MD350

Great note in the mail. Basically, here is what it says.

"Hey Mr. and Mrs. owner, your mat is defective. But guess what!! We don't have a fix yet, we have not designed the new floor mat yet...so stay tuned. In the meantime, make sure you use your hooks."

Sounds like they have the same engineering team on the mat issue as they do on the tranny issue.

mmrfr

Go Lexus!!!!

<VENOM>

I don't get this overly cautious attitude Toyota/Lexus is taking, people are stupid and you can do nothing about it, for decades the American Auto Makers laughed at their customers and even told them to deal with it themselves, this is the fat kid dilema, suddenly everyone is a winner no one comes in last

toneman

I totally understand where you're coming from; as it applies to the AWFM (all weather floor mat) recall, here is the condition which prompted this recall in the first place (quoted in part from the Safety Recall Notice Lexus sent out):

There you have it--according to Lexus, the issue was caused by an improperly-installed AWFM...not by anything else--at least not stated elsewhere in the recall notice. Now, I could be an a** and say that such improper installation was probably due to some ES 350 owners and/or Lexus factory service techs not having enough intelligence to know (if not figure out) how to correctly install the AWFM...but I'll give at least ES 350 owners the benefit of the doubt and say that maybe they were not able to find instructions on how to properly install it.

IMHO--I find it sad that Lexus was forced to issue a safety recall notice for the AWFM because there are apparently more than a few people out there who know how to properly operate a motor vehicle, yet seemingly aren't smart enough to figure out how to properly install something as simple as a floor mat. Am I being a bit harsh in saying that? Perhaps...but I'll offer this--I don't consider myself a very smart person by any means...yet I was able to correctly install the AWFM in my vehicle w/o having to even refer to any instructions on how to do so. And no, I don't see my AWFM ever coming close to lodging itself against the accelerator pedal...not unless there is a failure/defect w/ either the retaining hooks and/or the grommet holes--neither of which are being discussed as possible points of failure in the recall notice.

Sorry for the long post/vent, but like I said--it's sad that it has to come down to this...all because of a few folks--whether they be vehicle owners and/or service techs--who don't know any better.

garsarno

A lot of times the all weather mats are installed over the carpet mats at the dealership upon new car delivery prep and there is not enough "hook" to grab them both. Just remove the carpet mats as the all weather mats are a replacement for the carpet mats.

static

I got the notice, haven't opened it yet.

I like the mats as they are and don't want to exchange them. They will hold a lot of melted snow, more than any mat I've ever seen.

I'm one of the dumb*ss that installed them the wrong way the first time, it was about 5 degrees inside my garage when I did it and they were stiff as concrete. It was snowing and I was in a hurry and was not about to stop and look for instructions.

Mine never moved around, those little feet and the stiffness locked them in place.

When the first notice from lexus came, I installed them the right way.

2thfixr

I'm one of those dumbasses also. I didn't read the instructions because they are just hooks. I put the AW mats over the carpet mats out of convenience, on for the winter and off for the summer but they ended up staying in the car. When I got the notice, I removed the carpet mat underneath and hooked them in properly.

I bought the ES for my mother in law to drive my 3 boys to/from school and activities. It freaks me out to think something awful could have happened due to improper mat installation. I think the recall is appropriate to ensure that every owner is alerted of the issue. They should redesign the mat and get all of the existing mats out of circulation. One of these days, someone will buy a used ES with AW mats and will unknowingly make the same mistake I did.

People just don't think about factory AW mats slipping and pressing on the accelerator.

OAKPLANK

YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS:
I had my ES350 serviced yesterday (oil change). They washed the car outside, cleaned the interior, removed my rubber mats and washed them. So far so good. However, they put the genuine Lexus rubber mats back in the car WITHOUT attaching them to the floor hooks. What about the recall? Wasn't it all about proper installation?
P.S. Regular oil (none synthetic) $100.00. Sorry, forgot to mention that they greased my door hinges.
oakplank

2 for 1

I don't think this issue is unique to just the ES350. Several years ago I bought after market all weather mats for my Acura TL TypeS. Within a few days the accelerator stuck to the floor during a pass on the highway. It was a very thrilling time. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to look down and see that it was stuck under the mat. Pulling it back stopped the immediate problem. I had also put these over the standard mats. Taking out the summer mats and just installing the all weather mats alone solved the problem. The TL had hooks for OEM mats, but the after market mats had no hook holes. My guess is that this is a problem in many instances. Perhaps an industry standard hole placement and attaching mechanism might fix the problem for everyone.

toneman

2thfixr--no need to be so harsh on yourself! You should call it for what it really was--i.e., you weren't a dumba** for having done so...you were just being lazy--LOL!!! j/k!

2thfixr

You hit the nail on the head! I hate messing with floormats, think about it this way. How many restroom stops have you made where you used a filthy disgusting gas station/fast food restroom only to walk right back to your car and rub the bottom of your shoes all over your mats? I vacuum around them not under them.

Reminds me of a funny story, I was with my boys at a gas station restroom. This one was particularly rank and the floors were wet with something, you know the type.... the dreaded ring of moisture around the perimeter of the urinal. Anyways, on the way out, I told my sons to shuffle their feet so they could scuff their shoes on the concrete before getting in the car. The guy behind us asked why they were doing that and I said, "You saw the bathroom floor right?" He got a wierd look on his face like a light bulb went on and shuffled to his car.

psp

Teethman,

You use bathrooms at gas stations? ewwwww!!!!!

amf1932

Sometimes you gotta go very bad!

2thfixr

I have 3 boys that are 10,8 and 6 years old, I make bathroom stops all over the place!

toneman

I know I'm getting OT here but your story reminded me of the time when I entered a restroom stall and discovered that it looked like someone (purposely) missed big time--and not just while doing #1...I'll leave out the description, so as to not gross out anyone happening to read this post while on their meal break.