The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

If you drive a Toyota, whether a car, truck, or SUV, check your floor mat on the driver’s side. Toyota has issued what it calls a “safety advisory” and what the FDA calls a “recall” of all-weather floor mats in seven models.

These are considered dangerous floor mats because they can get stuck to the accelerator pedal and cause your vehicle to surge forward when you are not expecting that. This could clearly cause an auto accident – perhaps a rear-end collision.

In the U.S. there are about 3.8 million Lexus and Toyota cars on the roads. Not all of them have these dangerous mats. They are removable mats, the kind that naturally slides up towards the driver pedals and must be routinely pulled back into position. It is not clear from news reports why these particular mats get stuck to the accelerator .

There was a fatal car accident involving a 2009 ES350 in San Diego that a Lexus dealer lent to someone. Investigators have indicated that the floor mat could have been the cause. The U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, has said:

• “This is an urgent matter. For everyone's sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration."

Toyota is planning to recall the mats but in the meantime, all Toyota drivers are asked to remove their driver’s side floor mats for safety’s sake.

Models With Defective Floor Mats

The Toyota models involved are:

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra

• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS 350.

Discovering defective products has become a routine part of life these days and reporting on them is a popular topic for journalists. In this instance, you can easily remove the offending item from your car and continue driving safely.

If you have been severely hurt by a product you bought – a defective vehicle, defective medical device, or defective drug – please contact our experienced attorneys today for a free case review. We have offices nationwide for your convenience.

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