In a move that will catch the attention of Toyota owners, the carmaker announced Wednesday that it was recalling more than 4 million of its vehicles in order to modify gas pedals and make other alterations to fix potential sudden acceleration problems.
By the end of the year, Toyota will start directly notifying vehicle owners about the nationwide recall, which involved recent model years of the Camry, Avalon, Prius, Tacoma, Tundra and three Lexus models.
Owners have already been requested to remove the driver-side floor mat to avoid entrapping the gas pedal.
The changes may have come too late for one area family.
According to a preliminary report by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the high-speed crash in Santee this past August that killed California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor and three members of his family was apparently due to the pedal becoming entrapped by a floor mat. Saylor was driving a loaner Lexus ES 350 at the time of the crash.
In January, the automaker will reportedly offer to shorten the pedal by three-quarters of an inch and provide it more rounded edges as a temporary remedy. New pedals will be installed by dealers starting in April.
For the Lexus ES 350 and Toyota’s Camry and Avalon models, Toyota will replace the Styrofoam padding beneath the floor carpet with thinner material and install a brake override system. Toyota indicated owners of those models would be the first to get notification because the vehicles are believed to have the greatest risk for pedal entrapment.
The new brake system is designed to cut the power in the event of a sudden acceleration incident in which the pedal and brakes are pressed simultaneously. Toyota plans to make the brake override system standard equipment throughout the Toyota and Lexus lineup by the end of next year.
While the recalls may be a hassle for some drivers, correcting a potentially life-threatening problem will be worth it in the long run.
VEHICLES TO BE RECALLED
2004-2009 Toyota Prius
2005-2010 Toyota Avalon
2005-2010 Toyota Tacoma
2006-2010 Lexus IS 250
2006-2010 Lexus IS 350
2007-2010 Lexus ES 350
2007-2010 Toyota Tundra
2007-2010 Toyota Camry
Comments