Explaining the Toyota Floormat Recall

Toyota is in the process of recalling nearly 4 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles for an issue with their floormats. A number of complaints have shown that the floormats can creep forward and get stuck under the accelerator, which can lead to unintended and potentially dangerous acceleration. (Yes, we know the recall is not official yet, but for clarity we will call it a recall).

We had a 2010 Toyota Prius in our test fleet this week and noted its floormat set-up is similar to Toyotas included in the recall. The 2010 Prius is not included in the current recall, but the 2005-2009 Prius is. Toyota spokesman John Hanson said that the 2010 model uses the same type of floormats as the older Prius, as do many other current Toyota models not included in the recall.

The 2010 Prius, which has only been on sale for a relatively short time, is not included in the recall at this time because there have been no specific complaints filed with either Toyota or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the floormats, Hanson said. However, when the recall is finalized, which could be as early as next week, the 2010 Prius may be included, he said. Other models haven’t been included based solely on the lack of complaints. A number of factors including pedal placement and keyless ignition in addition to the floormats may have contributed to the complaints against the recalled cars.

So, what is it about these floormats that’s causing the problem?

3.8 Million Toyota, Lexus Recalled Over Floor Mats

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration issued a wide-ranging announcement late today that Toyota will recall 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The recall stems from faulty floormats that can become stuck under the accelerator pedal causing unexpected acceleration. The defect is suspected to be the cause of one recent fatal accident.

The recall includes the following models:

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS350

NHTSA suggests all owners remove the driver-side floormat from these cars immediately and not replace them with anything. Toyota has released a warning for owners including steps to take in case of an accelerator issue. We've posted the notice below.

Toyota Offering Five-Year Leases to Comply With Cash for Clunkers

Part of the small print in the Cash for Clunkers legislation is that it can only be applied to leases with terms of at least five years. Most lease deals are for much shorter terms — two to three years — because the allure of a lease is that you get out of a car and into a new one quickly.

Toyota is one of the few automakers we’ve heard of that will offer five-year leases, created just for the program. The 60-month leases are available for the Yaris, Corolla, Camry, RAV4 and Tacoma. One sample offer for a Yaris lease lists a headline-grabbing monthly payment of $79 per month for 60 months. The money you’d have to pay up front is $5,229, but if you deduct the $4,500 Cash for Clunkers credit, you’d end up paying $729 up front.

How much would it cost you to buy a Yaris in the same scenario and own it outright at the end of the term? Financed at 2.9% for 60 months, with that same down payment, it would be $125.03 a month, not including tax or destination.

The lease also allows you to drive only 12,000 miles a year. Offers vary by region.

2009|Toyota|Yaris

2009|Toyota|Corolla

2009|Toyota|RAV4

2009|Toyota|Camry

2010 Toyota Camry: Hey, I Get 33 MPG, Too!

The mileage wars continue: The Toyota Camry, which snagged the sales crown among cars in 2008, will get an EPA-estimated 33 mpg for the 2010 model year. The vaunted highway figure is something GM’s midsize triplets — the Chevy Malibu, Saturn Aura and Pontiac G6 — have dangled in Toyota’s face for the better part of a year.

Not anymore; with a new four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual or automatic options, the face-lifted 2010 Camry will get 22/33 mpg city/highway with a stick shift and 22/32 mpg with an automatic, Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong said. Though you have to shift your own gears to get the 33 mpg rating — something we suspect few Camry drivers will opt for — you can bet Camry commercials will blare “33 mpg” all year long. (As long as they don’t blare “Saved by Zero,” we won’t argue.) Though GM’s competitors can get 33 mpg with an automatic,  the Malibu and G6 require you to get the uplevel six-speed auto to achieve it; only the Aura has the six-speed standard. With the base four-speed auto, highway mileage in the Malibu and G6 drops to 30 mpg.

The Camry’s new figures are up 1 to 2 mpg over the 2009 model, whose smaller four-cylinder and five-speed transmissions returned 21/31 mpg. The 2010 model hits dealerships this spring. Of course, we’d expect another wave of mpg one-upmanship from Ford, as the redesigned 2010 Fusion will peg 23/34 mpg when using a six-speed automatic. Among the major players, it looks like GM and Toyota will have to fight it out for second place:

2010 Toyota Camry, Camry Hybrid at 2009 Detroit Auto Show

• Competes with: Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Mazda6, Chevy Malibu
• Looks like: Toyota gave its best-seller a new face
• Drivetrain: 169-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder with six-speed manual or automatic, or 268-hp, 3.5 liter V-6 with six-speed automatic
• Hits dealerships: March 2009

Toyota surprised us a bit with the 2010 version of its best-selling Camry midsize sedan. It isn't radically redesigned, but it does get a new grille that resembles the Toyota Venza crossover, slightly bigger headlights and new taillights. The image above is of the more radically changed hybrid model's front end.

