Toyota Motor Corp has announced that it will replace the accelerator pedals on about 4 million recalled vehicles. The vehicles were recalled in October because of a safety issue involving floor mats trapping accelerator pedals in various Toyota and Lexus models.
The models involved in the recall are: 2007 to 2010 MY Camry, 2005 to 2010 MY Avalon, 2004 to 2009 MY Prius, 2005–2010 MY Tacoma, 2007–2010 MY Tundra, 2007–2010 MY ES 350, 2006–2010 MY IS 250, and 2006 to 2010 MY IS 350.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says Toyota plans to reconfigure the accelerator pedal, and in some cases the shape of the floor surface under the pedal, to address the risk of pedal entrapment due to floor mat interference, particularly with regard to inappropriate or improperly attached floor mats. At the same time, Toyota will develop replacement pedals for these vehicles, which will become available for some models in April 2010. Toyota will provide owners with the new pedal, when it becomes available, even if the vehicle has already received the modified pedal under the recall.
NHTSA also said that Toyota will, in addition to these announced vehicle-based remedies, install a brake override system on the involved Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250 models as an “extra measure of confidence.” The brake override system would ensure the vehicle would stop if both the brake and the accelerator pedals are simultaneously applied.
For more information, consumers are urged to contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236. The Law Firm of Lytal, Reiter, Clark, Fountain and Williams is handling cases involving accidents caused by sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles as well as other vehicle defects. If you’ve been injured in an accident, please contact our firm at 1-800-654-2024.