Biggest-ever Toyota Recall Announced; 3.8 Million Cars and Trucks

Toyota has announced the largest recall of vehicles in its US history.

According to the Associated Press, "Toyota says it will recall 3.8 million vehicles in the United States to address problems with a removable floor mat that could interfere with the vehicle's accelerator and cause a crash.

The company says it will be the largest recall in its history. Owners could learn about the safety campaign as early as next week.
2004 Prius

Toyota and the government warned owners of Toyota and Lexus vehicles about safety problems tied to the removable floor mats. They say the mats could interfere with the vehicle's accelerator and cause a crash.

The recall will affect 2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350.

Owners should take out the floor mats on the driver's side and not replace them. When Toyota develops a "fix" for the problem, the affected cars and trucks will be recalled to dealerships for replacement or retrofitted floor mats.

Toyota's previously largest recall was about 900,000 vehicles in 2005 to fix a steering issue." (end AP quote)
Lexus IS250 at the 2008 Paris Auto Show

Automotive News also reported: "NHTSA said it issued the warning because of continued reports of vehicles accelerating rapidly after drivers released the accelerator.

"This is an urgent matter," U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in the statement. "We strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration."

The reported acceleration problems appeared to be related to with unsecured mats, the configuration of the accelerator pedal and the process for shutting off engines in some vehicles that have keyless ignitions.

Toyota recalled in September 2007 an all-weather floor mat from some 2007 and 2008 Lexus ES 350 and Toyota Camry vehicles because of similar problems, NHTSA said." (end Automotive News quote)

The Los Angeles Times reported: "Last month, a San Diego man and three passengers were killed in a high-speed crash that the driver, in a call to 911 prior to the accident, said was being caused by a floor mat wedged into the accelerator.

"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," the company said in a statement.

Toyota said the vehicles would be recalled once it develops a remedy to the problem.

Until then, the automaker said owners of the affected vehicles should take out any removable driver's side floor mats and not replace them with any other floor mat." (end LA Times quoute)

It's not clear when Toyota and Lexus dealers will replace or retrofit the removed floor mats.

Lexus RX

This recall comes on the heels of another large Toyota recall announced last month, when the company launched a voluntary Safety Recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) involving approximately 95,700 Toyota and Scion vehicles sold in the United State for a problem affecting vehicles in cold-weather parts of the country which could cause increased braking distances.

Recalls are the bane of all carmakers; they are embarrassing, expensive and often remain in the public's consciousness for a long time.

In a recall done in concert with or at the order of the government, all owners of the affected vehicles must be contacted by the carmaker, an expensive proposition in itself, and all repair work must be done by authorized dealers at no cost whatsoever to the consumer.

Carmakers often issue "TSBs" or Technical Service Bulletins to their dealer repair departments which list defects the manufacturer has found with vehicles, but which have not risen, at that point, to the level of necessitating an official recall.
2007 Toyota Camry

These TSBs are sometimes called "secret recalls" because the manufacturer does not have to make the information available to all affected vehicle owners nor fix the problem for free when a vehicle with the problem comes in for service. Owners usually don't know about these TSBs and the carmaker does not have to contact owners with TSB information. If an owner does not report the specific problem described in the TSB when bringing a vehicle in for service, the dealer does not have to inform the owner or make that specific repair.

This floor mat recall is a bit unusual because owners are being asked to "make a fix" right away and on their own; this tell us the government considers the problem an immediate and important safety risk. Toyota and Lexus will recall the affected vehicles to dealers when a full repair is developed.

In most instances of recalls, we recommend calling an authorized dealer to check on whether or not your car is part of the recall, and, if it is, to make an appointment with the dealer so the bug can be fixed in reasonably fast time. As with all recalls, the vehicle owner pays nothing for the service performed by the dealer and the dealer can not ask for any payment.

Full recall and TSB information for all cars and trucks sold in the US is available at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website, www.NHTSA.gov.

 

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Comments

[SuperV]

I should add that the random door lock issue is well known for my 2002 model (searching the internet) and yet Toyota has never issued a recall for THAT problem

[SuperV]

I have been a Toyota Customer since 1993. In that time I have owned three Toyotas: A Corolla that I drove into the ground, a 1999 Camry, and a 2002 Camry. The first two vehicles were excellent and largely trouble free (my Corolla's exhaust manifold cracked at 120K miles and a few nits easily corrected).

My disappointment began with my 2002. First, the vaunted dealer service which had reliably taken care of me no questions asked let me down by failing to perform routine maintenance (fluid changes) when requested and according to the schedule. I found later that my transmission fluid (after having requested it changed and asking them twice later on to double check) had turned to brown sludge. Now I know better than to not check my fluids, but I trusted the dealers and was let down.

