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Toyota Car Recall Due To Floor Mat
If you owned a Toyota back in 2009, you might still remember the massive floor mat recall that shook the automotive world. This was one of the largest recalls in Toyota’s history and raised serious concerns about vehicle safety. The issue centered around the driver-side floor mat, which had a design flaw that could cause the accelerator pedal to get stuck.
The recall impacted approximately 3.8 million Toyota vehicles in the United States, marking it as the company’s largest U.S. recall at the time. It affected a wide range of models, including several popular Toyota and Lexus vehicles such as the Camry, Tundra, Avalon, Prius, Tacoma, Highlander, 4Runner, and various Lexus models like the GS 300, GS 350, IS 250, and IS 350.
The problem became widely known after a tragic incident in August 2009, when a Lexus ES 350 crashed at over 100 mph, killing four people. Investigations revealed that the throttle had become stuck open, and further analysis showed that the floor mat’s plastic hooks could interfere with the accelerator pedal. In some cases, the mat would catch on the pedal, causing it to remain partially depressed, leading to unintended acceleration.
Some Toyota owners speculated that the issue wasn’t related to the floor mats but rather to the electronic throttle control system. Reports of sudden acceleration without warning led to concerns that the problem might be more complex. These claims even reached the U.S. Congress, prompting an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). After a 10-month review, the NHTSA concluded that there were no issues with Toyota’s electronic throttle control system.
To address the issue, Toyota worked closely with the NHTSA and advised affected vehicle owners to remove the driver-side floor mat temporarily. The company also introduced new safety features to prevent similar problems in the future. One of these was Smart Stop Technology, which detects when both the gas and brake pedals are pressed simultaneously and overrides the throttle input, allowing the brakes to take precedence. This innovation, originally developed by German automakers, became a standard feature across all Toyota models.
In addition to Smart Stop Technology, Toyota redesigned its floor mats to eliminate the risk of interference with the accelerator pedal. Despite these efforts, the company faced significant backlash and was fined $17.35 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation for failing to report the defect promptly. Later, another issue involving sticky gas pedals emerged, which also contributed to acceleration problems. As a result, Toyota was fined $1.2 billion by the Justice Department.
While the floor mat recall was a major setback for Toyota, the company took swift action to improve safety and regain consumer trust. Today, Toyota is widely recognized for producing some of the safest and most reliable vehicles on the market. The lessons learned from this crisis have helped shape modern automotive safety standards and continue to influence the industry today.