<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" On October 5, 2009, Toyota announced its largest recall ever, calling back 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus models for an unlikely culprit: the floor mats. According to Toyota, the mats can slip under the throttle pedal, hindering its movement. In the worst case, this could result in a throttle stuck wide-open.  If that happens--and let&amp;#039;s face it, who hasn&amp;#039;t been in a car where the mats have slipped under the gas pedal?--don&amp;#039;t forget to first simply press hard and steady on the brake pedal. The brakes of a modern car are more powerful than the engine, so even with the throttle wide-open, the brakes will bring the car to a stop. You could also reach down and pull the mat toward you, or turn off the engine off by rotating the key to the &amp;quot;ACC&amp;quot; position. With the engine off, the brakes and steering will be harder to work--the power assist will also be off--but those controls will still function. As always, a clear head is the first remedy for any panic situation. Toyota will contact affected owners and recommends that owners suspicious of their mats simply remove them and go to a dealer. At some point, Toyota will issue new, model-specific mats to combat this problem, but in the meantime, the fix is pretty simple: a better hook to hold the mats in place and a tie-warp to anchor it to the seat frame. To see if your car is affected, check out safercar.gov.  In Ford&amp;#039;s case, the company has recalled 4.5 million trucks and SUVs for a faulty cruise-control switch. The switch might overheat or smoke. In the worst case scenario, it could start a vehicle fire.  If you see dark smoke while driving any car, immediately and safely bring the car to a stop. Then exit the vehicle and stand back. Those explosions that you see in the movies are unlikely, but don&amp;#039;t forget that gasoline is still a very volatile substance. Unless we knew that the smoke was simply steam from an overheated radiator, we&amp;#039;d leave this one to the pros and call the fire department.  Ford will also contact affected owners and replace the switch at no charge. Check safercar.gov for updates.  RELATED STORIES * PLUS: Tire Valve Recall Reveals Importance of Metal Stems  * SATURDAY MECHANIC: Fixing Faulty Cruise Control   * EARLIER: Hybrid Lexus Tops BMW Diesel in MPG Marathon   * TEST DRIVE: Ford&amp;#039;s Radical Raptor Off-Road Pickup Rocks   * myWHEELS: Sign up for PM&amp;#039;s Automotive Community!  * FOLLOW US: Popular Mechanics is Now on Twitter!  * FRIEND US: Find PM on Facebook   (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a12165/4287655/>