Toyota Prius Pedal Repair: Letters Go Out, Here's How It Works

By John Voelcker

John Voelcker

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2004 Toyota Prius

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We've written several times about the accelerator-pedal recall for 2004-2009 Toyota Prius models. While plans for the recall were announced last fall, now Toyota has sent out letters inviting Prius owners to bring their cars in to dealers for the update.

The recall came after it was discovered that certain floor mats in several Toyota and Lexus vehicles--among them the Toyota Prius hybrid--could get wedged under the accelerator pedal, producing unintended acceleration.

Dashboard - 2004 Toyota Prius 5dr HB (Natl)

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Loose all-weather floor mat jams accelerator pedal. Photo: NHTSA

Until it could design the modification to the pedal, Toyota urged owners of the affected vehicles to remove their driver's side floormat entirely. An interim repair involving a zip-tie fastener to keep floor mats in place was also proposed.

Remember, however, that this is a different recall than the one having to do with accelerator pedal mechanisms that could rust and stick in place. The Prius is NOT affected by that recall.

Our colleague Marty Padgett, proud owner of a 2004 Toyota Prius, got his letter recently and wrote about it.

A few points worth noting:

• The dealer will modify the car's pedal assembly to make it less likely to stick if an incorrect floormat is ever fitted.
• If the Prius has an older set of optional Toyota All-Weather Floor Mats, the dealer will replace them with a newer design.
• Finally, your dealer will also clean the carpet if needed--which, as Marty points out, is highly likely after a winter without floormats.

For more information ....

Visit our summary, Toyota And Lexus Recall: Everything You Need To Know, to get full details on those two earlier recalls in North America. The article also includes what to do if your accelerator pedal sticks.

[The Car Connection]