LEXUS TOYOTA RECALL runaway accelerators

Millions of autos recalled for runaway. First blamed on the floormats, now Toyota is replacing the gas pedal. New models are still going to be sold only with a shortened pedal and brake switch, so the gas shuts off when the brake is pressed.


Toyota expands recall to target gas pedals in 4 million vehicles

A September recall had focused on floor mats as a cause of runaway acceleration. Now the company says starting in January it will fix or replace pedals in selected 2004-2010 Toyota and Lexus models.

By Martin Zimmerman
November 25, 2009

Toyota Motor Corp. said today it would reconfigure or replace the gas pedals in about 4 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to prevent the episodes of runaway acceleration that prompted the largest vehicle recall in the company's history.

The announcement dramatically expands the scope and likely expense of the recall, which was announced on Sept. 29. Toyota had initially focused on the possibility that improperly installed floor mats might be causing the unintended acceleration problems, and urged owners of affected vehicles to remove the mats until they could be replaced.

Now, beginning in January, Toyota dealers will start reconfiguring the gas pedal "to address the risk of floor mat entrapment."

The recall affects the 2007-2010 Toyota Camry, the 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, the 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, the 2005-2010 Tacoma, the 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra, the 2007-2010 Lexus ES 350 and the 2006-2010 Lexus IS 250 and IS 350.

For the ES 350, Camry and Avalon models involved, not only will the gas pedal be revamped but the shape of the floor surface underneath will also be reconfigured to increase the space between the accelerator pedal and the floor, the automaker said.

As an extra safety measure, Toyota will install a brake override system on the Camry, Avalon, and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250 models. This system cuts engine power in case of simultaneous application of both the accelerator and brake pedals.

Toyota is in the process of completing development of these actions and for the ES 350, Camry, and Avalon will start notifying owners by first-class mail by the end of this year. The remedy process regarding the other five models will occur on a rolling schedule in 2010.

Initially, dealers will be instructed on how to reshape the accelerator pedal for the repair, Toyota said. As replacement parts with the same shape as the modified pedal become available, they will be made available to dealers for the repair, beginning around April 2010. Customers who have had the remedy completed will have the opportunity to receive a new pedal if they desire.

In the meantime, owners of the recalled vehicles are asked to take out any removable driver's floor mat and not replace it with any other floor mat until they are notified by the company of the vehicle-based remedy.

"The safety of our owners and the public is our utmost concern and Toyota has and will continue to thoroughly investigate and take appropriate measures to address any defect trends that are identified," the automaker said in a statement.

Dan Edmunds, an Edmunds.com analyst and former engineer, said the actions proposed by Toyota today "are viable solutions to alleviate the problem."

In late September, Toyota voluntarily recalled 3.8 million vehicles after a 2009 Lexus ES 350 sped out of control on a suburban San Diego highway, killing off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, his wife, Cleofe Lastrella; their daughter Mahala; and Chris Lastrella, Cleofe's brother.

The incident drew widespread public attention because the final moments were captured as Chris Lastrella made a frantic 911 call describing Saylor's futile efforts to stop the car, which crashed through an embankment and burned. The accident and recall prompted Toyota President Akio Toyoda to publicly express remorse.

The number of vehicles covered by the recall and Toyota's repair program is now closer to 4 million because of vehicles sold since the recall was first announced, the automaker said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has investigated allegations of unwanted acceleration in Toyota vehicles eight times since 2003. Two probes, involving carpet panels in 2004 Toyota Sienna minivans, and floor mats in 2007 Lexus ES 350 and 2007 Toyota Camry sedans, led to small recalls.

The six other investigations were closed by the agency with no finding of a defect. In those investigations, however, NHTSA did find that the Toyota braking system could lose most of its power and effectiveness when the throttle is fully opened and that other aspects of vehicle design, including using push-button ignitions, could add risk in sudden-acceleration events.

In the suburban San Diego case, NHTSA found that the floor mat in the sedan -- a loaner car from an El Cajon dealer -- was an all-weather mat intended for use in a Lexus sport utility vehicle. It also found that the design of the Lexus accelerator pedal may have enhanced the risk of its being obstructed by a floor mat.

Earlier this month, Toyota issued a statement saying NHTSA had confirmed that "no defect exists in vehicles" in which the floor mats are properly installed. In response, the agency issued a rare rebuke to Toyota, saying that simply removing the floor mats didn't correct "the underlying defect" involving the design of the accelerator pedal and the driver's foot-well.
[link to www.latimes.com]