Toyota floor mat recalls affects 4 million drivers on clarkhoward.com

Toyota has announced one of the largest recalls ever in the history of auto recalls, affecting 4 million Toyota and Lexus owners.

However, this is something of an odd recall because it involves a floor mat! Toyota's floor mats are suspected of contributing to the road death of a California family of four. The mat can jumble up near the gas pedal and cause the car to accelerate out of control.

According to Toyota, the following makes and model years are affected:

2007-10 Camry
2005-10 Avalon
2007-10 Tundra
2005-10 Tacoma
2004-09 Prius
2007-10 Lexus ES 350
2006-10 Lexus IS 250/350

The remedy here is quite simple. Take the floor mat out and just get your carpet dirty.

This recall has gotten a lot of publicity, but so many others go under the radar. For example, Clark had issues with a gas cap that would not open on one of his vehicles. So he went online to research the issue and found that this was a widespread problem. He printed out some supporting material and went to the dealer expecting pushback. But the dealer was happy to replace the cap for him once they pried it off!

Many times when there's no official recall, there still may be a technical service bulletin (TSB) from the manufacturer. AutoSafety.org will keep you abreast of TSBs and full-blown recalls alike.

The sad thing about recalls is that it's estimated only one out of three people will comply once notified.

What others are saying

Toyota Follies
I find credibility a real issue since this whole Toyota issue cropped up. Clark trashed domestic auto companies like an old girlfriend forever. Why are you so "unserving" when it comes to the Japanese companies? Are they padding your pockets?? You've been mum about almost everything but trash anything domestic without a second thought?? I don't get it? Money makes people do stupid things, gotten stupid?
By Ben Ellis @ 02/22/10 12:02:42 AMreport abuse
Toyota sales suspension
The information about Toyota on clarkhoward.com is woefully obsolete.
By Ed @ 01/27/10 06:04:14 PMreport abuse
Floor mat recall
So now that the mats are out of the truck and the mud is in, will I be getting new mats from the
dealer or what?? Where do we go from here?
By Austa @ 12/02/09 07:47:42 PMreport abuse
Floor mats
I was just wondering how many cars crashed with this problem was the mat a standard company mat was it hooked right at least my car has a lock like grove to keep it in place was the driver aware did he fix it if not how many american cars were in the same situation I do think we americans look the other way when it comes to laws as a driver who was speeding could have the car mfg. held resposible for all my speeding tickets and accidents blame it on the hi tech cars lets all gets clunkers and drive slowly even it means we spend more on gas. clark will love to bash me on his next show. thanks abe
By Abe @ 10/02/09 12:34:10 AMreport abuse
RIP and LOL
I give my condolences to the family and friends of the family who was killed in Cali, but I also have to laugh, not at their deaths, but at the fact an auto company would institute a recall over floor mats. I have to assume ALL these floor mats have a large rubber border around them or at least at the top, because without one even if you pushed the floor mat all the way up under the pedals it would not affect your ability to press down or pull the mat back out while driving. The guy had enough time to call 911 and talk for awhile before they crashed, why he didn't just pull the mat out from under the pedals dumbfounds me. This is was leads me to assume those floor mats have a large rubber/plastic border that acted like a hook of some sort and was stuck so bad it couldn't be pulled out. Interesting, I gotta go investigate.
By Chris @ 10/01/09 11:32:45 AMreport abuse

Toyota Follies

I find credibility a real issue since this whole Toyota issue cropped up. Clark trashed domestic auto companies like an old girlfriend forever. Why are you so "unserving" when it comes to the Japanese companies? Are they padding your pockets?? You've been mum about almost everything but trash anything domestic without a second thought?? I don't get it? Money makes people do stupid things, gotten stupid?

By Ben Ellis @ 02/22/10 12:02:42 AMreport abuse

Toyota sales suspension

The information about Toyota on clarkhoward.com is woefully obsolete.

By Ed @ 01/27/10 06:04:14 PMreport abuse

Floor mat recall

So now that the mats are out of the truck and the mud is in, will I be getting new mats from the
dealer or what?? Where do we go from here?

By Austa @ 12/02/09 07:47:42 PMreport abuse

Floor mats

I was just wondering how many cars crashed with this problem was the mat a standard company mat was it hooked right at least my car has a lock like grove to keep it in place was the driver aware did he fix it if not how many american cars were in the same situation I do think we americans look the other way when it comes to laws as a driver who was speeding could have the car mfg. held resposible for all my speeding tickets and accidents blame it on the hi tech cars lets all gets clunkers and drive slowly even it means we spend more on gas. clark will love to bash me on his next show. thanks abe

By Abe @ 10/02/09 12:34:10 AMreport abuse

RIP and LOL

I give my condolences to the family and friends of the family who was killed in Cali, but I also have to laugh, not at their deaths, but at the fact an auto company would institute a recall over floor mats. I have to assume ALL these floor mats have a large rubber border around them or at least at the top, because without one even if you pushed the floor mat all the way up under the pedals it would not affect your ability to press down or pull the mat back out while driving. The guy had enough time to call 911 and talk for awhile before they crashed, why he didn't just pull the mat out from under the pedals dumbfounds me. This is was leads me to assume those floor mats have a large rubber/plastic border that acted like a hook of some sort and was stuck so bad it couldn't be pulled out. Interesting, I gotta go investigate.

By Chris @ 10/01/09 11:32:45 AMreport abuse

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Sep 30, 2009 -- Toyota floor mat recalls affects 4 million drivers

What others are saying