Toyota Recalls 55,000 Floormats, Yes, Floormats

This has got to be the easiest-to-fix recall notice we can remember, even though the problems caused can be severe. Toyota is recalling 55,000 all-weather floormats because they can stick underneath the gas pedal, causing unwanted acceleration. It seems that complaints arose about the unintended acceleration in 2007 Lexus ES 350 sedans, but we’ve also heard similar complaints regarding the Toyota Prius.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is highlighting the recall because of the number of reported accidents — eight in the Lexus ES 350 alone. So what’s the problem? The all-weather mats are made of rubber, and if they aren’t properly clipped into place they can slide below the pedals and become stuck when the gas pedal is pressed. One owner reported reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph due to the problem. There were also incidents of owners and dealers “installing” the all-weather mats over the standard floor mats instead of replacing one with the other.

In total, 30,500 mats for the 2007 Lexus ES 350 and 24,500 mats for 2007 and 2008 Toyota Camrys will be recalled in November, with replacements given free of charge. There’s no word on other Toyota and Lexus models included in the recall. NHTSA suggests owners check to make sure their current mats are secured properly and are not resting on top of the standard mats.

Toyota Recalls 55,000 Floor Mats (The Detroit News)

Cars.com Reviews New 2008 Chrysler Town & Country

We all know Chrysler defined the minivan segment in the 1980s, but ever since then the role of minivans as family-haulers has been taken over by other vehicle types — large SUVs in the 1990s and full-size crossovers in the new millennium. For 2008, Chrysler is putting its foot back into the ring with a redesigned Town & Country, which Kelsey Mays got to test in two different trim levels and with all the high-tech goodies on board, like Sirius Satellite TV. After you check out his review, don’t forget to watch our related videos.

2008 Chrysler Town & Country Expert Review
2008 Chrysler Town & Country Videos

MyFace Generation Takes on Scion xD

There’s no denying Scion markets its cars toward the younger crowd. You don’t see Lexus making ads that feature little gremlin deviants eating sheep people, do you? Being part of the younger MySpace/Facebook crowd — and scooting around in the car for a weekend — I found the compact xD to be extremely versatile and enjoyable, but I never got used to its funky styling.

The xD could have easily carried all my college gear back and forth from the dorm with its rear seats folded down, although that time is behind me. The average mpg display read 35-plus after a weekend of cruising around suburbia, which surprised me considering its 2008 highway mileage is only rated at 33 mpg. That means a daily commute to work wouldn’t be that costly.

Cars We're Looking Forward To

We had a little email brainstorm among the reviewers and editors at Cars.com yesterday regarding which five new models we personally can’t wait to drive. One of the best perks of our jobs undoubtedly is testing the latest and greatest cars on the road, and we don’t deny that. But what new cars really get us gassed? Check out the list, and feel free to add the vehicles you want us to write about.

UAW Strike Against GM Ends, Everyone Happy

We’re not sure what exactly was holding things up over the weekend that led to the GM strike that lasted two days, but all sides seem to be happy today. The main sticking point, it turned out, wasn’t the UAW taking over retirement health care management — stay awake one more second — it was GM providing some kind of reassurance that there is job security for UAW members.

Oddly enough, this morning there are still no specifics on how GM managed to offer job security in an industry that is seeing increasing competition not just from Japan and Korea but from China as well.

GM says this deal helps reduce the gap in costs between foreign nameplate cars made in America with its own products. There’s roughly $200 per vehicle that domestics pay more than imports that use non-UAW labor. We’ll keep an eye on new car prices to see if they dip $200 or if the company adds more features. We’re not holding our breath on the former.

GM, UAW Reach Tentative Deal; Strike is Off (The Detroit News)

Beyond Ethanol: Synfuel From Biomass

After reading Wired’s current state of affairs on how close we are to cellulosic ethanol — the short answer is, “this close” — we came across a blurb about synfuel. Commonly used in military applications, many new companies and researchers are using biomass to create synthetic fuel instead of using non-renewable resources. Biomass is what would also fuel cellulosic ethanol. So why go the synfuel route? Ethanol only produces 85% of the energy of gasoline and requires retrofitting pipelines, gas stations and car engines. The biomass-generated synfuel would work and act just like gasoline and, theoretically, could be used in regular gas-powered cars.

You can thank us for sounding smart at your next cocktail party. What? This doesn’t sound like cocktail party banter? What kind of cocktail parties are you going to, anyway?

4 Technologies on the Brink (Wired)

Toyota to Unveil New 2009 Corolla, Matrix in Vegas

The importance of the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas, which focuses on the automotive aftermarket, has grown in recent years, as Honda, Mitsubishi and Toyota have all used the event to launch new vehicles and concepts. This year, Toyota is upping the ante with plans to unveil its redesigned 2009 Corolla there on Oct. 31.

The Corolla has aged well up to now and is still one of the best-selling cars in the country. However, it certainly deserves this redesign. Toyota also announced today it will roll out the 2009 Matrix at SEMA. The mini-ute/wagon/hatchback shares an assembly line with the Pontiac Vibe, which will also get a new design this year, though we’re unsure at which show GM will roll it out. 

We’ll have more information on the new Corolla and Matrix as Halloween approaches.

Related
Toyota's Next Matrix More Powerful, New Name Possible (KickingTires)
GM Speeding 2009 Pontiac Vibe to Production (KickingTires)

Reader Review of the Week: 2008 Mazdaspeed3

We were surprised to see a review of a 2008 Mazdaspeed3 because we didn’t think the 2007s had left dealer lots, but after a quick inspection of national inventory we found only five 2007s in the entire country. This powerful little hatchback is a Cars.com staff favorite, and its interesting to read what real-world people think of living with it every day. Check out what one Ohio Mazdaspeed3 owner had to say about his 2008 and don't forget to submit your own review. 

Ford Changes New Focus Due to Consumer Complaints

It’s not often that a car company will listen to complaints and actually change a product because of them. It’s even more rare when it happens before a model launches, but that’s just what Ford did in preparation for its launch of the new Focus compact car. The new 2008 Focus debuted at the New York Auto Show in April, and Ford got a lot of feedback about the not-so-hot Focus.

The company reacted and changed a number of features, most notably the front end. It changed square fog lights to round, added more mesh to the grille, and changed the leather and other highlight materials inside. What do you think? Should more automakers do this kind of last-second modification?

Ford Adjusts Focus Facelift (WorldCarFans)

Entire VW Lineup to Go Hybrid

Over in Germany, the higher-ups at Volkswagen are discussing hybrids. The latest word is that the company will not only pursue its current diesel offerings worldwide but also add hybrid power plants to every model in its lineup. Of course, there’s no timetable for when this will happen, and the first VW model to get a hybrid powertrain — the Touareg SUV — hasn’t gotten a release date yet. So maybe we’ll file this away under the “wishful thinking” category of the blog. Oh wait, we don’t have one of those. Regardless, VW always seemed like the right brand to go hybrid, and we wonder why a hybrid Jetta or Rabbit hasn’t already gone on sale.

In the Future, All Volkswagen Models to Have Hybrid Option (Jalopnik)

Related
VW Aims at 200-mpg Car, Again (KickingTires)
VW Plans Hybrid Touareg, Not Jetta (KickingTires)