Toyota's Largest Recall: No Brakes at All?

Toyota is still struggling to deal with its largest recall ever - approximately 3.8 million cars are recalled in the United States due to an incompatible floor mat - and new details have emerged today. It appears the Japanese manufacturer is not only trying to cope with the loose floor mats but also with the accelerator pedals.

According to a report issued by the LA Times, the accelerator pedals on selected models have an incompatible design that might also contribute to the malfunction. Furthermore, a previous review of the aforementioned source demonstrated that some Lexus models might lose the braking power in case the throttle is fully open.

This would obviously contribute to the floor mat glitch, making the car more difficult to stop, with some figures demonstrating that braking distance could be increased by five times.

Previous reports indicated that the vehicles affected by the recall are the 2007 - 2010 Camry, 2005 - 2010 Avalon, 2004 - 2009 Prius, 2005 - 2010 Tacoma, 2007 - 2010 Tundra, 2007 - 2010 ES350, 2006 - 2010 IS250 and IS350. However, the company is still working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on the recall, so further information should emerge soon.

“We have reviewed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration what we’re calling a semipermanent floor mat installation process, and we’re providing these instructions to our dealers,” Brian Lyons, Toyota spokesman was quoted as saying by Autonews. "This allows dealers to continue selling and delivering both new and used vehicles. I would expect that all dealers have that information and have started making the modifications.”

Meanwhile, Toyota is advising both dealers and owners of the affected models to remove the floor mats entirely.