GS69

Another Floor Mat Issue: Ford Fusion Owners Warned

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Federal car safety regulators are warning owners of 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans of possible dangers from floor mats.

Owners were told gas pedals could become stuck if all-weather floor mats are stacked on top of the cars' standard mats.

"Any Ford 'All Weather' optional floor mat should be placed in the driver's side foot well only after first unfastening and removing the standard, carpeted floor mat," the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said in a statement Friday. "This is the only way to ensure that the 'All Weather' optional floor mat is physically secured to the floor."

Last fall, Toyota (TM) recalled cars because of a similar issue. That recall, which ultimately included about 5 million vehicles, started after a family was killed in a crash that was apparently caused by a gas pedal trapped by an all-weather floor mat.

The auto safety agency has received three complaints that gas pedals on the Ford vehicles got stuck after an all weather floor mat slipped forward and trapped the gas pedal. This usually happens when the gas pedal is pushed all the way to the floor or close to it. None of the complaints have involved crashes, injuries or deaths.

The agency is opening a formal investigation into the problem.

The Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan are two closely related mid-sized cars. A third version, the Lincoln MkZ, was not included in the warning. It was not immediately clear why the MkZ would not be included.

Ford Motor Co. (F, Fortune 500) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The stuck pedal problem can happen in many vehicles, NHTSA warned. The agency urged owners to use care when installing floor mats and follow manufacturers' instructions.

If a gas pedal becomes stuck during driving, drivers should press firmly on the brake pedal -- do not pump the brakes -- and shift the transmission to neutral then steer the car safely to the side of the road, NHTSA advised.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Nice how Ford gets the "all weather mat on top of carpeted mat" explanation. The media didn't grant Toyota that courtesy until people started throwing a fit and pointing fingers at how the company was being treated.

LexFather

I haven't heard nor read hardly a peep about it. DOWN WITH TOYOTA

IS-SV

I guess I should of expected that, to be continued....

Maybe the guy on TV with the runaway Prius in San Diego area will rent one for his next episode.

RX300-BV

Well to be fair, let's not forget the key sentence in the that article.