Off-highway and off-road vehicles are involved in hundreds of accidents every year and we have been following this issue for some time. Now, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recommending it set mandatory rules to “regulate recreational off-highway vehicles,” such as the Yamaha Rhino.

The move anticipates regulators stepping up some consumer safety issues under President Obama, who has called for increased consumer protections since he was sworn into office. The five agency commissioners, who just received a written recommendation, are mandated to now propose a rulemaking, which must be in place prior to rule implementation, said the Journal. A vote on the rulemaking could take place as early as next Wednesday. (more…)

Toyota Motor Corp. has officially recalled nearly four million of its vehicles. The recall, said Detroit News, is being issued following a number of accidents and serious incidents—one involving the deaths of a California state trooper and three members of his family—over allegedly faulty floor mats. This is the second time since 2007 that Toyota has issued a recall over floor mats.

Including the California fatalities, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) received 100 complaints that involve 17 crashes and five deaths, said Detroit News. One-third of those incidents involved the Lexus ES 350, the Free Press said previously. But, Toyota argues it “has not determined that the vehicles … contain a safety-related defect,” quoted Detroit News, but agreed to initiate its largest United States recall saying it was “willing to identify this campaign as a safety recall,” according to a quote from a letter the car giant wrote to the NHTSA. (more…)

A consumer safety group has called for a recall of Jeep Grand Cherokees, claiming that the vehicles have defective fuel tanks that are prone to causing fires.

In a letter to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Center for Auto Safety said a search of the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System revealed that 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees were involved in 172 fatal fire crashes with 254 fatalities between 1992 and 2002. With an additional known fatal fire crash in 2009, there have been at least 44 crashes with 64 fatalities where the “Most Harmful Event” was a fire, the group said. Nearly all of the fires and fatalities occurred in Grand Cherokees made before the 2005 model year. (more…)

Toyota is poised to recall 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles because of defective floor mats. According to the Detroit Free Press, the recall will be the automaker’s largest ever U.S. safety recall.

Earlier this month, we reported that Toyota had advised its Lexus and Toyota dealers to inspect the installation of floor mats in certain vehicles. The warning was issued following a fatal accident in San Diego, California that may have occurred when a floor mat in a Lexus ES 350 sedan was caught in the vehicle’s gas pedal, leading to an unintended acceleration. The accident killed a California state trooper and three of his family members. (more…)

We have long been covering the issue of consumer products, foods, and medications imported to the United Sates from China that have made news for toxins, high lead levels, bogus ingredients, and general defectiveness. Now, MSNBC has reported that Chinese-made tires can be included in the mix.

The two countries are arguing over trade tariffs for the tires, but some consumers are also concerned about tires coming from a country that has shown an abysmal track record for product safety. MSNBC noted that tire imports from China have increased from 15 million in 2006 to 46 million in 2008, citing the United Steelworkers union. The union—which represents rubber industry workers—has accused China of unfair trade practices, saying tire imports from China have jumped this year by an astounding 57 percent based on the weight of tires brought into U.S. docks, said MSNBC. (more…)

Mitsubishi just announced a recall of 531 of its 2010 Endeavor vehicles over concerns that the vehicles’ front seat-mounted airbags might not correctly deploy in the event of a side impact crash, reported Edmunds, citing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“The retainer bracket used for the seat-mounted side airbag frames on both the driver and front passenger seats may not have been properly welded,” said NHTSA in its recalls summary of the problem, quoted Edmunds. “If this condition exists, the front seat-mounted airbags may not deploy correctly in a side impact crash, possibly resulting in injury to the seat occupant,” the NHTSA added. (more…)

Another automobile accident linked to faulty floor mats has prompted action from carmaker, Toyota Motor Corporation. Bloomberg.com reported that Toyota advised its United States dealers to inspect how its floor mats are installed. The request followed the deaths of a California Highway Patrol officer and three family members when a floor mat in his Lexus sedan was likely caught in the gas pedal, said Bloomberg.com.

The accident took place near San Diego, reported Bloomberg.com, on August 28 when Officer Mark Saylor was driving a loaner from a Lexus dealership, according to Toyota. In 2007, the car giant recalled 55,000 Camrys and Lexus ES 350s in the U.S., replacing floor mats it said “could slip forward and snag the gas pedal, causing uncontrolled acceleration,” said Bloomberg.com. Preliminary investigation information “indicates the cause may have been an all-weather floor mat from a different Lexus model which, if installed incorrectly in the ES350, could cause it to interfere with the accelerator pedal,” said Toyota, quoted Bloomberg.com.

