Lexus ES350 out of control crash - very sad.

[GMPartsClub]

Very sad news...and safety questions, possible lessons...

http://www.examiner.com/x-833-San-Di...n-Santee-crash

There are 2 video news reports here, first a description of the accident from a reporter on scene, the second two days later from a news conference the California Highway Patrol (CHP) gave regarding the accident.

http://www.kusi.com/home/56035977.html
http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=11013075

There was a recall for 2007 ES 350s regarding the all-weather floor mats, which caused the accelerator to get stuck and led to several injury accidents, but no known fatalities. The recall was because owners improperly installed their floor mats over the cloth ones, and the mats then moved up and got stuck to the accelerator. The NHTSA investigated some 40 incidents regarding unintended acceleration and found that in most cases, the vehicles had these all-weather floor mats. However, initially when these reports came in, and for some parties afterward, they felt that it was possibly some other issue. Lexus models come with vehicle data recorders, which may be of some help in this latest crash.

The reports said this was a 'loaned' or 'loaner' car, which if it was from a dealership likely would not have these mats installed incorrectly? The reports state that the driver attempted to brake, to no avail (however some of the floor mat incidents may have suggested that the brake pedal may have been jammed as well). How about shifting to neutral? Also some comments on the news articles stated that shutting off the ignition would disable brake power...? What about the parking brake? The scenario could be terrifying and puzzling.

With these new push-button ignitions, I wonder how many owners know that they can hold down the START/STOP button for 3 seconds to turn off the engine while still in motion, as a last resort. That is also a critical piece of information.

May the victims of this incident rest in peace, and may some answers be found for this tragic incident.

[tbplus10]

Toyota just announced a large recall for any vehicles with the suspect floor mats.