An all-weather floor mat available in the Lexus ES350 sedan that can jam the throttle and cause the car to accelerate on its own is being investigated by the NHTSA following 40 separate incidents of the frightening event occurring. Of the 40 drivers that experienced unintended acceleration, eight ended up crashing the vehicle with 12 injuries recorded overall.
Toyota told officials that it had mailed out a letter earlier in the year warning owners that the problem was caused by the mats not being secured properly, but the NHTSA is continuing its investigation to determine if Toyota's response was adequate. One outcome from the NHTSA's latest investigation could see Toyota conducting a recall, though this seems unlikely.
If this sounds familiar, you'd be right. Just yesterday we posted a story about
runaway Toyota Prius hybrid cars. Officials cited the same faulty floor-mats as the reason for the problems, but most owners believe a defect in the car itself is the main reason.
Lexus is also facing a potential lawsuit over the
airbag system in the ES350.
[Source: Denver Post]
