Toyota warns 3.8M of floor mats

David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau

Washington -- Toyota Motor Corp. began mailing notices this week to 3.8 million vehicle owners, urging them to remove their floor mats while it seeks a remedy for reports of sudden, unintended acceleration.

Toyota hasn't determined the factors behind a number of accidents, including the Aug. 28 wreck of a Lexus ES-350 in which an off-duty California Highway Patrolman and three others died.

Those factors may include floor mats, the accelerator pedal design, and the ignition system's software.

The Lexus ES-350 that crashed and burned, killing Officer Mark Saylor, his wife, 13-year-old daughter and brother-in-law, was a loaner from a dealership while Saylor's was being serviced.

It had the wrong all-weather floor mat -- one for a 2005-09 Lexus RX400H. The accelerator pedal was fused to the floor mat.

On Oct 5, Toyota agreed to recall 3.8 million vehicles, just days after the U.S. government issued an "urgent" warning to remove driver floor mats because they could jam.

But three weeks later, Toyota engineers in Japan and the United States haven't come up with a comprehensive fix. It could still be several months away, Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said Tuesday.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologized for the California crash.

One issue noted by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is that the accelerator pedal "forms a rigid, one-piece lever."

"Beyond the main pivot, the lever is not hinged and has no means for relieving forces caused by interferences," NHTSA said.

In addition, the Lexus had a push-button ignition system "with no emergency instaneous shut-off device."

"In the event that this vehicle was producing unwanted power, there was no ignition key" that could be turned to shut off the vehicle. "In place of a key is a software push button that delays engine shutdown for three seconds once depressed. The instruction is not indicated on the dashboard."