I have direct experience with the nearly identical Toyota fiasco.
I had just taken possession of a new, 2010 Prius, when a recall came out about loose floor mats. Checking my car, not only was the driver side floor mat not locked down, there were no hold down clips.
Within 24 hours, I drove to the dealer and got the clips. I installed the clips to make sure it was done right. Because, I had read the
Saylor fatal accident reports:
. . . its investigation into the Aug. 28, 2009 crash, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said an ill-fitting mat installed by the dealership . . . held the accelerator in the open position.
The 2009 Lexus ES350 accelerated out of control on northbound state Route 125 in East County and crashed into a riverbed. Killed in the accident were Saylor; his wife, Cleofe; their 13-year-old daughter, Mahala; and Saylor’s brother-in-law, Christopher Lastrella. All of them lived together in Chula Vista.
After the luxury car reached speeds of 120 mph, it crashed near where SR-125 meets Mission Gorge Road in Santee. Saylor was a seasoned officer with years of experience patrolling from behind a wheel.
My skepticism of the original report was born from the numerous false reports that Toyotas had a latent defect. But it turned out to be operator error. The few accelerator failures results in "limp home mode" at a maximum of 25 mph. The "New York Post" was a member of the yellow journalism,
EEK EEK, crowd.
Bob Wilson