YWW

Lexus Acceleration Issue To See Upgraded Inquiry

ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 16, 2007; Page B5

WASHINGTON -- The federal government upgraded an investigation into the 2007 Lexus ES 350 sedan after at least 12 people were injured when the vehicle accelerated without warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a report issued this week that an all-weather floor mat can trap the throttle pedal when the mat isn't properly secured, resulting in unwanted acceleration. The all-weather floor mat has been found in a majority of the vehicles that reported the problem, NHTSA said.

Toyota Motor Corp., which makes the Lexus, told NHTSA it sent a mailing to ES 350 owners in late April to warn them about improper installation of the all-weather floor mat. The mat should be secured with clips and shouldn't be placed over the standard floor mat. Toyota also said it changed the labeling on the floor mat.

NHTSA is now deciding whether Toyota's actions were sufficient. Vehicle investigations can lead to product recalls. There are 98,454 ES 350 sedans on the road.

NHTSA and Toyota have received 40 complaints about unintended acceleration, NHTSA said. Eight crashes have been reported, including one that caused a seven-vehicle pileup. In some cases, drivers traveled several miles at speeds of more than 90 miles per hour before they were able to stop, NHTSA said.

RED 5

Great, I just picked up my all weather mats while at the dealer this afternoon

MD350

If you hook them to the floor board, you will be fine. Have had mine for almost 1 year and have had no issues. They stay in place.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Just curious. Did you get a letter from Lexus explaining the potential dangers of improper all weather floor mat installation? Or did they at least mentioned it to you when they handed you the floor mats? I'm just hoping the individual dealers at least pass the word down to anyone buying the additional all weather floor mat.

GUJIGUJI

Have had my all weather floor mats in my car ever since the first day. dealership gave that for free. never had any problem w/ that. they dont move at all.

MD350

Received a letter about 6 months ago stating how to properly install the mats.

PaJaHa1

I've had the all-weather mat on the driver's side only since the day I owned the car. If you take out the stock mats, the all-weathers won't go anywhere. I don't understand how people could have gotten into a situation where the mat pushed the accelerator down- How could you be so oblivious that you wouldn't notice the mat was creeping up?

jeffofla

It shouldn't creep up, period. If the mats come off the hooks (my car wash likes to take them off and not put them back on, but I always re-hook them up), it's most likely that this is not just a one event creep towards the accelerator, but a creep over time. A sudden movement of the foot could cause the mat to go that extra distance up and underneath the accelerator. Who is to say that the people who had this happen to didn't even know the mat was no longer secured by the hooks?

I have this floor mat at home that seems to have a mind of its own and ends up 2 or 3 feet from where it is meant to be (even with a no-skid mat underneath it). So,I can completely understand how this is happening.

This is clearly a design issue and while it doesn't affect everyone who bought the mats, even if it affects one person, that's too much.

Lexus sent the letters out - I have one - and the NHTSA is investigating it now. Clearly, whether it warrants a recall or not, we don't know yet. But it's enought of a problem that is getting authorities attention. This should be looked at.

MD350

This is exactly the case I have been trying to plead that there are many drivers out there who are oblivious. Many are unaware that their transmission flares either, or engine makes noise. Yet alone, their floor mat is tangled up with their pedals.

LexBob2

It's a good thng that this issue is on the news and being investigated. Hopefully it will help to avoid any more accidents and unintended acelleration. On the other hand, IMHO, drivers need to use a little common sense and take responsibility for taking some action, if there is a floor mat moving around on the drivers side floor that might cause a problem.

aeroengine

While this addresses the awareness of the floormat related accelerations which is a good thing, it DOES NOT explain the more dangerous unexplained accelerations where the winter floor mats were not involved and the regular floor mats were properly anchored. Those of us who have experienced those, have been stonewalled by Toyota and I have the sense that Toyota is using the floor mat related problems as a "red-herring" to get through the current media attention. But I have faith. Electro-Mechanical systems that fail catastropically are never isolated events - they always repeat! Toyota has proven they will do what Ford, GM etc. did with the Pinto, the Pickup and that is to ignore the problem until they really get their noses bloodied by it. At that point it will be all over Dateline and 20/20 and we will be mourning the deaths of a couple of hundred people. It will cost them millions along with their product reputations and they will come groveling to settle with me for much more than it cost to fix my broken garage door.

toneman

Well, I for one sure don't see the need to recall a car due to an issue involving an all-weather floor mat. Assuming it is determined that the acceleration issue is indeed due to the all-weather mat lodging itself against the gas pedal...surely the solution is to redesign the mat...or perhaps redesign the mat clips so that they do a better job of preventing the mats from creeping towards the pedal. IOW--this is not an issue involving some defect of the car itself...not unless people are suggesting that the issue is due to the placement and/or design of either the gas pedal and/or the driver's side floorboard.

I agree with those folks who say that, if the mat is installed correctly (and assuming that the mat clips don't break or are defective in some other way), there is no way that it can move in such a way that it lodges itself against the gas pedal.

aeroengine

Yesterday I commented that it looks like Toyota must be using the floor mat solution as a "red-herring" to avoid discussing the NON floormat caused unexplained accelerations - and the moderators - eliminated my comments along with others.

Now I understand that Toyota would like this forum to be 100% self serving - but if they eliminate all but supportive posts - nobody will waste their time with this forum and it will develop a reputation for being a factory spin machine - which apparently by their actions yesterday they have proven it is.

LexBob2

Not sure what you mean. I see the "red herring" comment in your post.

amf1932

I think he's using "red herring" in this context.
A red herring is a metaphor for a diversion or distraction from an original objective.