Toyota to recall Lexus SUVs; floor mats can trap gas pedal and cause acceleration | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Toyota to recall Lexus SUVs; floor mats can trap gas pedal and cause acceleration

FILE - This file photo provided by Lexus shows the 2010 RX 350. Toyota is adding two Lexus SUVs to its huge recalls for unintended acceleration, The Associated Press reports Friday, June 29, 2012. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has asked Toyota to recall about 154,000 Lexus RX 450 H and RX 350 SUVs from the 2010 model year. The agency says gas pedals can become trapped by floor mats, causing the SUVs to accelerate unexpectedly. (AP Photo/Lexus, David Dewhurst, File)

DETROIT - Toyota's problems with unintended acceleration just won't go away.

Federal safety regulators said Friday that they have asked the company to recall about 154,000 Lexus SUVs because their floor mats can trap the gas pedal and cause the vehicles to speed up without warning. The agency is also said it may investigate whether Toyota told the agency about problems quickly enough.

The move adds the 2010 model year Lexus RX 350 and RX 450 to a string of safety recalls that date to 2009. Toyota has recalled more than 14 million vehicles globally to fix problems including sticky gas pedals and floor mats. The recalls tarnished the company's reputation for reliability and cut into sales.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it requested the SUV recall after reviewing complaints from customers and information from Toyota.

The agency said gas pedals can become trapped by floor mats, causing the SUVs to accelerate unexpectedly. The agency said people with the SUVs should remove the driver's side floor mat and have their vehicles serviced quickly.

Toyota said owners will be notified by mail in early August, and dealers will fix the problem for free.

Experts say if your car accelerates unexpectedly, you should step on the brake and shift into neutral or shut off the engine.

Toyota paid the U S. government a record $48.8 million in fines for failing to promptly alert U.S. regulators to safety problems over sticking accelerator pedals.

News from © The Associated Press, 2012
The Associated Press

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