According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Toyota Motor Corp has agreed to recall an additional 2.17 million vehicles due to a floor-mat problem. The agency reports Toyota vehicles dating back to the 2003 model year have a defect that could lead to a floor mat interfering with the accelerator pedal, in other words – the gas pedal sticks in the floor mat, causing the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably .
The recall comes a year after an investigation into Toyota vehicle acceleration reported by numerous drivers. The auto maker faced record fines and a government investigation conducted in part by NASA. The NHTSA reports that the agency and auto maker have mutually agreed to take additional steps to help resolve acceleration concerns. A California state trooper and three passengers of his vehicle were killed in August 2009 in an automobile accident where a slipping floor mat is believed to have trapped the gas pedal, sending the trooper’s vehicle into an uncontrollable speed.
The government is also making a decision in another auto maker‘s fate, stemming from allegations that a Ford Crown Victoria vehicle defect is unsafe and prone to catch fire in high speed rear-end collisions. Ford Crown Victoria interceptor vehicles are widely used by our nation’s law enforcement. According to the News Service in Florida, the Senate Budget Committee passed a controversial measure insulating Ford and other auto makers in product liability cases but not before changing impact on crash cases where a jury determines if an automobile defect was the cause of injury. Previously, auto makers such as Ford were solely on the hook for millions in lawsuit damages stemming from faulty design or manufacture.
