@HurtsSoGood: Very true! But the desire for a plush car trumps utility anyday...

I have a 2007 IS 250 and as soon as I read this article, I checked out my car to see if this might happen to me.

I don't see how it could. There's several inches of clearance between the floor mat and the bottom of the gas pedal. Like, I think I could probably force it to happen if I tried, but it just doesn't seem possible for it to accidently end up that way.

Damn, I heard the 911 call from the guy in California on the radio today. Horrible. He said he was going 120 and the freeway was ending and couldn't stop the car. Seconds later, the crash happened and the line went dead. Everyone was screaming and I think I heard them say "Pray". Fcking cars.

Any other place to look for info?

In an automatic I guess you could just drop into neutral, the rev limiter would prevent engine damage, but in a manual turning off the engine would be better and faster -- no gears to shift and no sense blowing the engine if you don't have to.

Of course the most important thing would be to stop and it seems like people don't think clearly in that situation (obviously), so I guess whatever comes to mind first is the way to go, forget about whether it'll damage the engine or not.

Here is another link to the recall announcement. It is much more in depth, [www.wtvr.com]

@andyross: It's actually 3 seconds of holding down the start/stop button to shut off the engine. Also, if you shift into neutral and push the start/stop button it will shut off immediately and go into accessory power. I own a 2009 camry hybrid with a push/stop button and the floor mats are hooked into the bottom as well. Does anyone know if camry hybrids are included, i'm guessing that they are.

[a.abcnews.com]

@Hoss: uh, no. ACC only powers on electrical accessories. The power steering is driven by the engine (in most cases), and the power brakes is powered be vacuum created by the engine....

@Wheeldog: Well as soon as they make 2,300,000 replacement mats, they'll probably be replacing them with an upgraded version.

I always saw this as "obvious design flaw, wonder why they keep making these stupid things", and removed the mats.

Think about how hard it is to stop an old truck with no power brakes. Do it for a few hours and you'll have a rock bruise on your foot, and they aren't very good at stopping anyway. Then realize that modern cars have larger, more powerful brakes and tend to be significantly heavier than old trucks. This means it will be much harder to bring the car to a stop without power brakes.

Steering is the same. Some old trucks were infamous for breaking people's wrists when you go over a bump too fast and at the wrong angle, but there was nothing anyone could do about it until power steering came along. And the effort required to turn the wheel was much like the brakes. Many of today's cars are front-wheel-drive, with much more weight concentrated in the front of the vehicle, and the tires tend to be wider, making steering even more difficult without power steering.

Because of this, shutting off the engine at highway speeds is actually extremely dangerous unless you're very big and strong, and know enough about vehicle dynamics to properly and safely control a car with no power.

What you should do instead is shift into neutral and let the engine rev and bounce off the limiter until you've pulled over and are nearly stopped (power assists will remain for a few seconds after the engine stops, as they are usually vacuum-powered).

Remember: A life is a hell of a lot more valuable than your engine.

Yeah I have a GM. Though the floor mats were optional (there was a built in rubber guard in my car). Still...there's a hook and grommet hole arrangement on the floor mats.

It wouldn't be my first choice car but the price was right as was the financing and it's lasted more than 50k miles in 3 years so...yeah...not bad for a sports coupe I've hammered through.

Still...having an STI or EVO probably would've suited me better but the monthly payment would've given me heartburn.

It's really just a problem with the size/placement of the mats. In most cars isn't there a small hook near the seat to make sure the mat doesn't interfere with the brake, clutch, and acc pedal? (again speaking from my car). Maybe that's a GM thing.

Ever try to stop an old truck with no power brakes? It certainly isn't easy, and don't forget that newer cars have more powerful brakes and weigh a lot more. Steering is the same story, but much, much worse with modern front-wheel-drive cars with all the weight up front.

It's much safer to simply shift into neutral, pull over, and then turn the engine off when you're at a low speed, as your power brakes will last a few more seconds after that happens.

If your gas pedal is stuck and you're flying down the highway, turn the car off or put the transmission in Neutral, and coast to the side of the road.

Don't call 911 and pray for Jesus.

Yay - Sienna is not on the list. Sigh, I drive a boring minivan.

Bingo. All the usual BS about GM would be trotted out but when the halo company is putting people at risk the fanboy apologists immediately hit the "But at least they're being up front and telling us about it" chestnut.

