the mats, no doubt Toyota will do the same.
Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, was expected to provide more details today, The Associated Press reported.
Popular vehicles such as the Toyota Camry, the top-selling passenger car in America, and the Toyota Prius, the best-selling petrol-electric hybrid, were part of the recall, AP said.
It included 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.
The Japanese automaker announced the massive recall in late September and told owners to remove the driver’s side floor mats to prevent the accelerator pedal from potentially becoming jammed.
The recall was Toyota’s largest in the US. 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 190 km/h, 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 call to authorities 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.
The US 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.
The automaker and US 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.
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Tags: toyota recall, toyota recall gas pedal, toyota recall list, toyota recall september 2009, toyota tacoma recall, toyota tundra recall
