Toyota Recalls 3.8 Million Vehicles

This is somewhat old news but it’s still very much in play so it’s worth mentioning.

Toyota has recalled about 3.8 million vehicles citing an issue with floormats that could cause the throttle to stick. The problem is suspected of causing accidents that have killed five people, four of whom were in one accident. According to NHTSA:

The models involved in the recall are: 2007 to 2010 MY Camry, 2005 to 2010 MY Avalon, 2004 to 2009 MY Prius, 2005-2010 MY Tacoma, 2007-2010 MY Tundra, 2007-2010 MY ES 350, 2006-2010 MY IS 250, and 2006 to 2010 MY IS 350.

The original floormats will be replaced and the accelerator pedals will be reshaped. Toyota will also install a brake override system in Toyota Camry, Avalon models and Lexus ES350, IS350 and IS250 models. This system will shut the engine off in the event both the throttle and brake are simultaneously pressed. At first blush this seems like a bad idea but I don’t know the details.

The company has budgeted $5.6 billion for this campaign.

[Source: Automotive News]