Then the defects: Stereo speakers, random door locks not working and then mysteriously working again, gas gauge going on the fritz, tires that dry rotted within a year of my purchase, inexplicable squeaks and rattles, and so on.

Next time I'll buy a Chevy. I'll expect the defects, and maybe poor service, but I wont shell out thousands extra and I wont be utterly disappointed.

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

Well, uh, yeah ... this IS 'slightly' off-topic.

The mainstream media has reported on this problem between the carmakers and the dealers they have dropped (GM and Chrysler). It's just not the 'sexiest' story i the world and the other thing is that there is a lot of work in DC and behind the scenes trying to get a better deal for those dealers that have been dropped.

And puhleeze ... stop with the "government seizures and takeovers" talk. The only option for both GM and Chrysler was to unemploy another 500,000 people by letting the companies go out of business.

Steve

[aj88]

Our Government did not "let the companies go" they gave them 30 days notice, defied state franchise agreements and did not follow any bankruptcy protection protocol, they seized their franchises and passed them along to neighboring dealers. Normal attrition was not able to transpire. The mainstream media had reported the closures not the ramifications. We will never have an opportunity to actually know what would have taken place if the government did not intervene. I would speculate that the main stream media will not report the outcome of today's congressional hearing. I'll continue to rely solely on Automotive News unless you, as an insider, feel motivated to report on what has happened, plus with Jim Press going bankrupt, you can intercede scandal while bringing attention to the folks facing hardships.

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

I'll post on this topic if and when Congress comes to the dealers' aid. They're working on it right now.
Steve

[WiseLonghorn]

I've had three service campaign alerts from Lexus for my car since 2006. 1 safety recall and 2 service alerts..which I guess would be the TSB equivalent. I'm also registered with them on the MyLexus site and it's pretty good about keeping track of the alerts for your car and your service records. However, I always have to verbally ask the dealer if they are going to check because they aren't necessarily going to do the work unless you ask. I'll have to think about my matt situation....I haven't had an issue with them to date but I have the Lexus plastic clear matts over the rug matts...I know..it's like wrapping your furniture in plastic...but it keeps the carpet cleaner and those suckers don't move.

[aj88]

Steve-I'm a bit off topic (with the exception this is automotive related) Please visit www.youtube.com/rejecteddealers and follow the remarkable government seizures and takeover of the automotive business. I would imagine that Automotive News has provided you a wealth of information regarding Congressional steps to remedy. The media refuses to report and the word needs to get out to the American people as to what has transpired. If our Government can so hastily seize franchises for automotive dealers they can easily seize other franchises under the guise of their newly adopted "stress testing"

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

What was interesting was hearing the phrase "Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker" at the top of the stories the TV folks were doing about the recall. On the safety side, here's my stock line: All cars and trucks sold in the US have to meet the same minimum safety standards.
Steve

[therealredstateblues]

Toytoas "gains" came at the losses at GM they aren't selling more cars than they did in prior years or more cars then GM did just a short time ago

[RW11]

What is your point?

[Weathermaker]

If you drive a stick: press the clutch to disconnect the engine from the wheels and use the emergency brake to stop (if the normal brake doesn't work). The engine can rev up til it readlines, but the car will stop.

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

Good advice. The only problem is that fewer than 5% of cars and trucks sold in the US have what we oldtimers used to call a 'slushbox' transmission. Also, no reason the brakes would be hindered ... unless the floor mat intrudes there, too ...
Steve

[sheeple723]

I hope this gets plastered all over front pages everywhere (you know if it was GM or Ford it would).

Between this, the infamous sludge problem (you want to read some good stuff, Google Toyota sludge problem, complete with Toyota denying the problem and blaming customers for "poor maintenance practices"), the Tundra being a quality nightmare, and Honda airbags killing people, it's a good time to buy American.

I'd rather replace an alternator or a window motor in my Pontiac than die because I couldn't stop my Camry from running a red...

[therealredstateblues]

exactly - if this were a US brand the MSM would be drum beating it to death, barely a mention since its the beloved Toyota - even though its one of the biggest recalls in history

shocked shocked that Toytoa would have a safety or quality problem

[Steve Parker - Huffpost Blogger]

The recall story was the lead on every newscast I watched last night --- locally here in Los Angeles and the national networks. It was on the 'front page' of every newspaper website I checked (including here at the Huff Post) and remains so today. In fact, I write a column each week for the Santa Monica Daily Press newspaper, and we're running a 'special edition' of the column this Friday all about the recall.
Keep in mind that often large advertisers get 'special' treatment from their media outlets ... I see Toyota getting hammered everywhere I look, which is a nice surprise, coming from the media which makes hundreds of millions off their advertising.
Steve