Largest Auto Recall Ever: Toyota Recalls 3.8 Million Vehicles
Toyota has announced the biggest automotive recall in U.S. history. The accelerator pedals in some of the Toyota models are getting stuck beneath the floor mats and causing vehicles to speed up dangerously.
"This is an urgent matter," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. "For everyone's sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration."
Until Toyota develops a remedy, it is asking owners of specific Toyota and Lexus models to take out any removable driver’s floor mat and NOT replace it with any other floor mat. The following models are affected:
• 2007 – 2010 Camry
• 2005 – 2010 Avalon
• 2004 – 2009 Prius
• 2005 – 2010 Tacoma
• 2007 – 2010 Tundra
• 2007 – 2010 ES350
• 2006 – 2010 IS250 and IS350
"Today's advisory was precipitated by continued reports of vehicles accelerating rapidly after release of the accelerator pedal. The incidents appear to be related to factors including the use of a variety of unsecured mats," the NHTSA said.
Toyota considers this a critical matter and will soon launch a safety campaign on specific Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Additional information on proper floor mat installation can be found on http://www.toyota.com and http://www.lexus.com. Owners with questions or concerns, are asked to please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center (1-800-331-4331) or Lexus Customer Assistance Center (1-800-255-3987).