Toyota also took the time to add a new engine. A 169-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder powers the base LE and XLE trim levels, while the SE features the same engine, but produces 179 hp in that application. The V-6 option remains Toyota’s 268-hp 3.5-liter. There's no word on mileage for either engine.

The Camry Hybrid gets a different grille treatment and slight alterations to the front end versus gasoline models. No changes were made to the power plant. This isn’t a surprise, but with Ford’s new Fusion Hybrid besting the Camry in mileage, we’re a tad surprised Toyota didn’t do some extra tuning to bump up mileage.

All Camry models now come with stability control standard. Auto up and down power windows for all windows is also standard. Optional audio packages include a USB port, Bluetooth and satellite radio.

A few more photos are below.

Cars.com Compares Family Sedans

The midsize family sedan segment has plenty of heavy hitters, and if you’re in the market for one, there’s an overwhelming amount to consider. Cars.com can give you an assist, though, by directly comparing three of the heaviest of heavies: the Mazda6, the Honda Accord, and the sales behemoth Toyota Camry. Three of our experts face the three vehicles off against each other, feature-by-feature, to determine which one will give you the most bang for your buck and which is the best overall. Check out the full comparison and feel free to let us know your thoughts on one of the most popular segments in the U.S.

Cars.comparison: Family Sedans (Cars.com) 

Toyota Extends 0% Financing, Annoying Ads

October was universally a brutal month for car manufacturers, but some companies were hit harder than others. GM saw its average daily sales rate drop 45%, and Ford saw decreases of 29%. Comparitively, Toyota’s decrease of 24% doesn’t seem so bad. What saved the Japanese automaker?

Toyota’s could-have-been-worse numbers likely had something to do with its financing offer in October, which gave customers 0% financing on 11 models in its lineup. Buoyed by the sales, Toyota is extending the offers for another month, making them available until the end of November.

The downside to this is that your TVs — and brains — will again be invaded by Toyota’s utterly brutal “Saved By Zero” commercials. You know the ones. These are the sacrifices we make for affordable financing, we guess.

The models included are listed below:

Toyota Solara Lives to See Another Year

Word came today that Toyota has decided to spare the Camry Solara from the guillotine — at least for one more model year. It had been widely speculated that after the Camry sedan was redesigned for 2007, the Solara would be canceled.

The Solara is, however, Toyota’s only convertible, so the automaker has made a rational decision to stay in the segment. The Solara was last redesigned for 2004, and it’s based on a nearly 7-year-old platform. Without a major redesign coming soon, Toyota’s convertible is at risk of becoming uncompetitive — even against the poorly crafted Chrysler Sebring and Pontiac G6.

There’s no information on the 2009 Solara’s on-sale date, specifications or pricing, but we’ll keep you informed as more information arrives.

This Just In: Solara Lives! (Official Toyota Blog)

Toyota Announces Natural Gas Camry Concept

Toyota is looking to join Honda as the only manufacturers to offer natural-gas-powered consumer products. The maker of the Prius hybrid is going to show off a Camry concept that runs on natural gas at the L.A. auto show in November. Called CNGs — for compressed natural gas – these cars can fuel up at one of only 1,000 refueling stations — only half of which are standard retail pumps — or home-based refueling stations.

CNGs have not proven popular, and the Honda Civic CNG is only sold in two states, New York and California. We’ve driven the CNG Civic and it performs much like its gasoline counterpart. We’re just unsure why natural gas makes sense as an alternative fuel for automobiles when there is much less infrastructure for it than E85. More demand for natural gas will also raise prices for those who heat their homes with natural gas. 

Toyota, however, says that building a natural gas infrastructure now would pave the way for a future hydrogen infrastructure. That’s a concept we hadn’t thought of before.

Cars.com Videos: 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid, 2008 Volvo V70 and More

2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid: This hybrid has a lot going for it, including great gas mileage, at 33/34 mpg city/highway, but Kelsey Mays says there’s a downside to this hybrid: its limited trunk space.

2008 Volvo V70: The redesigned V70’s interior has an upscale finish and lots of safety features, but Kelsey wonders if it’s enough to make you overlook the fact that it’s a station wagon.

2008 Infiniti QX56: This full-size luxury SUV’s 2008 redesign was a step in the right direction, but Mike Hanley says the QX56 still falls short of its main competition, the Cadillac Escalade.

2008 Land Rover LR3: The LR3 is great for off-roading, and its interior quality is good — except for one glaring problem, Joe Wiesenfelder says.

View and share all of Cars.com’s videos via YouTube.