- fca has issued a recall for 160,229 of its 2019 and 2020 ram 1500 pickups for the possibility that the all-season floor mats could interfere with the accelerator pedal.
- fca estimates that less than 1 percent of the recalled vehicles have this issue.
- the automaker advises owners to take their vehicle into a dealership as soon as possible, and in the meantime, remove the mats from their vehicle.
fca has issued a recall for 160,229 2019 and 2020 ram 1500s in the u.s. for the potential for the all-season floor mat to “interfere” with the accelerator pedal. the automaker said that the adjustable pedals could be positioned in a way that leaves too little clearance between the floor mats and the pedals, which may lead to their coming into contact. ram 1500s in canada and mexico are also affected by the recall.
fca said that it is unaware of any injuries or accidents resulting from the pedal interference and noted that it estimates only 1 percent of the recalled 1500s may have this issue. the recall was issued following an investigation which was prompted by a customer complaining about the floor mat interfering with the pedal.
when asked to clarify what interference meant, an fca spokesperson told c/d, "the floor mat has ribs. the pedals are adjustable. when the pedal is set at certain positions, there may be interference with some mats." fca noted in its press release that brake-throttle override, a system to prevent runaway vehicles, has been standard in its vehicles since 2011.
an estimated 43,148 all-season floor mats sold as aftermarket options are also affected by the recall. fca advises owners of vehicles with the all-season mats to bring them to a dealer for modification and to remove the mats from the vehicle in the meantime. ram owners can check the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) website or nhtsa's new recall app to see if their vehicle is involved in the recall.
fca isn't the only automaker to have recalled a vehicle due to floor mats interfering with the accelerator pedal. back in 2009, toyota recalled a total of 3.8 million vehicles due to the potential of the floor mat interfering and causing the accelerator pedal to become stuck in the open position.