Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. takes public safety very seriously. It
believes its vehicles to be among the safest on the road today.
Recent events have prompted Toyota to take a closer look at the
potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position due to
an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat. A stuck open accelerator pedal
may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the
vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
Toyota considers this a critical matter and will soon launch a safety
campaign on specific Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Throughout the process of
developing the details of the action plan, it will advise the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
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
Should the vehicle continue to accelerate rapidly after releasing the
accelerator pedal, this could be an indication of floor mat interference. If
this occurs, Toyota recommends the driver take the following actions:
First, if it is possible and safe to do so, pull back the floor mat and
dislodge it from the accelerator pedal; then pull over and stop the
vehicle.
If the floor mat cannot be dislodged, then firmly and steadily step on
the brake pedal with both feet. Do NOT pump the brake pedal repeatedly as this
will increase the effort required to slow the vehicle.
Shift the transmission gear selector to the Neutral (N) position and
use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off
the engine.
If unable to put the vehicle in Neutral, turn the engine OFF, or to ACC.
This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to
these systems will be lost.
-If the vehicle is equipped with an Engine Start/Stop button, firmly
and steadily push the button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine.
Do NOT tap the Engine Start/Stop button.
-If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the
ignition key to the ACC position to turn off the engine. Do NOT remove the key
from the ignition as this will lock the steering wheel.
In the event owners choose not to remove
their floor mat, Toyota strongly recommends that they ensure that the correct
floor mat is being used, that it is properly installed and secured, that it is
not flipped over with bottom-side up, and that one floor mat is not stacked over
another. Information on proper floor mat installation can be found on http://www.toyota.com.
Owners with questions or concerns, are asked
to please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center (1 800 331-4331) or
consult the information posted at http://www.toyota.com
September 29, 2009
EXAMPLE OF PROPERLY INSTALLED FLOOR MAT
Ref: http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/toyota-consumer-safety-advisory-102572.aspx
