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.

If you drive a pickup, SUV or minivan and have replaced your tires at some point, you need to check your tires to see if they're unsafe. To save money, a company in China produced their tires without an important safety step. As a result, after a short period of time, the tires shred right off the car. The importer knew there was a safety problem but didn't alert the government. People have been hurt, so you need to be aware of the brands that were sold with this serious safety defect:
YKS
Compass
Telluride
Westlake
The following sizes are defective:
LT235/75R-15, LT225/75R-16, LT235/85R-16, Lt245/75R-16, LT265/85R-16, and LT3X10.5-15.

China's economy is expanding rapidly and in a chaotic fashion, and this is not the only case of defective merchandise. We've heard of the unsafe toys and dog food, and now there are reports of antifreeze being put in toothpaste to extend its shelf life. (Never mind what it does to the consumer!) This is damaging the reputation of products from mainland China.

Intelligent keys are coming out with lots of new models of cars. Many times they make life a little easier, but the smart key for the new Nissan Altimas have had just the opposite effect. If your smart key is right next to your cell phone and your phone rings, the I-key is permanently disabled. There is no way to fix it, and these I-key’s cost about $400 a pop. Nissan is including I-key malfunctions under the factory warranty so if you have been affected by this, call the dealer you bought your car from.

Cars are the best deal and the best quality they’ve ever been. So how could it be that 31 million cars were recalled last year? The first reason is that cars are often made using “platform manufacturing.” Basically, they make multiple models of a car using one platform. So if one has a problem, they all have a problem. The second reason is the Internet. The Center for Auto Safety can easily track information about problems with vehicles and tell others about it using the Internet. So, before, an automaker could cover up problems, but now they are much better publicized. Still, many people don’t know if there has been recall or problem regarding their car. And even if they do, some don’t get those problems fixed. So, remember to look at alldata.com for information periodically. The site won’t tell you how to fix the problem, but it will tell you what the problems are. You have to keep up with this information because you may not always find out through other sources, and it could cost you.

One-third of people who have gotten recall notices about their cars do not take them in for repair, according to Consumer Reports. It could be a serious safety issue, not to mention that these are free repairs. Apparently, the same is true of toys and other products. Consumer Reports said that more than half of all toys recalled are never replaced. Car seats are the same. Would you believe that three-quarters of the time, parents don't bring their car seats in for repair or replacement? We're talking about our children's lives. Cosmetics is another product that can damage your health if not carefully selected. You can find out about all of these items at recalls.gov. If you want to find out about your vehicle, just enter the cars section and enter the type of car you have. Use the resources available to you to protect yourself and your loved ones.