In October of 2009, four people died in California due to a stuck accelerator pedal on their Lexus, a Toyota product. Those killed included a California state trooper and his family. Almost four million similar Toyota vehicles are on America’s roads.

Until this accident, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had investigated and ignore and dismissed many incidents, though receiving hundreds such reports. Yet the accidents, injuries and fatalities mounted. Finally, the NHTSA and Toyota — which owns Lexus — requested owners of the defective Toyota and Lexus vehicles to remove their driver’s side floor mat and not replace it.

On September 29, 2009, Toyota recalled 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles in order to reduce the risk of floormats that interfere with acceleration pedals and causing them to stick, with the pedal depressed.

On January 26, 2010, Toyota publishes a significant recall of about two-thirds of the present production line and has stopped sales and production in the United States. Toyota said "Our investigation indicates that there is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position," Toyota is recalling 2.3 million vehicles in the states. The company states the problem is rare but possibly occur when mechanism gets worn out. The accelerator becomes "harder to depress, slower to return or, in the worst case, stuck in a partially depressed position," Toyota said.

January 2010 - Toyota Recall List

2009-2010 Toyota RAV4 Recall

2009-2010 Toyota Corolla Recall

2009-2010 Toyota Matrix Recall

2005-2010 Toyota Avalon Recall

2007-2010 Toyota Camry Recall

2010 Toyota Highlander Recall

2007-2010 Toyota Tundra Recall

2008-2010 Toyota Sequoia Recall

Toyota's Electronic Throttle Control - "Drive by Wire"

Toyota introduced "electronic throttles" in 2002. Many reports of sudden or unintended acceleration and inability to slow or stop even though the driver completely released the gas pedal have severely increased from those few occasions experienced when the problems were only mechanical. Toyota has insisted that its gas pedals do not become jammed on their own, but limited federal investigations reveals a recurring problem with floor mats becoming entangled with accelerators and causing them to remain depressed or to be slow to return to the idle position. Stuck accelerator pedals may result in uncontrolled or high-speed vehicles with injury or death possibly resulting.

Toyota's recall involving throttle problems and floor mats includes the following models:

2009-2010 Camry
2005-2010 Avalon
2004-2010 Prius
2005-2010 Tacoma
2007-2010 Tundra
2007-2010 ES350
2006-2010 IS250 and IS350

Various potential claims may be available to Toyota owners or operators who have experienced personal injuries and property damages. Sound, experienced, legal counsel is required and available to you.