"Toyota (TM) is launching its biggest recall ever to prevent sliding floor mats from jamming accelerator pedals, a problem that may have killed four in the crash of a runaway Lexus."

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...s-recall_N.htm

I have an '09 IS350 and my girlfriend text messaged me at 5am about this, lol. But yeah - better safe than dead.

 

Sorry, that story sounds like an insurance scam that went wrong. The officer should have the sufficient training and knowledge to know that a floor mat is stuck! He had over 1 minute to slow the car down by applying the brakes, turn off the car, pull the floor mat away from the gas pedal, push shift level to neutral, and etc. The car was an auto V6, so brakes should easily over power the accelerator. If there was a problem with that car, I doubt it was just a stuck floor mat. Oh, I tried pushing the on/off button in my car and the car shut down at freeway speed. If that story was just a freak accident, my condolences to their surviving families

 

The mats in my IS350 have the hooks on them to keep them from sliding up.

 

The floor mats were looked at as a possibility. The actual cause still has not been determined. What the media doesn't tell you it that the floor mats that were in the car were all weather floor mats (thick rubber) that were placed on top of the regular carpet floor mats. On top of that, the all weather floor mats weren't even the right ones for the car. All auto manufacturers have the possibility of the floor mats get jammed on the accelerator pedal. Lexus is not the only one.

For the record, Lexus has not recalled any vehicles yet. They have issued a safety advisory to properly install and secure floor mats until a thorough engineering study is completed.

 

same with the wife's Prius... not at all sure how this can happen, but seems like a scam!

 

my wife's camry HAD hooks on them, those hooks came off the week we bought the car. even without the hook i dont see how the mats will jam the gas pedal, at least on the camry.

although i heard on the radio that it may not just be a floormat/pedal issue, and more like an electrical/mechanical (cruise control) not working together. do toyotas/lexus' have drive by wire?

guys/gals - let our (toyota-driving) friends know just throw the gear in neutral if this happens to them.

hope it doesn't happen to any of us.

 

Happened to me! I was on a test drive in a 08' IS250, Had an IS300 at the time and was looking to replace it. Salesman was in the back, I was on a side street and floored it to feel the kickdown, accel and sound. When I let off the gas the car kept Accelerating. I put the car in neutral, shut it off and coasted to a stop to find the "All weather mat" jammed up by the gas pedal. I've had similiar things happen before, But to someone not expecting this, it could be quite scary!

 

i have a friend at toyota, and apparently this is only happening to cars that have the factory mats in place, and people are putting non-oem all weather floormats over top of them. A lot of dealerships supposedly sell lexus and toyota embroided rubber floormats that arent even made by toyota (because they can get them at a significantly cheaper price). They havent even neccessary concluded that the fact that they're non-OEM that is the problem, but more just that people are placing the mats ontop of the factory mats instead of replacing them - which is causing the hooks not to hold them down.

 

i hav no clues on what people do to make the floor mats jump up the accelerator to cause this "problem"
whiney babies! Pull the damn mats down.

 

Sorry...I couldn't resist...

 

Bob,

You are the best on this forum with that stuff...

Cheers..

 

Thanks...it's the geek in me

 

I have a Audi S/4 ( V/8) and yes this same dang thing happened to me too. I was getting on the freeway in light traffic, pushed the pedal down and it just kept on going.. Oh yes I tried the brakes- but it just kept going... thank god I knew enough of cars.. I turn the ignition ONE CLICK to shut it off.. put it in N and coasted to the side of the freeway...yes found out that my all weather mats from Audi was the wrong size. Dealer corrected this with new / correct mats.. to those that mentioned that it's a SCAM gone wrong...let your love ones get in that jam and see if they come out alive.
I know that if this happened to any of my family members they would have crash.. scam ya.. try it with your family and see what happens. my .02 cents

 

I actually work for Lexus and have to agree with most of the responses here. First of all, the officer who tragically passed away should have ample training or knowledge on how to shut the vehicle down in that situation and as mentioned before here, throwing the shifter into neutral position would've been the best thing to do. Second, the floor mats are getting caught because customers are double stacking the floor mats with after market floor mats and not securing the original floor mats properly with the hooks. There is absolutely no evidence at all that there is an electronic malfunction, as what the media is blowing it up to be, causing a surge in acceleration. Nevertheless, Toyota has put a recall out there and the fix is to replace the foam pad underneath the drivers carpet with a thinner version to increase the distance between the gas pedal and floor, and also to reflash the ecu adding a rev limiter if the gas and brake pedal are depressed at the same time. Lexus IS 250, 350 ES 350 owners will be receiving a notice shortly about the service campaign