Toyota to Use Zip Ties to Fix Floor Mats

Reminds me of the poster whose dealer recommended using zip ties to stop would be thieves from stealing her wheel covers:

[IMGLINK]http://priuschat.com/forums/attachments/newbie-forum/17139d1248987815-stolen-hubcaps-dsc04329.jpg[/IMGLINK]

I hope in this case that Toyota dealers have enough good taste to use black-colored ties.

 

LOL... are you serious? I knew there was no sane reason to remove my *properly installed* floor mats.

Toyota "requests common sense." You know, I request that every day, but it never seems to make a difference... People will still continue to screw up in new and exciting ways...

Stupid is as stupid does, I guess.

 

Several drive-by-wire cars have a brake-accelerator interlock: when the car is moving, if both the brake and accelerator are pressed the accelerator is ignored. That seems worthwhile for the PR value alone starting in the next model year. It's too expensive for any sensible recall, of course.

Somewhere out there is at least one idiot who will find a way to create a safety hazard with the zip ties. They'll tie the mat to the movable seat instead of the fixed seat mounting rails, or to the gas pedal itself, or some damn thing.

 

Alright...you caught me, I was exgagerating a little. But my point is still the same, Zip Ties are cheap. I mean really, even if it's use, cut, clean and use new ones, how expensive is it EVER going to become? For the purpose of Mat Cleaning, a lifetime supply of zip ties are going to be easy to obtain and keep.

If and when Toyota comes up with a permanent solution great, but zip ties work and the fact that I might have to replace them everytime I clean the mat? Not a big deal.

Also the key to this "solution" is that it allows Toyota and Dealers to continue to sell all models (even past models) without a significant hardware change. My guess is that maybe "moving forward" no pun intended, Toyota might make a change in how the Mats are secured from a hardware standpoint, but I if the NHTSA accepts this as an acceptable solution for cars being produced immediately and in the past then I don't see Toyota making another change to already existing models. It's a whole lot cheaper to provide Zip Ties than physically have to recall millions of vehicles for a installed hardware change or update.

Also for those calling the solution Mickey Mouse? Why? If it works who cares? Is it better if it requires drilling into the floorboard? Is it better if it requires destruction of all existing mats and recreation of a totally new mat? This is a simple, inexpensive fix, if it works and is safe and solves the problem then give me a pair of ears and call me Cubby!

 

someone will cry foul when they explain how much these things will pollute the environment when they get tossed. We'll need to find a semi-permanent green solution.

 

Because if it sounds Mickey Mouse, and it appears Mickey Mouse in my Prius then... you know the rest...

 

Reality check. This is for show.

The carpetted floor mats are not the problem. Doing this to the carpetted mats is an ( unnecessary ) redundancy because these mats are very very unlikely to cause the problems that the AWM's cause. But something has to be done.

This will accomplish the 'something has to be done' goal at little or no cost.

 

Wonder if they sell gray color zip ties. The zip ties might scuff the plastic cover because it has teeth in on the inside. I

 

If Toyota took this issue seriously, they would not have used zip-ties. A more permanent solution would be to take a 3/8" drill and drill 4 holes through the carpet (2" from each corner) and chassis. Secure the carpet to the chassis with 2" x 3/8" bolts (Grade 8), 2" washers, and locknuts. Tighten the bolts to 40 foot-pounds with a calibrated torque wrench.

Now I dare any lawyer to file a lawsuit against Toyota due to carpet slippage.

Keith

 

You win the prize Richard!
Smart Gas Pedals May Solve Floor-Mat Problem

 

Our dealer's honesty level has plummeted since a new owner took over. "Should we check and replace your cabin filter?" every oil change for 35 bucks. I wonder how much Toyota is being ripped off by him over this.
Now that the obvious "temporary" solution has been announced, where do I find driftwood pearl color-coordinated ties for my ride?

 

It's a rip off if they want to do it every oil change, the owner's manual page 467 tells you how to remove the cabin air filter. Most of the time I just vacuum it out or wash it with water and reuse it. Even in the dusty climate where I live it will only need replacement once every few years.

Actually tie wraps do come in colors other than white or black. I have seen red, yellow and blue.

 

"semipermanent floor mat installation process"

Now I come from the food and consumer products industry and I've seen more than my share of marketing-hyped advertising, promotions and buzz words but the above should be considered for the most over-exaggerated description ever. Its a 5cent zip strip for gosh sakes.

 

I'm not that familiar with the accident that caused the recall. All I heard was a 911 call while traveling over 120 mph because the gas pedal was stuck to the floorboard. Why didn't they just turn off the car? What would happen if you turned off the Prius in that situation?

 

I just got my 2010 Prius II two days ago. My dealership used a black zip tie on each of the corners of the mat closest to the seat on the driver's side mat. They are really not noticeable. My salesman assured me that they would notify me as soon as a permanent solution was available. As I mentioned earlier, I have not noticed them as they are same colour as the mat and the metal base of the seat.

 

There are a couple of threads on this including what to do if it happened to you (very unlikely).

Bottom line: You can shut your Prius off while driving by holding the Power Button in for 3 seconds, or you can hold the transmission selector in Neutral for 1 second (obviously better because it's quicker). You can also cram the brakes down good and hard and they will stop the car.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...0170-stopping-hybrid-system-in-emergency.html
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/68851-gen-iii-prius-turn-off.html

The car involved was not a Prius, it was a non-hybrid Lexus. The car was not at fault.

 

I haven't heard that it was proved that the floor mats caused that tragedy. The officer was driving a loaner car while his was being serviced. The officer specialized in vehicle safety inspections and I don't feel that the floor mat would be overlooked by him.

 

that's so stupid

 

I hope nobody actually did "toss out" their floor mat as suggested by Danny's article on 9/30/2009 titled "Have a driver's floor mat in your Gen 2 Prius? Toss it out!" because I'm sure Toyota will not be issuing replacements. There was a 2010 with solar roof at a recent greenfest from a local toyota dealership, the salesman answering questions about it told me the floor mat issue was a safety advisory, not a recall, and new floor mats will likely not be issued.

 

I just brought in my 2010 for its first oil change. The service advisor said the zip tie "solution" applied only to carpeted floor mats and that Toyota is recommending completely removing the all-weather mats. (Not sure why zip ties won't work on all-weather mats). I am going to take my chances and leave the mats in as the winter rains here in Oregon are acoming (and I don't have carpeted mats).