NHTSA Complaint #10503278 — 2006 TOYOTA TACOMA

FINALLY DID FLOOR MAT RECALL WORK DONE ON MY 2006 TACOMA. NEW FLOOR MAT IS THIN, FLIMSY, NOTHING LIKE ORIGINAL THICK ALL WEATHER FLOOR MAT. I ALSO WANT TO ADD, THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ORIGINAL DESIGN AW FLOOR MAT FOR TACOMA VEHICLES, THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO INTERFERENCE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, AND THAT THE ONLY REASON I CHANGED THE MATS WAS DUE TO THE MAT RIBS STARTING TO BREAK ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. IN ADDITION, THE CAMPAIGN CALLED FOR THE FLOOR CARPET TO BE VACUUM CLEANED AND SHAMPOOED, AND NONE OF THIS WAS DONE. THE DEALER SIMPLY SWAPPED-OUT THE FLOOR MATS AND CHARGED-OUT $185 TO "RECALL WORK", I DON'T EVEN THINK THEY DID ANY PEDAL ADJUSTMENT. HERE'S THE REAL PROBLEM: THE NEW, THIN, FLIMSY FLOOR MAT USES THE OLD FLOOR MAT RETAINER HOOKS THAT WERE INTENDED FOR THE THICK ALL WEATHER FLOOR MATS. THESE FLOOR MAT HOOKS HURT MY FEET WHEN DRIVING BAREFOOT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY CAN, THEY WILL, AND THEY HAVE CAUGHT AND HOOKED-UP THE HEEL OF MY SHOES ON OCCASION. I AM A VERY SAFE DRIVER, DO NOT TAILGATE VEHICLES, AND I TELL YOU NOW, THESE HOOKS HAVE CAUSED ME TO GET INTO EMBARRASSING SITUATIONS AND VERY NEAR ACCIDENTS DUE TO MY SHOE GETTING CAUGHT IN THE HOOKS AND NOT BEING ABLE TO BRAKE PROPERLY AND ON TIME. IF I MODIFY THE HOOKS OR CUT THEM, THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT THE NEW MAT WILL SLIDE-UP UNDER THE PEDALS, PREVENTING USE OF THE BRAKES AND NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. I WILL NOT DO THIS, I WILL NOT ASSUME THIS RESPONSIBILITY. AT THIS PRESENT SITUATION, AT THIS PRESENT DESIGN, THE LIABILITY RESTS WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND THE AUTHORIZATION FOR THIS RECALL DESIGN MODIFICATION. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE ORIGINAL DESIGN FOR THIS SPECIFIC YEAR/MAKE/MODEL; HOWEVER, THE RECALL MODIFICATION DID CREATE A PROBLEM WHERE NONE EXISTED, AND MADE THE SITUATION WORSE THAN ORIGINAL. *TR