Another Toyota Recall Issued Due to Sticking Gas Pedal Risk

Toyota is once again issuing a massive recall due to problems that may cause some of their vehicles to accelerate out of control. This time the Japanese automaker is recalling about 2.2 million vehicles to replace the floor mats, which may get caught on the accelerator and cause gas pedals to stick.  

This latest Toyota recall was announced on February 24, affecting certain model years for the Toyota Highlander, Lexus RX 330, Lexus RX 350, Lexus RX 400h, Lexus GS 300 and Lexus GS 350 vehicles. In addition, Toyota is amending a November 2009 recall to add nearly an additional 1.4 million vehicles. In all of the recalls, the driver’s side floor carpeting and pads are being replaced or reshaped to prevent sudden, unintended acceleration.

Similar problems led to the recall of millions of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in 2009 and early 2010. Those Toyota recalls were issued in waves, starting with 3.8 million vehicles recalled for floor mat problems in September 2009, followed by other recalls that eventually affected about 11 million vehicles by Spring of 2010. This week’s recall is the first issued by Toyota for acceleration problems in nearly a year.

The recall affects about 372,000 2004 through early 2007 RX 330, RX 350 and RX 400h vehicles, as well as 397,000 2004 through 2006 Highlander and Highlander HV vehicles that will have the driver’s side floor carpet cover and two retention clips replaced. There are also about 20,000 2006 and early 2007 model year GS 300 and GS 350 All-Wheel Drive vehicles being recalled in order to modify the shape of the plastic pad under the driver’s side floor carpet.

The majority of vehicles being recalled are actually part of what Toyota is calling an “amendment” to a November 2009 recall. Toyota has now announced that it is adding an additional 603,000 2003 through 2009 4Runners, 761,000 2006 through 2010 RAV4s and 17,000 2008 through 2011 Lexus LX 570s to that recall. All of the vehicles affected by that recall are having gas pedals reshaped or floor surfaces reconfigured to prevent sticking gas pedals and SUA.

The recalls come about two weeks after federal regulators determined that the Toyota accelerator problems were not due to defective electronic throttles. Investigators from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a 10-month study into allegations that it was actually an electronics defect causing SUA problems.

In December, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that Toyota was being fined $32.4 million as the result of two federal investigations into how it handled unintended acceleration recalls and steering rod defects. Government investigators say the company stalled on the recalls and failed to notify federal safety officials about the problems in a timely manner. The fines are the maximum allowed by law.

About 400 Toyota personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits have been centralized and consolidated under Judge James V. Selna for pretrial proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Santa Ana as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL). All of the lawsuits contain allegations that drivers or passengers experienced an injury or death after their Toyota vehicles accelerated unexpectedly out of control. The first trial is not expected to begin until early 2013.

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