Toyota to recall 3.8 million vehicles in U.S. due to floor mat problem

Wednesday 30th September, 12:29 PM JST

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kwatt at 01:02 PM JST - 30th September

It would be no problem if the mat is taken away now from there by yourself, and get new one later. It seems to be not mechanical problem.
Tahoochi at 01:44 PM JST - 30th September

This problem exists with ALL vehicles of ALL makes if the floor mat is not secured properly. In this case, there was a high profile accident in California involving death which was BELIEVED to be caused by the floor mat, which triggered this sudden recall. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33077383/ns/business-autos/)

There could be several reasons why the floor could get stuck... the design could have been poor, improper installation of the mat, (ie. at the dealership, or if the owner took it out to clean their car and didn't put it back in properly), or if the owner replaced the factory mat with some other mat of a different brand, etc etc etc.

Bottom line is that every one who drives a car should know what to do in case of "unintended acceleration"... Put the car in neutral! Apply the brakes! Pull over! Turn the car off! With all due respect for those who were involved in an accident involving such an issue, if you can't have the presence of mind and follow these simple steps in an emergency like this, than you shouldn't be driving a car.
presto345 at 02:22 PM JST - 30th September

the vehicle’s accelerated pedal

?? Excuse me? Which pedal is that??
presto345 at 02:33 PM JST - 30th September

On the NHK news I heard Toyota **may **recall vehicles with certain mats fitted to vehicles in the U.S. only.

Nowadays it seems driving a vehicle should be nothing more than pressing a few buttons, stepping on some pedal and turning a steering wheel. Occasionally flipping switches, talking on a cell phone, staring at the navigation or TV screen, hardly ever glancing in the rear view mirror and listening to the boom-boom stereo. Knowledge of how a vehicle actually operates is not a priority. Nor is going through a list of preliminary safety checks considered necessary before driving off in a engine powered car. Everything has to be fool proof (literally) and arranged by someone or something for you. You meaning any idiot. I agree with Tahoochi.
roomtemperature at 03:47 PM JST - 30th September

"the vehicle’s accelerated pedal ?? Excuse me? Which pedal is that??"

"Let's not nitpick. There is a lot of bad English on this forum. But as long as we understand what people are trying to say, that's OK. (September 6th)"
tmarie at 03:47 PM JST - 30th September

Canada Toyota is refusing to recall which is why it is just the Americans recalling. The problem is stupid people not putting their mats in properly. Instead of being sued for deaths that they did not cause, Toyota is taking steps to prevent this in the future.
Osakadaz at 03:54 PM JST - 30th September

never make the floormats from tatami.
presto345 at 04:22 PM JST - 30th September

never make the floormats from tatami.

Charming remark, but hardly conducive to the conversation. As it is, the mat involved in the fatal accident was an after market rubber mat that did not belong in the vehicle. The Lexus vehicle that crashed, standard has carpeted mats.
PepinGalarga at 09:51 PM JST - 30th September

You guys saw Fight Club, right? I'm sure there was more than just one accident for them to recall 4 million cars...

In case of emergency, shouldn't you put it in neutral BEFORE hitting the brakes???
usaexpat at 12:25 AM JST - 1st October

That's gonna hurt the bottom line. So call me crazy but any floor mat in any car can get jammed in the pedals. If the makers put pins at the back of the mat like Saab and many other premium makers do than no problem.
TheQuestion at 01:02 AM JST - 1st October

At least the recall is for just a replacement of a floormat. It's not like the Prius would blow-up if it gets rear-ended...

Naw, but it crumples if whatever rear ended it was larger than a golf cart.
ebisen at 08:20 AM JST - 1st October

usaexpat-

That's gonna hurt the bottom line. So call me crazy but any floor mat in any car can get jammed in the pedals. If the makers put pins at the back of the mat like Saab and many other premium makers do than no problem.

This is Lexus - a high end premium brand. You can be sure it has about hte same options like any other premium brands out there. The problem is with the users, who don't know that putting after-market parts in a car (any car btw) CAN and sometimes WILL actually kill you. It is just a matter of education.

People don't understand that even the smallest detail on an apparently "not-important" item took probably months of design and a lot of elbow grease from the engineers. You are NOT going to get the same quality from an after-market maker, especially if it's not approved by the original OEM brand.
ebisen at 08:22 AM JST - 1st October

theQuestion-

Naw, but it crumples if whatever rear ended it was larger than a golf cart.

What would you prefer:

a) - your car crumpling saving your life b) - yourself getting squished, saving your car
mygrain at 08:38 PM JST - 1st October

Not sure which is more comical, the fact that this ever expanding story has garnered less than 20 comments or the poor quality of the comments themselves, I mean sheesh folks a 10 second google search would do wonders. But then again you might learn the truth about Toyota. Like how they’ve known about this design flaw since 2004, and chose to ignore it. And how there have been more than 100 reported incidence of uncontrollable accelerations, 17 accidents, and 5 fatalities since 2007. The only thing we are not sure of is whether or not the family of 4 most recently killed in San Diego are included in this fatality figure or not. What a tragic state of affairs for this family. The driver was a highly experienced California Highway Patrol officer who tried everything to gain control of this vehicle. Unfortunately the revs were too high to shift out of drive and the ignition switch was one of those press button types… they won’t shut off the engine either at such high RPM’s. In short this was a death trap for all 4 members, including a young boy. I for one am not buying into the ‘mat’ theory being laid out by Toyota. One has to only to look at the photos provided by other news outlets to realize that even if the pedal did get under the mat it would be very easy to release it with the toe of your shoe, that or just slide the mat away from the pedal… no folks they are not glued down. Toyota is in a world of hurt with this massive recall I’m afraid. Coming on the heels of their previous 95,000 recalls and the most recent accusations of hidden and manipulated rollover data could be the death nail for this shady fly by night organization. I for one will robustly sing to the demise of this awful company that has put profits over public safety for years.
TheQuestion at 01:48 AM JST - 2nd October

What would you prefer:

a) - your car crumpling saving your life b) - yourself getting squished, saving your car

To be honest I would prefer having my car do what it has done historically, have the neat little trailer hitch I installed smash up the offenders fender, transfer the impact at a downward angle, and dealing me no more than a jolt. Or better yet I would prefer having the jerk what rear ended me pay attention to my damned break lights.