Toyota Orders Inspections after a Deadly Crash in Southern California
Toyota said recently, “it will order all dealers to inspect their cars for mismatched floor mats after a mat was suspected of snagging a gas pedal on a runaway Lexus, ending with a fiery crash that killed four family members in San Diego County” (Robert Jablon, AP for FindLaw, 9/15).
Toyota ordered about 1,400 Toyota and Lexus dealers nationwide to ensure that each of their new, used, and loaner vehicles have the correct and properly secured floor mats. Customers are also encouraged to check their floor mats, and go to a dealer with any questions.
On August 28, four were killed in an automobile accident while in a Lexus ES 350 loaned by a dealer while their vehicle was being serviced. One of the passengers “made a 911 call about a minute before the crash to say the vehicle had no breaks and the accelerator was stuck.”
As part of the investigation of the crash, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigators determined “a rubber all-weather floor mat found in the wreckage was a couple of inches longer than the mat that belonged in the vehicle.” This lead to speculation that the mats “could have snared or covered the accelerator pedal.” In 2007, the company recalled all-weather mats from some of its Lexus ES 350s after complaints that they could slip and trap the accelerator.
As a personal injury lawyer, I encourage everyone to be aware of small defects that may lead to terrible accidents. Although it is unclear if the incorrect floor mats were a primary cause of this tragic accident, it nonetheless sheds light on a possible defect that all Toyota and Lexus drivers should be aware of.
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