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Toyota Recalls 3.8 Million Cars Because of Defective Floor Mats

In August this year, four members of a family were killed in a devastating accident in San Diego, involving a jammed accelerator on their borrowed Lexus. The car accelerated to uncontrollable speeds, went over an embankment, flipped over several times and burst into flames. The four people – CHP officer Mark Saylor, his wife, his 13-year-old daughter, and brother-in-law were killed instantly. A harrowing 911 call made by Saylor’s brother-in-law indicated that the car’s accelerator had jammed in the seconds before the accident.

The accident has brought Toyota’s defective floor mats into sharp focus. Earlier this month, the automaker asked its dealers to inspect the floor mats installed on its vehicles, to make sure that none of them could contribute to jamming of the accelerator. Now, the automaker had taken the strongest step it has since the accident, and has issued a safety warning for approximately 3.8 million Toyota cars, including the Lexus. Last week, the largest automaker in the world and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned customers who owned any of the recalled vehicles, to remove their floor mats because of the risk of a jammed accelerator pedal, that could lead to uncontrolled acceleration, increasing the chances of an accident.  Costumers will be receiving recall notices shortly.

According to the Toyota statement, the seven models that are included in the recall have removable mats that can interfere with the gas pedal, and cause the pedal to be jammed. The automaker is warning that the jammed accelerator pedal can result in the vehicle reaching very high speeds, making it very hard for the motorist to control or stop the vehicle. In 2007, the automaker recalled its all-weather floor mats after reports of the mats contributing to a jammed gas pedal, began to surface.  There have been reports of vehicles that began to accelerate to high speeds, and continued to accelerate even after the driver released the pedal. Preliminary investigations into the accident that killed Saylor and his family, indicate that the crash could have been caused by an all-weather floor mat interfering with the gas pedal, because of the improper installation of the mat. NHTSA investigations have also found that the rubber floor mat in the Lexus in the crash was a little longer than the floor mat that actually belonged in the SUV.

Toyota’s safety notice includes the following vehicles

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Pries
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2007-2010 ES350
• 2006-2010 IS250 and IS350

Meanwhile, Toyota’s President has expressed his regret at the death of the San Diego family in the accident. Toyota Motor Corporation president, Akio Toyoda offered his “deepest condolences for the loss of “four precious lives.” He also apologizes for any anxiety that Toyota customers may be experiencing, since preliminary investigations indicated that the accident was likely caused by the all-weather floor mats in the Lexus. Toyota is facing a rocky year because of the economic crisis, and the floor mat scandal and the tragic accident could impact sales further.

That makes many California personal injury lawyers wonder whether it’s the prospect of an out-of-control downward spiral for Toyota that’s behind the rare apology.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of motor vehicle defects. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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