Floor mat advisory issued for Toyota
and Lexus vehicles
Toyota Truck Accelerator (Source: Rick Ireton)
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Toyota and Lexus issued an advisory for millions of cars and trucks because of potentially faulty floor mats that may have sent at least one vehicle on a deadly collision course.
Five Toyota and two Lexus models are under an advisory. Anyone who owns one of the nearly four million cars under the advisory can expect to get a letter in the mail soon. Below is a list of the affected models:
Toyota Camry (2007-2010)
Toyota Avalon (2005-2010)
Toyota Prius (2004-2009)
Toyota Tacoma (2005-2010)
Toyota Tundra (2007-2010)
Lexus ES350 (2007-2010)
Lexus IS250 and IS350 (2006-2010)
A terrifying 911 call was made from inside a Lexus ES-350 on a California interstate in August. The driver, Mark Saylor, a California Highway Patrol officer, cried out for help as his car quickly approached the end of the road. Investigators believe an all-weather floor mat found in the wreckage, which was slightly longer than the mat that belonged in the car, could have covered the accelerator pedal. The mat may have caused the car to speed up to 120 miles per hour down the interstate and crash.
Three of Saylor's family members were also in the car. All four people died. The victims were Saylor and his wife, Cleofe, both 45; their daughter Mahala, 13 and Cleofe Saylor's brother, Chris Lastrella, 38.
Col. John LeBlanc with the Highway Traffic Safety Administration said there have been 102 complaints nationwide of accelerators getting stuck in Toyota cars. Investigators are unsure about the exact states those complaints came from.
"If you think you own one of these vehicles that have been affected, the simplest, most convenient thing to do is take out the driver's side floor mat," he said.
According to Ken Cox with Team Toyota on O'Neal Lane, the company is working on a letter campaign to fill people in about the advisory. He said Toyota is going to jump right on the situation and examine exactly what happened. Though rare, he admitted mats can slide and end up pushing down the accelerator.
If the car accelerates out of control and the floor mat can't be removed, Cox suggested the driver step on the brake pedal with both feet, try putting it in neutral and switch the ignition to accessory power. He said it's important to make sure properly installed factory mats are in your car.
If you have any questions or concerns, you can call Team Toyota at 272-7799 or (800) 331-4331. Call Lexus at (800)-255-3987.
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