Toyota recalled 3.8 million cars because of faulty floor mats that may cause the accelerator pedal to stick to the floor.One usually doesn't think of floor mats as a potentially dangerous feature of a new car. But that is exactly the reason for the massive Toyota recall of nearly 4 million cars from its Toyota and Lexus lines. The floor mats have been known to cause the accelerator pedal to stick in the down position, thus keeping the vehicle at its full speed and creating an extremely dangerous situation.

Investigators believe that the problem may have been a contributing factor in a crash in San Diego that killed a family who was driving a vehicle on loan from a dealership. The all-weather floor mat involved in the crash may have caused the accelerator to stick to the floor, but the accident is still officially under investigation.

The Toyota models being recalled include the 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma and 2007-2010 Tundra. The Lexus models facing the safety recall are the 2007-2010 ES 350, and the 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS 350.

For the immediate future, it would appear that the smart move would be for the owners of these vehicles to remove their floor mats and talk to their local dealership for more information. Once the safety recall is officially launched, car owners will be given new floor mats from their dealerships free of charge.