Toyota issues its largest U.S. vehicle recall

NEW YORK When you think about car safety, you think brakes, air bags and seat belts. Now, you should check floor mats, too.

The carpet in your driver's footwell is at the center of what will be Toyota's largest-ever U.S. vehicle recall, prompted by a fatal crash.

The problem: Gas pedals in some Toyotas could become caught under the edge of floor mats. That may have led to a car cash that killed four people in August outside San Diego.

Toyota Motor Co. is working to fix the problem and on Tuesday issued a safety advisory urging owners of 3.8 million car and trucks -- including popular models like Camry, Prius and Tacoma -- to remove driver-side mats. It wants drivers to watch out for loose or incorrect mats that could slide out of position and cover pedals.

"Anything that's in the footwell -- whether it's your flip-flops or a bottle of water or the floor mat -- it poses a danger," says Toyota spokesman John Hanson said.

The warning affects 2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350.

There are several steps to take to make floor mats don't become a danger. Most important is to ensure that the mat in the driver's footwell is properly secured. Most automakers have a system that keeps floor mats in place. Many use a hook system that fastens the mat to the floorboard.

Rubber-backed carpeted mats that come with many vehicles are firm enough to keep a gas pedal depressed, said William Rosenbluth, principal engineer at Automotive Systems Analysis Inc. in Reston, Va.

Floor mats sold in auto parts stores generally are too flimsy to cause problems with a gas pedal, says Rosenbluth, who investigates the causes of car crashes.

Many people place rubber mats atop carpet mats that came with their cars to protect the carpet from dirt, especially in the winter. But David Champion, senior director of Consumer Report's auto testing department, said stacking mats can be dangerous.

If your accelerator pedal becomes caught on the floor mat, here are some steps Toyota recommends:

Reach down and pull the mat back from the accelerator. Then pull over and stop your vehicle. If you can't dislodge the pedal or it seems unsafe to do so, press on the brake with both feet. Then shift the vehicle into neutral, which will disengage the transmission. Continue braking until you come to a stop.

You can also try shutting off the engine or turning the key to the "ACC" position on the ignition. You won't lose control of steering or the brakes. But you won't have the benefit of power brakes or power steering once the vehicle is off.

-- The Associated Press