- Buick is recalling nearly 30,000 Envisions because they may have faulty accessory floor mats.
- The mats can cause the accelerator pedal to become stuck, leading to unintended acceleration.
- A similar issue with Toyota vehicles resulted in a massive recall and four deaths.
Few people give floor mats a second thought, but they were big news nearly two decades ago as Toyota was forced to recall nearly four million vehicles because their mats could cause the accelerator pedal to become stuck. This unfortunately had tragic consequences as four people were killed in a crash.
Fast forward to today and floor mats are grabbing headlines once again. The latest recall involves 27,793 Buick Envision crossovers because their all-weather floor mats pose a similar risk. In particular, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the “accelerator pedal may become trapped under the floor mat, which can result in unintended acceleration.”
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While only 5% of vehicles are believed to have them, the safety recall report says all-weather floor mats made by Hope Valley Industries can “interfere with the accelerator pedal, causing it to become trapped beneath the liner and stuck in a depressed position.” It goes onto say the problem was a result of the floor mat not being modified to accommodate a design change to the driver’s side carpet in the 2024 Envision.
While the government confusingly calls the item a floor liner and a floor mat, it’s an optional accessory and an investigation by GM found nine field complaints potentially related to them. However, the company isn’t aware of any injuries or crashes.
The same investigation found 2,450 all-weather floor mats could be out in the wild and this means they could have been installed in one of the 27,793 Buick Envisions from the 2024 model year.
As part of the recall, dealers will look to see if the floor mat is installed. If it is, the mat will be discarded or ‘modified’ to prevent interference with the accelerator pedal. While part of the mat will simply be cut off, owners will be reimbursed for the original cost.
