Toyota to recall Lexus SUVs to fix floor mat

DETROIT - Toyota's problems with unintended acceleration just won't go away.

Federal safety regulators said Friday that they have asked the company to recall about 154,000 Lexus SUVs because their floor mats can trap the gas pedal and cause the vehicles to speed up without warning.  The agency is also said it may investigate whether Toyota told the agency about problems quickly enough.

The move adds the 2010 model year Lexus RX 350 and RX 450 to a string of safety recalls that date to 2009. Toyota has recalled more than 14 million vehicles globally to fix problems including sticky gas pedals and floor mats. The recalls tarnished the company's reputation for reliability and cut into sales.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it requested the SUV recall after reviewing complaints from customers and information from Toyota.

The agency said gas pedals can become trapped by floor mats, causing the SUVs to accelerate unexpectedly. The agency said people with the SUVs should remove the driver's side floor mat and have their vehicles serviced quickly.

Toyota said owners will be notified by mail in early August, and dealers will fix the problem for free.

Experts say if your car accelerates unexpectedly, you should step on the brake and shift into neutral or shut off the engine.

Toyota paid the U S. government a record $48.8 million in fines for failing to promptly alert U.S. regulators to safety problems over sticking accelerator pedals.