NHTSA releases new info about crash that prompted Toyota floormat recall
by Jonny Lieberman (RSS feed) on Oct 26th 2009 at 3:32PM
Contrary to previous reports, the death of a four people and the largest recall in Toyota's history was caused by a compound of errors. The initial buzz/word on the virtual street suggested that it was simply an improperly placed floor mat that doomed CHP officer Mark Saylor and three family members when the Lexus ES350 they were traveling in got jammed open at over 100 MPH before crashing and bursting into flames. But it turns out it was more than just a floor mat.
First of all, the floor mat in question didn't belong to the ES350 (actually, the ES350 didn't belong to Officer Saylor -- it was a dealer loaner while his car was being worked on). The mats in the ES350 that crashed were from a RX400h. Not only that, they were those thick, all-weather hard rubber mats. Regardless, because the dealer had placed the wrong mats into the wrong car, there was no way to properly mount them. Also, it seems that the pedal design of the ES350 also played a role. The NHTSA discovered that, "Beyond the main pivot, the lever is not hinged and has no means for relieving forces caused by interferences." We think that means it can easily get stuck.
But that's not all. The NHTSA had also learned from a previous ES350 investigation the Lexus ES braking system loses power-assist when the throttle is fully opened, increasing braking distance fivefold." That's not good. And the brakes had signs of heavy wear and damage, "Rotors were discolored and heated, had very rough surfaces, had substantial deposits of brake pad material, and showed signs of bright orange oxidation on the cooling fins consistent with endured braking."
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http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/26/nhtsa-releases-new-info-about-crash-that-prompted-toyota-floorma/Gee, it was loaner car, haven't we been told over and over by the Toyota proud, Toyotas never break. Those starter buttons are a stupid de-evolution, cars in 40's had these and they were phased out. BTW, " "previous investigation"?