Yeah, when the Government starts sniffing around and people are dead. I work in the industry, I could tell you story after story. How about the Toyota lawyer coming forward about unsafe cars being foisted on the public? Toyota's not saying anything about the cars per se, they're just trying to silence their former attorney.

Funny, doesn't address the number of cases where this has happened in vehicles without floormats.

@shepd: NO!!! do not turn the engine off, shift into neutral, pull over, shut it off, adjust floor mat.

@jeffbone: You will still loose the power steering, better to change to neutral, pull over and switch to off.

Whoops!

If that's indeed true, automakers should post emergency-stop instructions next to the start/stop button to prevent another mishap like the San Diego incident; that is, in addition to designing better floor mats.

[nothingtoxic.com]

Does anyone know if this is related to the Prius' unfortunate tendency to "shoot" either forward or backward when you start it? I read that several people put their cars thru the garage wall (or door) and Toyota always blamed it on the floor mats.

@Saboth: I dunno, I appreciate the "can't slow down" sentiment more here.

@andyross: hear, hear!! would you trust some doofus software engineer with your life? i think not.

btw: harware engineer here. never, never, never, ever fly-by-wire.

I may try bringing it in anyway to present the issue.

@drizzt380:
With an automatic you can put a car in neutral just with your hand (you do not even have to push the button), no wasted time stepping on a clutch.

Also if the accelerator was stuck you could also just turn your key to off.

This makes me believe that this happened to a driver with no license anyone with driving experience knows how to move a stick to neutral or turn a key.

@Saboth:
I actually thoguht it WAS a "Total Recall" poster...
My eyes suck.

Toyota is having issue after issue after issue. This follows the bad run of Camry and Lexus ES transmissions in 2007.

Toyota just can't make cars as well as the domestic automakers do. Why can't they make cars Americans want to buy?

.. but first turn off the ignition. :)

Bad Consumerist! Bad! Bad! Bad! The Keanu "Speed" DVD cover! LOL. I keep telling my boyfriend his cheap, moves when you blow on, it saran wrap mats are gonna be the death of him. Hopefully, now my Pradas can get to know the cushy G35 factory mats a little better.

@Darklighter:

I think I would have thrown the sucker in neutral/reverse/park and let the engine blow before I crashed at 120.

I'm accelerating for no reason!!!
*clutch* *Neutral*
Now lets coast to a place I can fix this at.

Still, as someone else pointed out, it's curious that the vehicles affected stretch back 5 years!

Looks like Toyota couldn't pay away this one like they did with their engine sludging issue that never made it to recall status.

If you press those start/stop buttons while the car is in gear and in motion, will it shut down or ignore it?

Hyundai did that when they had the airbag recall. I went in and got the part fixed, but they still sent out a notice on how to properly deal with the passenger airbag.

@Darklighter: yeah exactly, and there's really no need.

if you use the included clamps on the floor there's no issue, but because it was a cop who died Toyota is getting a lot of pressure to do something.

@bnceo: it's a brake line issue, it wasn't insulated properly.

Mental note: if the car is running away with me, shift into neutral.

Related to this crash in San Diego county, that killed a CHP officer and his family.

THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME!

I own a '07 Lexus IS 350 and don't see how this is possible. The factory floor mats attach to clips in the carpet, but...

I was driving my secondary vehicle, a '97 Civic. I was driving across a bridge when all of a sudden my car starting accelerating for no reason. I downshifted and still kept picking up speed. At this point I'm going 80 in a 35. My heart is in my stomach and I'm slamming on my brakes but still accelerating. I keep it together, look down, and see my floormat shifted and was holding down the gas pedal. I quickly reached down and yanked it, and finally stopped.

Now, I know your life must feel empty and hollow, knowing that all this time, you could have been enjoying this fine piece of craftsmanship. Running your naked toes past the "T", feeling the high-quality stitching created lovingly, fated to one day end up on your floorboard, accompanying you on your journeys, telling you that everything is going to be OK.

I may die on my way home today, but at least I won't have to live even one moment without my Toyota drivers side floor mat to comfort me through another mindless commute.

@GitEmSteveDave_JustAddHotWater:
Now I've got a legitimate excuse for why I was speeding!

Except I don't have a Toyota.
Darn, almost-foolproof.

Sheesh.

Now wouldn't that make sense?

Thank you. I've let him know.

Also, Corollas are having an issue with a part that will freeze up during very cold climates. I forget the name, but it's a simple repair.

There are a lot of other aftermarket floor mats that could cause the same problem, especially if it bunches up around the gas pedal.