US officials investigate reports of floor mats trapping pedals in Ford Fusions, Mercury Milan
By APTuesday, June 1, 2010
Feds investigate trapped gas pedals in Ford models
WASHINGTON — Federal safety regulators are investigating a small number of reports of gas pedals becoming trapped by floor mats in 2010 Ford Fusions and Mercury Milans.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has received three such complaints involving unsecured all weather floor mats. There are no reports of crashes or injuries because of the problem.
But it is similar to Toyota’s problems with floor mats that led to the recall of more than 5 million vehicles worldwide. In those cases, drivers said their vehicles sped up when pedals became lodged under all-weather mats that were stacked on top of the floor mats.
To solve the problem, Toyota shortened its gas pedals and took out some of the carpet padding below the pedal.
Safety officials said the investigation covers about 250,000 Fusions and Milans. The preliminary investigation, opened on Friday, is meant to determine whether the complaints have merit and the seriousness of any potential problems.
