Toyota to recalls 2.17 million vehicles in the United States due to unintended acceleration!!!

Yet another safety recall for Toyota and Lexus vehicles, but it’s only happens in the United States due to a problem of accelerator pedals that may get trapped in floor mats or carpeting. So far there are no official words from UMW Toyota Malaysia whether this problem will effects to Malaysia bound cars.

A total of 2.17 million Toyota and Lexus in the States were needed to be inspected and repair the accelerator pedals where more than half of the recalled vehicles or 1.54 million are being added from the massive recalls lists that happens in 2009 which also due to the same problem.

This latest recalls were announce exactly a year after Toyota President Akio Toyoda stands before the States congress to testified whether Toyota has recalled enough vehicles following reports of unintended acceleration.

The vehicles that will be involve in the latest recalls will be the 2006 and early 2007 Lexus GS 300 and GS350 all wheel drive sedan that needs to be modified the shape of the plastic pad embedded in the driver’s side floor carpet where if the floor carpet around the accelerator pedal is not properly replaced after service, there is a possibility that the plastic pad embedded into the floor carpet may interfere with operation of accelerator pedal. A total of 20,000 units of this Lexus GS model will be subjected to this recalls.

Besides that GS model, Toyota also will be recalling 372,000 of 2004 to early 2007 Lexus RX 330, RX 350 and RX 400h and 397,000 Toyota Highlander and Highlander HV vehicles that were sold from 2004 to 2006 model to replace the driver’s side floor carpet cover and its two retention clips. For this model, Toyota explained that if the forward retention clip used to secure the floor carpet cover located in front of the centre console is not installed properly, the cover may lean forward towards the accelerator pedal and interfere the operation of the accelerator pedal arm.

The next model that will join this massive recall is Toyota 4Runner SUV with a total of 603,000 of year 2003 to model year 2009, 17,000 units of Lexus LX 570 SUV’s sold from 2008 through 2011 model years and 761,000 Toyota RAV4 vehicles sold from 2006 to 2010 model years. These models involved were also recalled due to possible floor mat entrapment of the accelerator pedal.

Vehicles owners that will be involved in this recall will be notified by the Toyota and Lexus dealers soon and Toyota will perform the recalls at no charge.

source: Automotive News