Toyota issues recall in US

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Toyota has issued a mass recall of its models in America, after it was revealed that a problem with the floor mats can cause the accelerator pedal to stick.

It is said to only be a problem on seven models of Toyota and Lexus cars: the Camry sedan, the Avalon sedan, Tacoma truck, the Tundra truck, the Lexus IS250, the Lexus ES350 and the popular hybrid, the Toyota Prius.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Toyota would be recalling affected vehicles and told all owners to remove floor-mats from the driver's side. They also said that incidents came from a combination of factors including the use of a variety of unsecured mats, the configuration of the pedals in the affected vehicles and the procedures needed to turn off the engines in vehicles with key-less ignition.

So far in America, there have been over 100 reports of the pedal sticking resulting in 17 crashes and five deaths. One high profile case saw an off-duty California state trooper and three members of his family killed when their 2009 Lexus E350 crashed in the San Diego area.

Shortly before the car crashed, a passenger had rung 911 saying the accelerator had stuck and the car was going 120 mph.

"Obviously the tragic accident in San Diego was certainly an eye opener for all of us and we've paid very, very diligent attention to moving forward to try to make sure none of us will be reliving that kind of a very tragic situation," said Toyota spokesman Irv Miller.

The models affected (and listed above) are recent models, with the oldest, the Prius, coming on to the market in 2004.

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