Ill-fitting floor mats, be they works or aftermarket, are enough of a problem that Toyota issued an advisory today to an estimated 3.8 million to Toyota and Lexus owners to remove their driver foot-well floor mat immediately. This applies to all "removable" mats, and Toyota and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are asking that owners not replace them with any other mats. A formal recall is forthcoming, the company said in a press conference today, and a more permanent solution will be announced at that time.

Complaints about floor mats date back to 2004, Toyota spokesman Irv Miller said today, when Prius owners reported that their cars experienced unintended acceleration when improperly fastened, or unfastened extractable mats crowded the accelerator pedal into an 'open' position.

However, the graveness of the situation undoubtedly increased when a California Highway Patrol officer and three members of his family died in an August 28 crash blamed on a stuck accelerator pedal in their Lexus ES 350 dealer loaner car. The pedal was apparently crowded by an ill-fitting floor mat.

The following vehicles are included in today's warning:

2007-2010 Camry
2005-2010 Avalon
2004-2009 Prius
2005-2010 metropolis
2007-2010 Tundra
2007-2010 ES 350
2006-2010 IS 250 and IS 350

Toyota's advisory on floor mats

Green Car Advisor: Toyota Urges Gen 2 Prius Owners to Remove Floor Mats to Avoid Stuck Gas Pedals