Toyota Motor Sales Announces Safety Recall Campaign On Selected Toyota Camry And Lexus ES 350 All Weather Floor Mats

September 26, 2007 - Torrance CA - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., will launch a Safety Recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The campaign involves approximately 30,500 2007 and early 2008 Lexus ES 350 and 24,500 2007 and early 2008 Toyota Camry optional All Weather Floor Mats, constructed from heavy duty rubber, specifically designed for the driver's seating position in the U.S. market.

If the optional Lexus ES 350 or Toyota Camry All Weather Floor Mat (either by itself or if it is placed on top of the existing carpeted floor mat) on certain 2007 and early 2008 model year vehicles is not secured by the retaining hooks and the mat moves forward, it may interfere with the accelerator pedal returning to the idle position.

TMS will notify owners of the involved vehicles with a preliminary Safety Recall notification via first class mail beginning in early October advising customers of when replacement mats will be available and steps they can take until that time. In mid-to-late November TMS anticipates sending a second notification via first class mail informing owners of the involved vehicles that the replacement All Weather Floor Mat for the driver's seating position is available. The replacement mat will be exchanged at no charge to owners.

Until the replacement All Weather Floor Mat for the driver's seating position is made available, customers should regularly verify that their floor mat is properly secured using the retaining hooks (clips) provided. If properly secured, the All Weather Floor Mat will not interfere with the accelerator pedal. Suggested opportunities to check are after filling the vehicle's tank with gasoline, after a carwash or vehicle interior cleaning, or before driving the vehicle. Under no circumstances should more than one floor mat ever be used in the driver's seating position: the retaining hooks (clips) are designed to accommodate only one floor mat at a time.

This Safety Recall only affects Lexus ES 350 or Toyota Camry optional All Weather Floor Mats designed for the driver's seating position of 2007 and early 2008 model year vehicles. Floor mat interference is possible in any vehicle employing a floor mat on the driver's side, so customers utilizing non-Lexus or non-Toyota floor mats should make sure the mats are properly secured using the appropriate retention device and not placed on top of another floor mat.

Customers with questions or concerns should contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-888-270-9371 or 1-800-331-4331, or Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 1-800-255-3987.