Toyota has issued its largest safety recall ever, covering about 3.8 million cars, over floor mat designs on that could wedge themselves against the gas pedal and force rapid, unintended acceleration.
The mat design was implicated in the fatal accident that killed a family of four in a Lexus ES 350 loaner vehicle. In that vehicle, the removable mat became lodged against the accelerator pedal forcing the vehicle to reach speeds around 120 mph.
“A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death,” said Toyota in a statement.
The recall covers Toyota models including the 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma and 2007-2010 Tundra. The automaker also recalled the following Lexus models: 2007-2010 ES 350, and the 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS 350.
