Toward the end of last summer (September 30, 2009) we reported that Toyota was recalling 3.8 million cars and trucks made between 2005 and 2010. At the time, the company claimed this was merely a problem with “accessory all-weather floor mats” sold in some models. In other words, it had nothing to do with the vehicle itself. The remedy was simply to remove the driver-side floor mat.
Shortly after, in late November, we reported on another Toyota announcement that they would “fix” the problem by installing shorter accelerators in the recalled Toyota and Lexus vehicles. So it wasn’t a poorly designed floor mat, but a gas pedal that was too long?
Skip forward to January of 2010 and things begin to heat up for Toyota. They announced a recall on millions of vehicles made between 2005 and 2010 because of a mechanical problem with the accelerator.
And just today (February 2nd, 2010) CNN is reporting that federal investigators are looking into whether the sticking accelerators are a result of a mechanical problem or if the issue has to do with the electrical system – in which case, the recent fix announced by Toyota would not actually be addressing the problem.
We have an open question for Toyota: Is it the all-weather floor mat accessory, the gas pedal length, mechanical friction in the accelerator assembly, or an electrical problem? Or are they separate issues?
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