Toyota Motor Co. will recall floor mats from 55,000 Camry and Lexus ES 350 models due to complaints of unintended acceleration caused by the mats sticking underneath the accelerator pedal, federal safety officials and the automaker said Wednesday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took the unusual step of highlighting Toyota’s recall announcement, advising owners of other Toyota models — including the Prius hybrid and Avalon sedans — to ensure their floor mats are properly installed.
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“We have also received complaints about the RAV 4″ crossover “and Tacoma” pickup, said Rae Tyson, a spokesman for NHTSA. “We will continue to monitor all of the other Toyota vehicles not involved in the recall.”

In several of the original complaints, drivers said the vehicles only stopped after an accident. One driver told the agency the vehicle had hit speeds of 100 m.p.h. over a 6-mile stretch of freeway due to the problem.

At the time, Toyota told safety officials it had identified an optional all-weather floor mat that if not properly secured by clips to the floor could stick under the accelerator pedal; in some cases, Toyota said owners had simply put the rubber mat over the standard floor mats.

The company contended it had dealt with the problem through a mailing to customers earlier this year.
Toyota said Wednesday the recall involves 30,500 mats for the ES 350 and 24,500 mats for the 2007 and 2008 Toyota Camry.
Owners will be told of the recall in October and offered replacement mats in November. The company also warned drivers to check their floor mats and make sure that only one was installed.

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The Brazilian unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Corp. (GM) is recalling 29,090 vehicles produced in Brazil, it said in a statement late Monday.

The recall involves five GM models - the Corsa, Montana, Meriva, S10 and SUV Blazer - produced in 2006 and 2007.

The company said the recall was due to problems with screws in the suspensions of the Corsa, Montana and Meriva and problems with seat screws in the S10 and SUV Blazer models.

GM is Brazil’s third-largest car maker. The company sold a total of 282,424 vehicles in the first eight months of 2007, according to the Brazilian Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association, or Anfavea.

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A Tri-State woman nearly loses her home after her SUV suddenly explodes.

In May Ford issued a voluntary safety recall for 3.6 million vehicles built between 1992 and 2003. But a Newburgh family knew nothing about the announcement and they say it could have cost them their lives.

Karen Hart was done paying off her 1999 Ford Expedition which she bought in 2005. Not only was it her only means of transportation, but it nearly took down her Newburgh home last Tuesday night.

Hart says, “I live on a curve and thought someone came around and hit my car. I was just in shock because I could just see everything going up in flames. Everything I own was going to be gone.”

Hart says her quick thinking daughter along with neighbors stopped a bigger disaster.

Neighbor Jeff Partain says, “I grabbed my fire extinguishers and ran down to the house. I used to be a volunteer fire fighter. I brought my fire extinguishers down here to keep it away from the house because I know how fast mobile homes burn.”

Fire Fighters extinguished the seven foot flames, but it still caused damage to the front of Hart’s home, cutting off power to half of the house.

After doing some research, Hart believes the fire was the result of a faulty cruise control device. A voluntary recall was issued in May for 3.6 million vehicles built between 1992 and 2003.

Hart says she had no idea, “Never really had any problems with it. Nothing major and never even knew there was a recall of any kind from Ford.”

Hart’s daughter and grandchildren are still shaken by the explosion which could have cost them so much more.

Hart’s daughter Courtney Perigo says, “She said mommy if we had been in that car we would be dead. The thought that she’d think that. Yes that’s a possibility, but that hurts me.”

Hart says she doesn’t want to dwell on the situation, but hopes others will learn from her nightmare, “I think the more people that know about this the better it is.”

Hart says the vin number on her SUV was a part of the voluntary recall.

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Chrysler LLC recalled 28,755 Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicles to replace front-brake parts that could fail because they may be made of the wrong type of metal, Bloomberg News reported today.
The recall affects 2007 and 2008 models, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site. Some brake calipers may have been made with gray iron instead of ductile iron and could fracture, increasing stopping distance and possibly causing an accident, the Washington-based agency said.
Chrysler hasn’t gotten any reports of accidents or injuries related to the problem, a spokesman told Bloomberg. The recall covers vehicles built from May 17 to July 13.

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AAPEX is held during the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is reserved for automotive industry professionals. No other trade event or trade show offers as many qualified buyers and distributors from all segments of the automotive aftermarket. More than 115,300* professionals from every corner of the global automotive aftermarket community attended AAIW 2006 - more than 51,500* of them were buyers with purchasing power. More than 2,067 exhibitors displayed their products at AAPEX, the Automotive Aftermarket Event of the Year!

AAPEX FEATURES
Every major brand of replacement parts
A huge tool & equipment section featuring more than 150 companies
Suspension and front end products
Engines, engine parts and fabricators
Paint and body products
Heat transfer and mobile air conditioning products and parts
Leading suppliers of chemicals and lubricants
NetZone Networking Program – allows exhibitors and buyer’s to network year round, and schedule appointments during AAPEX
New Product & Packaging Showcases with more than 550 products on display
Educational seminars targeting the latest Aftermarket Industry topics

WHO ATTENDS AAPEX?
Manufacturers, wholesalers, warehouse distributors, jobbers, retailers, independent service providers, technicians, parts stores, manufacturers’ reps, exporters, importers and packagers, from the U.S. and international buyer’s from 151 countries.

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