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NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE08039

Preliminary Evaluation · ACCELERATOR PEDAL-FLOOR MAT INTERFERENCE · Opened 2008-06-25 · Closed 2008-10-27

Investigation

Action number
PE08039
Type
Preliminary Evaluation
Open date
2008-06-25
Close date
2008-10-27
Manufacturer
MACNEIL AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTS LIMITED
Affected makes
WEATHERTECH
Affected components
EQUIPMENT; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
Affected model years
9999
Affected (make, year) variants
20

Summary

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) IS AWARE OF 12 REPORTS SINCE 2005 THAT ALLEGE UNWANTED ACCELERATION ON A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT MODEL YEAR 2006 AND 2007 VEHICLES (FORD MUSTANG; CHEVROLET COBALT; GMC SIERRA 2500; ACURA MDX; HONDA RIDGELINE; HYUNDAI AZERA AND SANTA FE; AND TOYOTA 4RUNNER, AVALON, CAMRY, AND TUNDRA) EQUIPPED WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT AFTERMARKET WEATHERTECH BRAND ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MATS AND FLOORLINER FLOOR COVERINGS MANUFACTURED BY MACNEIL.NONE OF THE VEHICLE/MAT COMBINATIONS HAD MORE THAN ONE COMPLAINT.NONE OF THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGED ANY CRASHES OR INJURIES.WEATHERTECH BRAND ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MATS ARE A FLAT-PATTERN FLOOR COVERING MADE OF A FLEXIBLE RUBBER MATERIAL THAT HAVE DEEPLY SCULPTED CHANNELS DESIGNED TO TRAP MOISTURE AND DEBRIS.WHILE THEY ARE NOT CUSTOMIZED TO FIT ANY PARTICULAR MAKE OR MODEL VEHICLE, MACNEIL RECOMMENDS ANY ONE OF APPROXIMATELY 80 DIFFERENT SHAPED DESIGNS FOR EACH SPECIFIC MAKE, MODEL AND MODEL YEAR VEHICLE BASED ON ITS OWN BEST FIT CRITERIA.ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MATS UTILIZE A NIBBED BACKING AND/OR A RIDGED NON-SKID PATTERN TO LIMIT MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE MAT AND THE VEHICLE FLOOR BOARD.WEATHERTECH ALSO SELLS FLOORLINERS, WHICH ARE RIGID PLASTIC FLOOR COVERINGS THAT ARE CONTOURED TO FIT SPECIFIC MAKE, MODEL, AND MODEL YEAR VEHICLES.FLOORLINERS APPEAR TO RELY PRIMARILY ON THEIR FORM FITTING SHAPE TO LIMIT MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE MAT AND THE VEHICLE FLOOR BOARD.HOWEVER, MACNEIL DOES WARN CONSUMERS, IF SO EQUIPPED, PLEASE BE SURE TO USE ANY RETENTION DEVICES SUPPLIED WITH VEHICLE MATS.IN GENERAL, VARIOUS VEHICLE, MAT AND USE FACTORS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOOR MAT INTERFERENCE WITH ACCELERATOR PEDAL TRAVEL.VEHICLE FACTORS CAN INCLUDE PEDAL AND FLOOR PAN DESIGN.MAT FACTORS CAN INCLUDE THICKNESS AND GEOMETRY, PARTICULARLY AFFECTING THE ORIENTATION OF THE LEADING EDGE IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL.USE FACTORS THAT HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN INTERFERENCE INCIDENTS INCLUDE FAILURE TO REMOVE ORIGINAL FLOOR MATS WHE

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI investigation page
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