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Toyota Plans Biggest Recall as Mats May Jam Pedals
By Angela Greiling Keane and Alan Ohnsman
Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. plans its biggest U.S. recall because of a defect that may cause floor mats to jam down the accelerator pedal on vehicles including the top-selling Camry and certain Lexus models.
The floor coverings shouldn’t be replaced with other mats, according to a Transportation Department statement yesterday. The issue is “critical” and affects about 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles, according to Toyota City, Japan-based Toyota.
The automaker told U.S. dealers two weeks ago to inspect how floor mats are installed after a California Highway Patrol officer and three family members died in a crash in a Lexus that may have had a jammed accelerator. The recall may add to Toyota’s struggles after a 29 percent plunge in U.S. sales this year, its worst such slump in the market.
“Toyota considers this a very critical matter and will soon launch a safety campaign on specific Toyota and Lexus vehicles,” Irv Miller, group vice president for Toyota’s U.S. sales unit, said yesterday on a conference call with reporters.
Toyota plans a formal recall, the Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
“For everyone’s sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in the statement.
Japan Investigations
Toyota is also conducting investigations in Japan, said Yuta Kaga, a Tokyo-based spokesman for the carmaker. Kyodo News reported earlier that Toyota may extend the U.S. recall to Japan, citing the company.
“We are yet unable to identify the cause of the accidents, and we are conducting investigations in regions including Japan,” Kaga said. Floor mats used in the Camrys are only sold in the U.S., according to the carmaker.
Toyota fell 0.8 percent to 3,540 yen as of 12:51 p.m. in Tokyo trading, while the Topix index rose 0.2 percent.
The vehicles affected by the recommendation are Toyota’s 2007-2010 Camry sedans, 2005-2010 Avalon sedans, 2004-2009 Prius hybrids, 2005-2010 Tacoma pickups, 2007-2010 Tundra pickups and Lexus’s 2007-2010 ES 350 and 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS 350 sedans.
The U.S.-built Camry is the market’s bestselling passenger car, and the Prius is the world’s most popular hybrid-electric model based on sales volume.
If drivers encounter a problem with an accelerator stuck due to the floor mat, they should first try to dislodge the mat, Miller said. If that doesn’t work, they should step on the brake with both feet, he said.
In 2007, Toyota recalled 55,000 Camrys and Lexus ES 350s in the U.S. for a similar defect. Toyota’s largest U.S. recall to date involved 978,000 vehicles to fix a steering-related flaw that could cause drivers to lose control.
Toyota’s U.S. sales unit is based in Torrance, California.
By Angela Greiling Keane and Alan Ohnsman
Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. plans its biggest U.S. recall because of a defect that may cause floor mats to jam down the accelerator pedal on vehicles including the top-selling Camry and certain Lexus models.
The floor coverings shouldn’t be replaced with other mats, according to a Transportation Department statement yesterday. The issue is “critical” and affects about 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles, according to Toyota City, Japan-based Toyota.
The automaker told U.S. dealers two weeks ago to inspect how floor mats are installed after a California Highway Patrol officer and three family members died in a crash in a Lexus that may have had a jammed accelerator. The recall may add to Toyota’s struggles after a 29 percent plunge in U.S. sales this year, its worst such slump in the market.
“Toyota considers this a very critical matter and will soon launch a safety campaign on specific Toyota and Lexus vehicles,” Irv Miller, group vice president for Toyota’s U.S. sales unit, said yesterday on a conference call with reporters.
Toyota plans a formal recall, the Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
“For everyone’s sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in the statement.
Japan Investigations
Toyota is also conducting investigations in Japan, said Yuta Kaga, a Tokyo-based spokesman for the carmaker. Kyodo News reported earlier that Toyota may extend the U.S. recall to Japan, citing the company.
“We are yet unable to identify the cause of the accidents, and we are conducting investigations in regions including Japan,” Kaga said. Floor mats used in the Camrys are only sold in the U.S., according to the carmaker.
Toyota fell 0.8 percent to 3,540 yen as of 12:51 p.m. in Tokyo trading, while the Topix index rose 0.2 percent.
The vehicles affected by the recommendation are Toyota’s 2007-2010 Camry sedans, 2005-2010 Avalon sedans, 2004-2009 Prius hybrids, 2005-2010 Tacoma pickups, 2007-2010 Tundra pickups and Lexus’s 2007-2010 ES 350 and 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS 350 sedans.
The U.S.-built Camry is the market’s bestselling passenger car, and the Prius is the world’s most popular hybrid-electric model based on sales volume.
If drivers encounter a problem with an accelerator stuck due to the floor mat, they should first try to dislodge the mat, Miller said. If that doesn’t work, they should step on the brake with both feet, he said.
In 2007, Toyota recalled 55,000 Camrys and Lexus ES 350s in the U.S. for a similar defect. Toyota’s largest U.S. recall to date involved 978,000 vehicles to fix a steering-related flaw that could cause drivers to lose control.
Toyota’s U.S. sales unit is based in Torrance, California.
