Toyota focuses on floor mats in planned recall

DETROIT (Reuters) - Toyota is confident the problem behind its largest U.S. recall, still being planned, is loose floormats interfering with the accelerator pedal in several models, not the design of critical systems, a senior company executive said on Monday.

Bob Carter, Toyota Motor Corp's (7203.T) U.S. brand chief, told the annual Reuters Autos Summit that speculation about possible defects or other trouble with the fuel delivery, braking or accelerator systems was not accurate.

"There's no evidence to support any of that," Carter said, adding that the automaker was working closely with the U.S. government to address the planned recall of up to 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

"It's extremely important that they have a compatible floor mat and that it be appropriately attached," Carter said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received reports of 100 incidents, including 17 crashes and five fatalities, possibly linked to floor mats and accelerator pedals.

Toyota and U.S. safety regulators have warned owners to remove driver-side floor mats from eight Toyota models manufactured in the last six years as a safety precaution.

The recall is expected to cover the Camry and Avalon sedans, the Prius hybrid, the Tacoma and Tundra pickup trucks, and the luxury Lexus models IS250, IS350 and ES350.

NHTSA says it has discussed "several vehicle-based factors" that contribute to the (pedal) interference and the driver's ability to safely control and stop the car when the accelerator becomes stuck. The remedy has not been determined but the agency believes it will be vehicle-based.

NHTSA closed a similar investigation of floor mats in Toyota vehicles that began in 2007 and resulted in a recall of more than 50,000 cars. That probe focused on the Lexus ES350 and concluded that grooves in the floor mat could trap the accelerator if the mat was not secured with retaining hooks.

U.S. investigators found many owners were not aware that it takes three seconds to turn off the electronic ignition button that comes standard on that model and the Prius.

(Reporting by John Crawley; editing by John Wallace)