Has anybody here experienced any problems with the driverside floor mat getting caught on the accelerator pedal? I haven't although I have the Lexus customized clear mats on top so maybe they are holding the carpet mats down. The recommendation is to remove the mat. Just wondering if anyone in the LOC is having problems and what Lexus plans to do to rectify the problem.

The carpet mats are held in place by hooks. As I understand it the accessory mats that to over those are not held down. There have been valid reports of those sliding and mashing the accelerator resulting in unintended acceleration. It's also been reported in other Lexus models. If it were me, I'd remove them.

See here:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Toyota-to-re...738225.html?x=0

I have the rubber all weather mats....held in place with the hook.
Dunno if they are supposedly causing a problem also.



3.8 Million Toyota, Lexus Recalled Over Floor Mats

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration issued a wide-ranging recall late today for 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The recall stems from faulty floormats that can become stuck under the accelerator pedal causing unexpected acceleration. The defect is suspected to be the cause of one recent fatal accident.

The recall includes the following models:

2007-2010 Camry
2005-2010 Avalon
2004-2009 Prius
2005-2010 Tacoma
2007-2010 Tundra
2007-2010 ES 350
2006-2010 IS 250 and IS350
NHTSA suggests all owners remove the driver-side floormat from these cars immediately and not replace them with anything. Toyota has released a warning for owners including steps to take in case of an accelerator issue. We've posted the notice below.

Toyota Notice

Should the vehicle continue to accelerate rapidly after releasing the accelerator pedal, this could be an indication of floor mat interference. If this occurs, Toyota recommends the driver take the following actions:

First, if it is possible and safe to do so, pull back the floor mat and dislodge it from the accelerator pedal; then pull over and stop the vehicle.

If the floor mat cannot be dislodged, then firmly and steadily step on the brake pedal with both feet. Do NOT pump the brake pedal repeatedly as this will increase the effort required to slow the vehicle.

Shift the transmission gear selector to the Neutral (N) position and use the brakes to make a controlled stop at the side of the road and turn off the engine.

If unable to put the vehicle in Neutral, turn the engine OFF, or to ACC. This will not cause loss of steering or braking control, but the power assist to these systems will be lost.

-If the vehicle is equipped with an Engine Start/Stop button, firmly and steadily push the button for at least three seconds to turn off the engine. Do NOT tap the Engine Start/Stop button.

-If the vehicle is equipped with a conventional key-ignition, turn the ignition key to the ACC position to turn off the engine. Do NOT remove the key from the ignition as this will lock the steering wheel.

In the event owners choose not to remove their floor mat, Toyota strongly recommends that they ensure that the correct floor mat is being used, that it is properly installed and secured, that it is not flipped over with bottom-side up, and that one floor mat is not stacked over another. Information on proper floor mat installation can be found on http://www.toyota.com and http://www.lexus.com.

Owners with questions or concerns, are asked to please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center (1 800 331-4331) or Lexus Customer Assistance Center (1 800 255¬3987), or consult the information posted at http://www.toyota.com and http://www.lexus.com.

I looked at the mat on my IS AWD this morning. Unless they get off the hooks, I don't see how they could slide over my gas pedal.

This discussion is happening in another thread as well. So I'll ask the same thing here:

We occasionally get people in complaining "vehicle accelerates by itself." In most cases it's been that they put the all weather mats on top of the carpet mats. If you have clear plastic mats they aren't made by Lexus. As of right now the only redesigned mat is the ES350 all weather. That one has been out for about a year now. I haven't received any notice from Lexus about the IS. Usually they want us to send stock back and then they put a "stop sale" on them.

Some people are idiots. NHTSA and Toyota have to try to protect them from themselves. Even if all weather mats have grommets they aren't gong to go in the hooks if you put them on top of the carpet mats.

You would think the recall would be more specific as to what type of mats are causing the problem. As mentioned earlier, the Lexus Custom carpeted mats with the grommets that go over the hooks should be good to go but only if they are properly installed. I have an 92 Accord that I bought new and the mats in that car have always slid. My IS has just under 33,000 miles and I've never experienced a sliding problem; even with the clear protective mats that I purchased from the Lexus dealer as they aren't going anywhere with all the cleats on the bottom that are biting & gripping into the carpeted mats. Personnally, I'd recommend that everyone physically attempt to get their mats to slide no matter what type and then make an educated decision on whether to pull them or not. If they move, I'd err on the side of caution and remove them.

What worries is me is that this is an attempt by Toyota to make it look like they are doing something, and deflecting attention away from the California incident, that may signal a much more troublesome underlying problem.

