Toyota Warned Dealers in 2007

Well, Toyota can’t claim its recent recall troubles come as a surprise: The automaker warned dealers in 2007 that the floormats in its cars were a crash risk—a full two years before the company began recalling cars for unintended acceleration. "If the floormat is NOT properly placed and secured, it could slip and interfere with the movement of the pedals during driving and may cause an accident," Toyota told 1,500 dealers. It issued a similar warning again in 2008. These warnings are far more explicit about the danger than any public statement released by Toyota.