PSA - Toyota recalls vehicles over acceleration problem

[BassBomb]

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/1...recall-gets-explained/

So the hooks can come loose, not the mat loose from the hook!

When cleaning our ES350 it was almost impossible to get the mat off the hook, but it stayed secured to the ground.

 

[brblx]

sorry if i missed it in this slightly derailed thread, but is this recall US only? i'd bet dollars to dimes that they're not going to bother doing this in countries where you can't sue someone for looking at you funny.

floor mats getting wadded up around the pedals and idiots neglecting to fix it is not a new thing. RIP, dipshits.

 

[LTC8K6]

IIRC, it is a wedging situation. You can't pull the pedal back and you can't move the mat very easily either.

We know why he didn't shut the engine off.

We're pretty sure he tried to control the car's speed with the brakes, rather than trying to stop it, which overheated them.

We don't know why he did not select neutral.

Given what I have read here and on a few other boards, many folks think the engine will "asplode" if you do that, resulting in fiery carnage.

Completely unaware of rev limiters, I guess...

And completely unaware that an expiring engine is much less of a problem than crashing into a large mass at high speed, I guess...

 

[brblx]

so i went back and read through the middle of this thread. found the pic of a wedged pedal.

not what i was thinking. i don't blame the owners so much for this happening, however it's still completely retarded that they couldn't figure out how to pull the pedal up with their foot (or just yank on the mat), let alone turn the car off, shift to neutral, or otherwise deal with their problem. there are just quite simply an easy 50% of drivers out there that should not be allowed to operate any machinery bigger than a toaster.

it also does appear that this is US only, with one article saying they're looking into if this could affect vehicles sold elsewhere- yeah right, i'm sure they sold the same cars all over the world but put different floormats in depending on the continent.:roll:

this is just protecting sue-happy idiots from themselves. i mean, for fuck's sake, a car full of people and enough time to call 911, and no one could figure out how to remedy their ridiculously silly situation? natural selection.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Can I ask a quick but stupid question. I realize that the previous recall covered only all weather mats, so the rubber ones.

Now this recall covers ALL types of Toyota mats? Because we only got the default mats on our 07 Camry. My mom's treating what info I fed her as old news like the previous recall, so she doesn't think I'm telling her anything new. I want to clarify that this is covering regular mats too so that this time we ARE covered and should replace them urgently.

 

[Ktulu]

Hahahahaha, I love their fix for the whole floor mat problem.

Zip Ties!

 

[rh71]

My X has built-in velcro on the flooring (below my knee area) and the bottom of the OEM floor mat has velcro as well. It is pretty strong and you cannot push the mat forward or backward at all. I've heard of others who were missing this velcro piece and the dealer replaced it free of course. I am unsure if the OEM all-weather version has the velcro.

My Rodeo has the benefit of a raised accelerator pedal so unless the mat gets doubled up underneath it (which my walmart cheapo mat still has not), there should never be a problem.

Looking at that pic of their mat posted above, it is such an idiotic design, especially with the accelerator pedal already so low.

 

[Squisher]

By-the-way, I was able to turn my Prius off while accelerating by pushing the power button and the car went into neutral and didn't lock the steering. I was also able to shift into neutral while accelerating using the electronic shift selector.

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: Squisher
By-the-way, I was able to turn my Prius off while accelerating by pushing the power button and the car went into neutral and didn't lock the steering. I was also able to shift into neutral while accelerating using the electronic shift selector.

now do that in a panic situation... thats the difference... sure it seems easy, but panic causes all sorts of issues...

and Zip-Ties just scream luxury...

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE

Originally posted by: Squisher
By-the-way, I was able to turn my Prius off while accelerating by pushing the power button and the car went into neutral and didn't lock the steering. I was also able to shift into neutral while accelerating using the electronic shift selector.

now do that in a panic situation... thats the difference... sure it seems easy, but panic causes all sorts of issues...

and Zip-Ties just scream luxury...

It also makes it easier when people are aware of what's causing the issue. How about not having it widely known that the floor mats in some Toyota are prone to jamming the accelerator down?

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Originally posted by: MIKEMIKE

Originally posted by: Squisher
By-the-way, I was able to turn my Prius off while accelerating by pushing the power button and the car went into neutral and didn't lock the steering. I was also able to shift into neutral while accelerating using the electronic shift selector.

now do that in a panic situation... thats the difference... sure it seems easy, but panic causes all sorts of issues...

and Zip-Ties just scream luxury...

If it was old grandpa, dear old mom, or 17 year old sis... fine.. Panic situation, they freaked out..

But seriously... If you're trained to carry a gun, trained to deal with high stress panic situations then you should be able to shift into Neutral. I mean obviously, something happened - but to me it's one of those fluke sorta deals. I honestly believe that most people would've shifted into neutral in the time it takes to connect a cell call to 911 to explain things.