Toyota’s US unit and the US government safety agency on Wednesday said the automaker would recall 4.26m cars and trucks in the US and Canada to “address the root cause of the potential risk for floor mat entrapment of accelerator pedals in certain Toyota and Lexus models”.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The models are: 2007 to 2010 model year Camry, 2005 to 2010 Avalon, 2004 to 2009 Prius, 2005 to 2010 Tacoma, 2007 to 2010 Tundra, 2007 to 2010 Lexus ES350, 2006 to 2010 IS250, and 2006 to 2010 MY IS 350.
Toyota said it would fit a reshaped accelerator pedal to reduce the risk of floor mat entrapment, even when an older-design all-weather floor mat or other inappropriate floor mat is improperly attached, or is placed on top of another floor mat.
One the ES350, Camry, and Avalon, the shape of the floor surface underneath will also be reconfigured to increase the space between the accelerator pedal and the floor.
Vehicles with genuine Toyota or Lexus accessory all-weather floor mats will get redesigned replacement mats.
Toyota will also install a brake override system on Camry, Avalon, and Lexus ES 350, IS350 and IS 250 models “as an extra measure of confidence” to cut engine power in case of simultaneous application of both the accelerator and brake pedals.
ES350, Camry, and Avalon owners will receive recall notices by the end of this year and the other five models will be modifed during 2010.
The brake override system will become standard equipment throughout the Toyota and Lexus product lines starting with January 2010 production of ES350 and Camry and is scheduled to be incorporated into new production of most models by the end of 2010.
The move came after a California man and members of his family died recently in a fiery high-speed crash near San Diego. He was driving a dealer loaner Lexus ES350 fitted with the wrong type of floor mat which apparently jammed the accelerator.
The vehicle was fitted with a stop-start button which must be held down for 3.5 seconds to stop the engine when the car is being driven.
