💾 Archived View for gmi.noulin.net › mobileNews › 1493.gmi captured on 2021-12-05 at 23:47:19. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
By KEN THOMAS, Associated Press Writer Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer 2
hrs 26 mins ago
WASHINGTON The 911 call was from a frantic passenger, trapped with family
members in a runaway vehicle barreling down a California highway with a stuck
accelerator and no brakes.
The call ended with someone telling people in the car to hold on and pray,
followed by a woman's scream.
The high-speed crash near San Diego in August, involving an out-of-control
Lexus ES 350 that killed four members of a family, led Toyota Motor Corp. on
Tuesday to issue its largest-ever U.S. recall, involving 3.8 million vehicles.
The recall is intended to address problems with a removable floor mat that
could cause accelerators to get stuck and lead to a crash.
Toyota and the government warned owners Tuesday to remove the mats from their
vehicles until the Japanese automaker could find a way to fix the potential
safety hazard. The recall will involve popular models such as the Toyota Camry,
the top-selling passenger car in America, and the Toyota Prius, the
best-selling gas-electric hybrid.
Toyota said it was still working with officials with the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration to find a remedy and said owners could be
notified about the recall as early as next week. Toyota spokesman Irv Miller
said until the company finds a fix, owners should simply take out the removable
floor mat on the driver's side and not replace it.
"A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make
it difficult to stop a vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or
death," Miller said.
The recall will affect 2007-10 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-10 Toyota Avalon,
2004-09 Toyota Prius, 2005-10 Toyota Tacoma, 2007-10 Toyota Tundra, 2007-10
Lexus ES 350 and 2006-10 Lexus IS 250 and IS 350 vehicles.
Toyota's previously largest U.S. recall was about 900,000 vehicles in 2005 to
fix a steering issue. The company declined to say how many complaints it had
received about the accelerator issue.
NHTSA said it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator
may have become stuck on the Toyota vehicles involved. It was unclear how many
led to crashes.
"This is an urgent matter," 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."
Toyota warned owners that if they think their vehicle is accelerating out of
control, they should check to see whether their floor mat is under the pedal.
If a driver can't remove the floor mat, Toyota advises drivers to step on the
brake pedal with both feet until the vehicle slows and then try to put it into
neutral and switch the ignition to accessory power.
For vehicles with engine start/stop buttons, Toyota said the engine can be shut
off by holding the button down for three seconds.
In the August incident in Santee, Calif., the fiery crash of the Lexus killed
California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, 45, and three family members on
State Route 125. The vehicle was traveling at more than 120 mph when it
launched off an embankment, rolled several times and burst into flames.
NHTSA investigators determined that a rubber all-weather floor mat found in the
wreckage was slightly longer than the mat that belonged in the vehicle,
something that could have snared or covered the accelerator pedal.
Toyota spokesman John Hanson said the final report had not yet been submitted
in the California case.
"We don't know what the actual cause was of that accident other than
preliminary reports that have been published so it's impossible for us to
comment on that particular incident," Hanson said.
In mid-September, Toyota ordered 1,400 Toyota and Lexus dealers nationwide to
ensure that each new, used and loaner vehicle had the proper floor mats and
that the mats were properly secured.
In September 2007, Toyota recalled an accessory all-weather floor mat sold for
use in some 2007 and 2008 model year Lexus ES 350 and Toyota Camry vehicles
because of similar problems.
For more information, consumers can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration's hot line at (888) 327-4236, Toyota at (800) 331-4331 or Lexus
at (800) 255-3987.
___
On the Net:
Toyota Motor Corp.: http://www.toyota.com
Lexus: http://www.lexus.com