Toyota Denies Recall May Go Beyond Floor Mats

Lexus ES 350 Had Many Problems

In September, Toyota announced it was planning its largest recall ever of nearly four million vehicles over the issue of loose floor mats that may be interfering with the accelerator pedal in several models.

But an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is raising more questions as to whether the floor mats are the only culprit to unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus models.

The questions are raised in a NHTSA report on the deadly accident that happened in a San Diego suburb last August 28, killing an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family.

It was that crash that led to the massive Toyota floor mat recall.

The Saylor Crash

So far the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received reports of 100 incidents, 17 crashes and five fatalities that it believes are linked to the floor mats and accelerator pedals.

The Saylor crash is among them.

Officially, there is no conclusion as to what caused the August 28^th crash of the Lexus ES 350 that killed off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, his wife, their daughter and brother-in-law.

All four died when the 2009 Lexus in which they were riding, a loan car from the dealer, plummeted over an embankment in suburban San Diego at more than 100 mph before it burst into flames.

The family was able to contact a 9-1-1- operator to say they couldn’t stop the ES 350. The brother-in-law, Chris Lastrella said the Lexus had no brakes.

* The NHTSA report finds that the brakes in that accident were heavily damaged, seeming to confirm the report from Lastrella.

* The report also revealed that the gas pedal’s lower edge was "bonded" to the rubber floor mat that also reveals floor mat damage in the area surrounding the accelerator.

* In addition, the brakes showed that full force had been applied, the rotors were discolored and heated and had substantial deposits of brake pad material, consistent with endured braking, according to the NHTSA report.

* The recent report says, "Beyond the main pivot, the lever is not hinged and has no means for relieving forces caused by interferences," quoted the LA Times, citing investigators. Toyota is considering adjusting the pedals or their design as part of the current recall.

* And the government report found the start-stop button that takes three seconds to turn off the engine in an emergency, was one of the “significant factors” that led to the crash. There are no instructions that appear on the dashboard, and no way to kill power in an emergency.

The USA Today DriveOn Automotive Blog asks “Is the power start-stop button the most dangerous new feature in cars?”

Los Angeles Times Analysis

The Los Angeles Times has analyzed the report and reports a defect in the design of the car’s gas pedal that could increase the risk of it being obstructed by a floor mat.

The Times review also finds that the Lexus ES braking system may lose power-assist when the throttle is opened, increasing braking distance fivefold.

The Saylor vehicle did have rubber all-weather floor mats for a different model, the Lexus RX400h, which were not secured properly with retaining clips, reports the Times.

The dealer, Bob Baker Lexus in El Cajon did not speak to the Times.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is also investigating the crash and has yet to issue a final report.

Toyota Responds

Bob Carter, Toyota’s U.S. brand chief told the annual Reuters Summit that speculation about a troubled fuel delivery system, braking, or runaway accelerator system is inaccurate.

"There's no evidence to support any of that," Carter said, adding that the automaker was working closely with the U.S. government to address the planned recall of up to 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles reports Reuters.

Since then, Toyota has warned consumers to remove the driver-side floor mats from eight Toyota models as a safety precaution, including the Prius.

Consumer Reports say drivers who find themselves accelerating and not able to brake, should move the gear selector to neutral, to allow power-assist to remain for braking and steering for safety.

In 2007, Toyota recalled more than 50,000 cars because of floor mats. NHTSA found that grooves in the floor mat could trap the accelerator in the Lexus ES350, if the retaining hooks were not used to secure it.

Affected by this consumer alert are:

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS350 #