“We are instructing all of our Lexus and Toyota dealers to immediately inspect their new, used and loaner fleet vehicles and we urge all other automakers, dealers, vehicle owners and the independent service and car wash industries to assure that any floor mat, whether factory or aftermarket, is correct for the vehicle and properly installed and secured,” said Toyota company spokesman Brian Lyons, in an e-mailed statement, quoted Bloomberg.com.

In 2007, AutoUnleashed, reported that there were some 40 complaints concerning all-weather floor-mats in certain vehicles not being secured and slipping under the acceleration pedal. The problems caused eight crashes and injured 12 people at the time of the report, which noted the problem involved floor mats sold with the Lexus ES 350 and the 2007/08 Toyota Camry. The Lexus ES 350 poses a unique problem in that the vehicle is engaged via push-button ignition, said AutoUnleashed, which means it cannot be stopped by turning the key.

At the time, AutoUnleashed strongly suggested owners of the Toyota Prius, Avalon, RAV4, and Tacoma check those floor mats as well. AutoRecalls also reported that about 1,700 of certain models of the 2007 Mazda Speed 3 were recalled because certain vehicles were equipped with optional all-weather floor mats which provided “insufficient clearance between” the mat and the accelerator which might cause the pedal to became stuck behind the mat resulting in improper deceleration, increasing crash risk.

In December we wrote that, according to Newsday, at least one million vehicle recalls were linked to poorly designed or incorrectly used floor mats in the past 25 years. In a case late last year, Newsday also reported that a driver lost control of his car because a “bunched-up” floor mat sent his vehicle into a storefront holiday party on Long Island, injuring eight children—aged one through eight—and six adults. That accident involved a BMW.

Newsday previously explained that mat-related automobile accidents have resulted from a number of problems in mats made by a variety of makers, including pedals sticking to mats or mats “interfering” with one or more of the pedals. Newsday noted that, in 2006, a driver in Washington State was hurt when his car crashed into a ditch after the floor mat became wedged on the gas pedal. Also that year, a boy was hospitalized and his sister died in Canada after their mother lost control of the car, said Newsday, which reported that police said the mat was most likely to blame. In another mat-related accident, a truck—when the driver was attempting to back out of a parking spot—careened down a hill in Rhode Island and through a wall of a home, said Newsday.

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Earlier last month we wrote that the Honda Motor Company expanded a previous recall from late last year and added nearly a half-million—about 440,000—cars that could contain a dangerous and deadly airbag defect. The BBC previously noted that Honda issued a similar recall this past November. The original recall was for less than 4,000 vehicles.

ABCLocal pointed out that the original recall involved 3,900 model year 2001 Honda Accords and Civics; this year’s expanded recall involved 440,000 vehicles that included model year 2002 Accords and Acura TL models. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is trying to figure out if Honda delayed the total recall and is asking the automaker for details about the eight-month delay, said ABCLocal. Acura is Honda’s luxury brand vehicle. (more…)

A former lawyer for Toyota has accused the automaker of concealing important information about rollover accidents that resulted in deaths and injuries. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the accusations could ultimately result in hundreds of rollover accident lawsuits against Toyota being reopened.

According to the Times, the stunning allegations were made in a federal lawsuit filed by Dimitrios P. Biller, a former managing counsel for Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. His job involved defending the company in lawsuits filed by victims of injured in rollover accidents involving Toyota sport utility vehicles and trucks. Biller claims the automaker forced him to resign in 2007. The company gave him a $3.2 million severance payment, the Times said. (more…)

The federal government is investigating a fire risk that may be associated with Jeep Wranglers, according to the Associated Press. According to the report, the possible Jeep Wrangler defect under investigation could affect as many as 220,000 vehicles.

According to The Toledo Blade, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened the Jeep Wrangler probe on August 12. It was prompted by complaints filed by three vehicle owners. The complaints allege that the vehicles’ transmission overheated. One reported smoke that occurred when transmission fluid leaked onto the catalytic converter. Another claimed a fire occurred. No injuries have been reported. (more…)