If you're talking about the state trooper, has any definitive cause been decided on that?

But that would not be a problem unique to Toyota. Either the gov put lots of pressure on Toyota because of the family that was killed in the Lexus crash, or Toyota does believe that there is somthing about the design that makes them more prone to riding over the gas pedal.

My other car is a Honda, and my prior car was an Acura. Honda doesn't use chintzy plastic hooks like in my IS that feel like they are about to come loose from the carpet to hold their mats in place--they use metal ones that are much more secure. Maybe this is the problem?

the news reports have only speculated, but one report also said that it had the wrong mats, I think. My local dealer puts cheap mats in their loaners with the name of the dealer on them--possible it's the same situation?

I was thinking the same thing about the dealership mats. I just bought an 06 IS 250 last weekend...yep, I'm a newbie and loving it so far. But the dealership did have a flimsy mat with their logo on it right on top of the factory mat...same color and all. I took it out right away but that was just because I do not like promoting a dealership all over my car. I would not be surprised if that was the case too...

On a side note, I have the dealership logo emblem on the back trunk, I have removed these before but I have read about the sensitive paint on a Lexus. Has anyone had issues with removing one from their car?

Some pressures and perhaps some PR reaction from Toyota. I think also the regular mats can be improperly put in without engaging the hooks or maybe having the hooks turned backwards.

I'm thinking that Toyota/Lexus agreed to the mat recall for acouple different reasons. One would be that it will keep the NHTSA happy that something was done, Two, it informs everyone by "suggestion" that this was just a floor mat incident, and not an issue with the make and build quality of Toyota/Lexus right away. And act as collateral damage control right away. No car mfgr can afford to lose sales right now. The authorities are going to spend weeks going over every inch of that car. When they finish and report thier final results is when we will know what happened here. And in the mean time we have this stupid floor mat recall that really doesn't make sense, but offers the dealerships some explaniation in the meantime to keep sales going.
I do know this, I would really hate to be the owner of that dealership right now. The guilt alone I would feel would be horrible, and the lawsuits coming will keep Hammermill busy for years!

Yeah for sure you need to remove the mat from underneath. That is what is causing the problem. Every car I have owned and even the rubber all weather mats from Lexus I got came with instructions that stated to remove any other mats first or else the mat could get shoved up to the gas pedal. Lexus has already done something but YOU need to be careful and read the instructions.

Some folks just don't read instructions. People come here and ask questions that are quite plainly answered in the owner's manual. Then we put the manual as a sticky and still need to refer folks to the top of the page. At work when we got something new, I'd read the instructions and figure it out. Some others would just stand and look at a new piece of equipment so I'd give them informal training. It's just human nature I guess.

FWIW, my 07 Subaru has all weather mats on top of the carpet mat. Both mats have holes/grommets for the little hook to go through. It's easily tall enough to go through both mats to keep them in place. Never had a problem with it.

This is the paper that came inside the box with my floor mats.

http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/....pdf?ncid=12040

LOL! I can just hear the response to that now.

" Yeah, like I'm supposed to know to read that stupid piece of paper in the package! how come they didn't just spell it out and text it to me? They know I only ever read my phone while I drive!" LOL!!!!

From this picture, I can see a very real potential problem - not sure if the photo is Lexus or Toyota but pedals look like my '05 - from Autoblog.com. Also not sure what floor mat this is - mine is aftermarket clear with clips.

What I heard on the radio was that the dealership had given a loaner car with a car mat that didn't belong to the ES. I heard the 911 call, very haunting. Not much you can do at 120 mph, brakes blown, going through a busy intersection.

Well--it definitely looks like an IS mat. But, if so, it's not clipped down. There's a posting of this same picture on the Club Lexus [Car Chat] forum, placed next to a properly placed mat, which is no where even close to the gas pedal.

Yeah that is a genuine Lexus rubber mat. And both the pedals and carpeting look identical to my 09 IS350. But mine are properly placed and like mentioned above it is no where near the pedal....as it should be.

Take it back to the dealership and have them remove it for you. If they refuse to remove it just let them know how much you will be charging them per mile of advertising you do! They'll take it off.

Anyone see this yet?!

Toyota has told its dealers they should use a heavy-duty self-locking plastic tie — like a zip tie — to make sure owners’ floormats are kept in place while the company works on a permanent solution to the problem that sparked last week’s recall of 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

The ones used for this application can hold up to 50 pounds and are attached to the driver’s seat frame. It allows the mats to be placed on the seat when they need to be moved or cleaned.

Toyota is working toward adding a “component” change to the vehicles, which would likely include advanced braking software that we detailed this morning as well as mechanical changes.

