New camry massive recall

**the one** · October 5th, 2009 03:54 PM

Toyota recall and apology come too late for Redwood City man and San Jose family

By Sandra Gonzales

sgonzales*mercurynews.com

Posted: 10/04/2009 06:21:01 PM PDT
Updated: 10/04/2009 09:06:38 PM PDT

After Guadalupe Gomez's 2007 Toyota Camry careened out of control, mysteriously accelerating to more than 100 mph on a San Jose highway, no one quite believed his story that the engine simply surged on its own when it smashed into a Honda Accord, killing its driver in a burst of flames.
Now, they do.
In an extraordinary move last week, Toyota's president apologized after his company announced it was launching its largest recall ever in the United States over floor mats that could jam the accelerator — a similar problem that thrust Gomez into such a legal quagmire that even the attorneys who sued him extended their sympathy.
"This poor man (Gomez) was just driving his car and this happened," said Mohinder Mann, the attorney representing the family of Troy Edwin Johnson, the 39-year-old driver of the Honda Accord. "He was very honest, he told everybody what happened, but CHP wanted to blame him."
Gomez's attorneys did not return calls seeking comment, and a Toyota representative said they could not comment on former litigation.
"Toyota was attempting to put some blame on him, but he did everything he could to stop the car and prevent it from crashing, he was dodging cars and holding down the horn. He was very remorseful," said Gary Mann, an attorney who also represented the Johnson family and interviewed Gomez while investigating the crash.
For his part, Gomez, 70, of Redwood City, wants distance from the case for which he was arrested and sued."It's a closed chapter in my life and I would prefer not to go into it," he told the Mercury News.
Both sides settled the case this year for an undisclosed amount; Toyota was singled out as the primary defendant while Gomez was only a nominal defendant.
Though Gomez declined to discuss that fateful morning of July 26, 2007, Santa Clara County Superior Court records detail a horrific tragedy.
Gomez was behind the wheel of the Camry when it suddenly accelerated while he was driving southbound on Interstate 280. He tried to kill the engine as he dodged traffic on the busy thoroughfare — pushing the ignition button, kicking the accelerator and changing gears.
But his new black Camry would not stop — not until it smashed into the Honda Accord traveling near Race Street in San Jose. The Honda exploded into flames. The driver, Johnson, a father of five, burned to death — the same day he was hired as a dispatcher for a taxi company. Attempts to reach the Johnson family were unsuccessful.
Gomez, who was hospitalized for a broken leg and cuts suffered in the crash, was arrested on suspicious of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. But he held steadfast to his story. Shortly after the crash, Gomez's brother told the Mercury News that his brother had tried to brake and threw the car in neutral as it weaved through traffic for miles, clipping another car before striking Johnson's Honda.
During its investigation, the California Highway Patrol found unsecured plastic and fabric pieces of the floor mat on the driver's side — pieces that may have jammed the accelerator — the same defect that led Toyota to a previous recall of mats for certain models. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, meanwhile, had concluded the same thing: that an unsecured floor mat in the Camry and the Lexus could slide forward and entrap the throttle pedal at the fully open position and propel the car to speed out of control.
As a result, the CHP forwarded the case to the District Attorney's Office without a recommendation, and prosecutors ultimately decided not to file any charges because they concluded they could not prove criminal liability without a reasonable doubt.
Last week — in the wake of a Santee fatal crash that killed an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer and three family members — the Japanese automaker announced it would recall 3.8 million vehicles in the U.S., warning Toyota and Lexus vehicles about safety problems tied to the removable floor mats that could cause accelerators to get stuck and lead to a crash, serious injury or death. The accident involving the CHP officer apparently occurred when the accelerator got jammed by a floor mat, prompting an unusual apology from Toyota's president, Akio Toyoda.
Stunning reporters in Tokyo, Toyoda apologized for a series of problems facing the auto giant, including the Santee crash that led to the recall.
"Four precious lives have been lost. I offer my deepest condolences," Toyoda said. "Customers bought our cars because they thought they were the safest. But now we have given them cause for grave concern. I can't begin to express my remorse."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have jammed on the Toyota vehicles involved.
Toyota has now issued a series of warnings to owners about the floor mats.
For Gomez and Johnson, however, the warning came too late.
"All along, Toyota had been claiming there is no defect, and now they are taking the view that it is. I'm glad," said Mohinder Mann. "They needed to take immediate action to warn the public so we won't have any more deaths like Mr. Johnson."
Contact Sandra Gonzales at 408-920-5778.
The U.S. recall affects 2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck on the Toyota vehicles involved.
Toyota is now warning owners that if they think their vehicle is accelerating out of control, they should check to see whether their floor mat is under the pedal. If a driver can"t remove the floor mat, Toyota advises drivers to step on the brake pedal with both feet until the vehicle slows and then try to put it into neutral and switch the ignition to accessory power. For vehicles with engine start and stop buttons, Toyota said the engine can be shut off by holding the button down for three seconds.

**p_borj** · October 5th, 2009 05:15 PM

this does not concern Camry owners only, pati yung ibang car owners siyempre. that is why dapat yung floor mats natin eh fit para sa sasakyan natin. dapat makapit din yung ilalim ng matting para hindi gumagalaw-galaw habang nagdra-drive.

I experience na naipit mattings ko sa harap ayun, hindi ako makapagclutch, buti nalang nasa 1st gear palang ako.

pinapalitan na ng rubber yung ilalim ng floor mats ko.

**jjmd3_787** · October 6th, 2009 08:52 PM

I read this one too in Yahoo news. A sad story with a funny twist . . . funny because I experienced it too when I used a cheap floor mat (kuripot kasi). It slid & jammed underneath the gas pedal while we were going uphill. Nabitin yung arangkada. We panicked kasi may mga nakasunod na mga sasakyan.

Now, I always use 2 sets of floor mats: one on the bottom (with spikes underneath for better grip on the floor) & one on top ( 3M with velcro w/c adheres well with the mat on the bottom).

**kevin3000** · October 6th, 2009 09:15 PM

nangyari na din sa akin to grabe may humps nung pagpreno ko sanay kasi ako pagpreno clutch kagad narinig ko ung engine lumalakas ung tunog sabay hatak dun sa accelerator pataas un nga naipit.. sa crosswind naman nabubuksan ung gas cover nahahatak ung pinaka lever niya