Is Your Car Part of the Toyota Recall Over Gas Pedal Safety?

As news of a Toyota recall over gas pedal safety breaks, car owners wonder if their vehicle is on the Toyota recall list. With the number of Toyota recall vehicles reaching close to four million, the odds are good that it is.

Toyota Recall: Gas Pedal Problems

Termed the Toyota recall of November 2009, vehicle owners are urged to check their models against the Toyota recall list. At issue are faulty gas pedals that could potentially stick to floor mats, resulting in undesired and unanticipated acceleration.

Quoting the Associated Press, Yahoo News explains that the Toyota recall over gas pedal safety will not actually begin until January of 2010, and even then there is only a temporary fix to tide you over until April, when the updated accelerator pedals arrive at dealerships.

Cars on the Toyota Recall List

If you are driving a Toyota Camry, recall information is of interest to you. The same holds true if you are the driver of a Toyota Prius or Lexus ES350. An unrelated recall affects Tundra trucks that show unusual rust accumulation around the frame.

As outlined by the L.A. Times, the Toyota recall over gas pedal safety involves model years 2004 to 2010. Check in with your dealer if you drive a Camry, Tundra or Lexus ES 350 (model years 2007 to 2010), Prius (2004 to 2009), Avalon or Tacoma (2005 to 2010) and Lexus IS 250 or 350 (2006 to 2010). The Tundra trucks of the unrelated Toyota recall fall into the 2000 to 2003 model years.

Nuts and Bolts of the Toyota Recall

Remove your driver side floor mat immediately. When you bring your vehicle to the dealer in January, s/he will reduce the length of the gas pedal by ¾ inches. This is only a temporary fix!

Once April rolls around, bring back the car and you receive a new accelerator pedal. In addition, Camry, Lexus and Avalon owners are entitled to receive an override system that automatically cuts off engine power if both the gas pedal and the brake pedal are stepped on at the same time.

My Car Is Not on the Toyota Recall List But I'm Worried...

Even if your vehicle is not part of the Toyota recall for gas pedal issues, it does not hurt to check for any service bulletins. Edmunds offers an easy to use online database that lets you plug in your car's make and model. In return, you receive any recall information, service bulletins and also manufacturer recommended maintenance schedules.

Edmunds also urges drivers to think through the steps to take if a gas pedal does get stuck. This is crucial not just for Toyota recall list candidates, but for any driver. If your car does accelerate in spite of your attempts to brake, try a) pulling out the floor mat or b) pushing your foot underneath the gas pedal; c) attempt shifting into neutral and braking or d) turning off the car without removing the key.

Sources
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091125/ap_on_bi_ge/us_toyota_floor_mats
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-toyota-recall26-2009nov26,0,3295310.story
http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/select.html
http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/safety/articles/159766/article.html