Toyota has been one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world for decades, and its brand is known for quality, dependability, fuel economy and safety. Even during a terrible time for the automotive market as a whole, Toyota has continued to forge ahead with new models and designs meant to meet the current needs of the public.
However, news was released today that could harm that effort, as its apparent that millions of Toyota drivers could be at risk for serious injury or worse. That was shown by the company issuing its largest United States recall in the company’s history. Below youll find information regarding the reason for the recall, the models affected, the problems that could arise and ultimately how you should proceed if you have been harmed as a result of driving one of these defective vehicles.
The recall involves several different makes and models, and those will be listed below. However, the defect present in each model is consistent, and it concerns the presence of a problematic floor mat on the drivers side of the vehicle. This floor mat has shown a tendency to cause the accelerator of these vehicles to stick, and as a result the affected models could suddenly accelerate to extremely dangerous speeds and prevent the driver from making a normal stop before its too late.
These floor mats are generally made of rubber and are removable, and both the federal government and Toyota have advised drivers of affected models to remove these floor mats immediately until a more permanent solution can be obtained. Both Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are making efforts to formulate that solution and will announce it as soon as possible.
Although Toyota has not yet issued a statement that definitively identifies the specific cause of the problem, the NHTSA has stated that these removable rubber all-weather floor mats appear to be longer than they should be based on the space available on the drivers side floor, and this added length could be whats leading to the problem of stuck accelerators.
Below is a list of the models of vehicles that are part of this recall:
This is also not the first recall issued by Toyota for defective floor mats. In the fall of 2007, the company also recalled an all-weather floor mat that was used in some 2007 and 2008 models of the Lexus ES 350 and the Toyota Camry.
This recall affects a total of 3.8 million vehicles, far exceeding the previous wide-ranging recall made by Toyota that affected 900,000 vehicles in 2005 because of a steering issue. Overall, the NHTSA has received 102 complaints regarding this current defect, although no statistics have been released regarding the number of accidents that the defective floor mats caused.
However, there has been at least one crash that led to fatalities because of this problem, and it occurred in San Diego. As a result of the immediate and extreme danger involved with this potential issue, the company advised drivers to remove the floor mat if they notice irregular acceleration, and if thats not possible, the driver should step on the brakes with both feet and slam the car into neutral after it slows down. For those models that contain an engine start/stop button, holding the button down for at least three seconds should cut the power from the engine.
The potential problems that could arise from a stuck accelerator should be quite clear. When a vehicle accelerates unexpectedly, the driver may not be able to take corrective measures to avoid other vehicles, particularly in settings in and around cities where heavy traffic can be present at any time.
In addition, reports have been released that this problem has led to accelerations of vehicles to speeds of up to 120 miles per hour, and the vehicle that killed the family in San Diego was believed to have been traveling at approximately that speed before launching off the side of the road and rolling over several times before the vehicle caught on fire. Four people were killed in that crash.
If you are driving one of these vehicles, you need to take no chances and remove the floor mat at issue. If you have suffered any sort of injury as a result of this Toyota defect, you need to contact a defective products lawyer as soon as possible to schedule a free initial consultation.
Toyota has issued its largest ever U.S. recall of Toyota vehicles because of a faulty design. The Toyota recall is an attempt to remove vehicles from the road that have floor mats that are removable and could cause the accelerators to get stuck. This Toyota recall involves 3.8 million vehicles.
The attorneys at our firm are investigating car accidents with stuck accelerators in the following Toyota models:
According to Toyota:
Toyota warned owners that if they think their vehicle is accelerating out of control, they should check to see whether their floor mat is under the pedal. If a driver can’t remove the floor mat, Toyota advises drivers to step on the brake pedal with both feet until the vehicle slows and then try to put it into neutral and switch the ignition to accessory power. For vehicles with engine start/stop buttons, Toyota said the engine can be shut off by holding the button down for three seconds.
If you or any of your family members have been injured in a car accident involving any of the Toyota models mentioned above and the accelerator becoming stuck, our Toyota accelerator injury attorneys are standing by to help you. Call us now or fill out the FREE CASE REVIEW form on the right hand side of this page.
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