I haven't seen it, but a link should be posted if it's online.

Oooooooooooooook

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2009/10...oormat-fix.html

Ah so. That leads us to the better solution.

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2009/10...celeration.html

Having worked in manufacturing for a long time I remember that we considered masking tape to be a temporary repair, while duck tape was a permanent repair. The advent of zip ties may have changed all that.

There will be no fowl parts on my carpet, sir!

When I took my car in last week for service, the dealership just took the mat out I had in there. I had already taken the Lexus mat out, but I use a bath mat on top of that, and they removed it for some reason. I wound up putting it back in last night with the rain we've had here. Haven't heard anything about the tie till just reading this, and that sucks! I wouldn't let them do that to my car........stupid, stupid, stupid!

RECALL may be more then just the mats:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyo...,0,739395.story

I remember the person in one of these threads who was talking about his friend whose car accelerated into a building, and the mats were to blame but he insisted it was sudden acceleration, and we were all telling him it was driver error??????? Hmmmmm......

So what are the possibilities of each of our cars doing this? Seems very slim, but it is troubling to me.......

My first reaction as well. This is the thread you're remembering: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=56647

http://i.usatoday.net/money/_pdfs/09-1026-nhtsa-memo.pdf

This is the link for the nhtsa's memo on the crash. It is scary, indeed.........
Ya'll are gonna think I'm nuts, but I'm starting to think that I don't want this car anymore.........

sorry but, u have already post a new topic on ur FLOOR MAT issue, please discuss it there, many ppl here are having CLUTCH & FLYWHEEL problems and please delete ur post, thank you !!

What in earths creation is this post about? Are you lost?

Wat??

I echo what smooth1 & barkat said!

We have an IS 250 and the floormats that are fastened by the hooks were purchased with the original purchase of the vehicle. I just phoned Lexus and the agent informed me that even though the floormats are properly fastened they are recommending that the driver's side be removed until a so-called permanent fix is found (which is what I don't understand because the mats are tightly fastened by these hooks) - anway, the letter received last week stated that the mats must be removed or Lexus will not be responsible should the accelerator stick. Just wondering if that is what you all are doing.

Mine are hooked in, been there for 4 years except for taking out to clean. They are staying there.

I'm doing nothing.

That "recall" notice was ridiculous. May mats are hooked and not going anywhere near the accelerator. I am starting to believe the issue may actually have to do with the push button start and the trottle. Practice emergency stopping procedures!

My Firebird and Civic had the same kind of hooks. I drove them a total of 10 years without any problems. If people can't put them in right or follow instructions not to put other mats on top, then they maybe shouldn't be driving either.

I understand that and I totally agree that Lexus/Toyota problems go way beyond mats that are properly hooked; however, my dilema is that the notice stated that they will not be liable should the accelerator stick and you have mats installed on the driver's side. This is probably something that only a lawyer can answer. We (who have our mats installed properly) know that should the accelerator stick it would be because of something other than the mats being installed - but what if the accelerator does stick and you crash into something and the investigator determines that low and behold you do have a mat installed (although it never moved from its hooks) - does Lexus then have a legal out because they told you to remove the mats?

Take out the mat. No what if's left.

This isn't the place to be seeking legal advice. Bartkat's right--if you are worried, take them out. I've had my car 2.5 years, first with the carpet mats, now with all weathers--no problems. After the announcement, I looked at the mat placement--with the hooks attached, it is IMPOSSIBLE for my mats to get caught on the gas pedal. The top of the mat is just too far away from the pedal for this to happen.

This isn't the place to be seeking legal advice. Bartkat's right--if you are worried, take them out. I've had my car 2.5 years, first with the carpet mats, now with all weathers--no problems. After the announcement, I looked at the mat placement--with the hooks attached, it is IMPOSSIBLE for my mats to get caught on the gas pedal. The top of the mat is just too far away from the pedal for this to happen.
[/quote]

Forums are for discussions and for looking at both sides of the coin. If I were seeking legal advice I wouldn't do it here! I (along with many others) received a letter from Lexus informing me to remove my mat or bear the consequence of leaving it in and getting into an accident because the accelerator stuck. As I stated: my mats are properly secured and I have no doubt that should the accelerator should get stuck - it would not be because of the mat. I wasn't seeking advice - I was seeking opinions on what most people were doing; also, it's not a matter of being worried - it's a matter of being practical. While I realize the mat is not the problem - until Lexus figures this out they could easily say that should the accelerator stick they are not at fault since they sent out a letter alerting everyone that the mat could be the cause.