Toyota issues huge recall over accelerator risk
Ken Thomas reports on the California traffic accident that ended fatally for passengers of a Lexus ES350 in August, which led “Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday [September 29] to issue its largest-ever U.S. recall, involving 3.8 million vehicles” (AP for FindLaw, 9/30). Previously, it was only speculation that a floor mat caused the accelerator to get stuck leading to the crash, but recently Toyota and the government have warned owners to remove the mats from their vehicles until the automaker finds a remedy.
The actual recall, which may be as early as this coming week, will involve extremely popular models like the Toyota Camry, Prius, Avalon, Tacoma, Tundra as well as several Lexus models – most recalls span 2005 to 2010 models. Toyota spokesman, Irv Miller, warned “a stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop a vehicle...until the company finds a fix, owners should simply take out the removable floor mat on the driver’s side and not replace it.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working closely with Toyota as it had received reports “of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck.” The NHTSA is alerting owners to this “urgent matter” to the best of their ability, but it is important to spread the word. Toyota’s largest recalls prior to this one only involved 900,000 vehicles, which makes the 3.8 million vehicle recall seem even more ominous. As a Chicago automobile accident and products liability attorney, I want to emphasize how important it is to be aware of vehicle recalls. Toyota and Lexus owners should remove floor mats from the drivers side immediately and visit the NTHSA website or call the hotline at (888) 327-4236 for more information.
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