Check your floormats

Post by **SteveTheTech** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:25 am

As many of your are now aware Toyota and the NTSB are recalling ~3.8 million units for a simple problem that unfortunetly lead to needless deaths in California.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200..._matsh ... n/...0.DTL

The accident that lead to this was a real shame. I heard this on the evening news last night and was surprised that the owner/driver of this car had his wits about him to call 911 while driving at 120mph saying his accelerator was stuck.

If this were to happen to anyone reading this. Please instead of calling 911, who will not be able to help until its far too late. Hit the shifter and put the car in neutral, from there you can turn it of.

Not a day goes by when I don't see someone with stacked mats. If you or anyone you care about has more than 1 set of floor mats on the drivers side have them pick one and put the other (s) in the trunk.

Over the hears I have seen floor mats cause a myriad of complaints from clutch pedals that will not fully disengage to lack of pwer complaint because the winter and summer mats are interfereing with the travel of the accelerator pedal. The plastic retaining clips are designed to keep 1 mat in place leaving the carpet mat in place and putting the all season winter mat over it without adequetly securing it is asking for trouble.

If you have decided that factory fit mats are not the way to go. I strongly recommend a set like WeatherTech or someone else who makes model specific mats. The generic mats tend to bunch up in certain spots as the interior layout of these cars is not universal.

At no time of the year is this more important to stress to everyone out there than now. When the seasons are changing the majority of us are thinking about all season mats as they do really have a benefit to them in keeping the carpet under them clear and dry.

Thanks for your time

Post by **Sentientbydesign** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:43 am

Great thread Steve. I too wonder why a CHP officer wouldn't think to put the car in Neutral.

Post by **Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:57 am

Its all that pot that you boys are smoking out their in CA lol...

In all honesty... If that happend to me It would be a no brainer...

People that are that stupid deserve what they get! I mean driving at 120mph and not putting the brakes on.... (Brakes are stronger than the motor of a car in most cases) or just turning the key off? .... Come on man where is your head...?

DJ

Post by **Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:59 am

I just read something else about this... (I can't believe that toyota is calling this a recall)

Post by **Sentientbydesign** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:34 am

Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT wrote:Its all that pot that you boys are smoking out their in CA lol...

In all honesty... If that happend to me It would be a no brainer...

People that are that stupid deserve what they get! I mean driving at 120mph and not putting the brakes on.... (Brakes are stronger than the motor of a car in most cases) or just turning the key off? .... Come on man where is your head...?

DJ

Sorry DJ, You just got the Dunce award. Go read the articles.

There was evidence of heavy braking. I believe, they attributed the fire to heavy braking. AND the car has push button start. In order to shut it off while in great, you have to hold down the button for 3 seconds. Something most owners wouldn't know.

Post by **Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:54 am

hey it happens lol

I was referring to the Tundra that it happend in...

No push button start and The thing has huge brakes...

I have to do some more reading lol

DJ

Post by **MagikDragon** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 9:03 am

you still shoud be able to put the car in neutral....

Post by **Poyzinous** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 9:10 am

Good one steve. I've had many customers want to place all season mats above their carpet mats and told them not to. Been saying it for 3 years. Coincidentally, I actually had an IS300 get the mat stuck under the gas pedal from a dead stop. Even full brake force wouldn't hold it back. Brakes are strong, but the traction issues could be more dangerous. I just threw it in neutral and let it bounce off the rev limiter as I shut it off and looked at the pedal. This happened 6 years ago.

Post by **kmckis1029** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 9:19 am

thanks infiniti for a floormat hook....

Post by **Nazc0** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:38 pm

kmckis1029 wrote:thanks infiniti for a floormat hook....

that breaks....i had to superglue the hell out of my hook to get it to hold my mat in place...i wonder if there is anywhere to buy a new one

Post by **SteveTheTech** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:49 pm

Pressing the brakes would be a great but if the mat was stuck under the accelerator wouldn't it also be stuck under the brake pedal?

I do not know if Infiniti uses an emergency cutoff like the Toyota with the 3 second override. It sounds like something I will have to try tomorrow.

In a perfect world we would be able to make needless automobile related injury and death a thing of the past but until then it is going to take events like this record setting recall to grab the attention of the driving public.

From reading some more about this this I wonder if the problem lies with people not paying attention to the mats under them or it is a design flaw in the mat retainer.

I checked the mats in my wifes car this morning just for piece of mind. If nothing else take a quick second and check your mats and the mats of those close to you.

Post by **SteveTheTech** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:53 pm

Nazc0 wrote:that breaks....i had to superglue the hell out of my hook to get it to hold my mat in place...i wonder if there is anywhere to buy a new one

You can get a new one for only a few bucks from the dealer.

Post by **voodoo22** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 5:24 pm

Ignorance probably killed this family, not the car.

My guess is the person driving was too ignorant to realize there were a number of things they might have done (brake, shift to neutral, kill the ignition, pull the floor mat, etc.)

While still dumb kids in our teens, a friend's accelerator cable became stuck after flooring it. He held down the brakes, pulled over (though the car was still pulling) and killed the ignition without locking the wheel.

I've had the mat thing happen too. While it freaked me out for a second it was easy enough to reach down and yank on it.

Post by **Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 5:51 pm

People with that little bit of brains shouldn't be driving but that is just my .02

Post by **Nazc0** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:06 pm

ill check that out, thanks i just dont know if they will have them in a nissan dealership since the closest infiniti one is in oakland and its not worth the drive

Post by **Poyzinous** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 5:53 am

74985-40U00 is the part number. Nissan should have it. Its the same number for all Gs

Check your floormats

Check your floormats

Re: Check your floormats (SteveTheTech)

Re: Check your floormats (Sentientbydesign)

Re: Check your floormats (Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT)

Re: Check your floormats (Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT)

Re: Check your floormats (Sentientbydesign)

Re: Check your floormats (Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT)

Re: Check your floormats (SteveTheTech)

Re: Check your floormats (SteveTheTech)

Re: Check your floormats (kmckis1029)

Re: Check your floormats (Nazc0)

Re: Check your floormats (Nazc0)

Re: Check your floormats (SteveTheTech)

Re: Check your floormats (voodoo22)

Re: Check your floormats (SteveTheTech)

Re: Check your floormats (Nazc0)

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