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A New Recall from Toyota Covers a Floor Mat Linked to a Recent San Diego Accident

A Toyota recall list has been issued to fix Toyota floor mats. The September 2009 Toyota recall also includes 3.8 million vehicles, and encompasses their Lexus brand. According to the Toyota Company’s main press website, the problem with the cars is that the floor mat can become entangled. Toyota Recall September 2009 List Includes 3.8 Million Vehicles with Faulty Floor Mats with the accelerator pedal. In news out of San Diego, it was this reason that led to the crash of a family driving a Lexus where the floor mat snagged the gas pedal and sent it up to 120 miles per hour before the vehicle crashed into an SUV. The mats have been blamed for that accident, and now the Toyota recall could be one of the biggest in automotive history.

According to the Toyota press release on the floor mat recall, “Recent events have prompted Toyota to take a closer look at the potential for an accelerator pedal to get stuck in the full open position due to an unsecured or incompatible driver’s floor mat.” They go on to talk about the dangers of an accelerator pedal being stuck, and that high vehicle speeds can lead to even more dangerous situations. That part is self-explanatory, but leads to their revelation of why the Toyota and Lexus recall has become necessary. They also consider this to be an extremely critical recall, and that anyone with one of the effected vehicles needs to act immediately. The list of affected vehicles is found on page two of this article.

This is a very smart move by Toyota, and one that is probably going to cost them a lot of money in the end. By putting their customer safety ahead of a few extra dollars though, they could be extending a lot of good will to their customer base, and further ensuring that they have repeat consumers using their vehicles. Toyota has also taken steps to educate drivers on what they should do if their car does end up with a stuck accelerator. The most important tip is to press the break pedal and shift the car into neutral, or if it is one of their button-start engines to simply depress the button for a full three seconds to get the engine to turn off. These are both useful steps, and if you wish to read more about the Toyota warnings, I have linked the press release at the end of this article.

Source: AssociatedContent

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The Artega GT is the world’s first car with bodywork made entirely of polyurethane. The roof and bonnet now contain paper honeycomb in order to provide even greater rigidity and reduce weight. And the underbody now consists of aluminium honeycomb material, which is also more rigid and lightweight.  By implementing extensive safety measures in the chassis, including a frontal deformation zone and side impact protection, and after undergoing numerous crash tests, the Artega GT has attained a level of safety that is comparable with large production series cars. The four airbags, seatbelt tensioners and ultra-modern Bosch chassis systems set standards that have not previously been seen in small series production cars. In addition, the Artega GT now also has engine electronics that have been newly developed in order to ensure that they suit the car’s characteristics perfectly. The exceptional agility of the Artega GT is assisted by the double-shift gearbox that has been specially manufactured by Volkswagen. The originally planned series transmission was not compatible with this requirement. The unique technological package is rounded off by a state-of-the-art on-board electrical system that would normally only be seen in large scale production, as well as the latest in headlight technology and wing mirrors, which already meet the latest legal requirements.

Source: Artega

Artega GT Technical Data

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