News 8 has confirmed that a sticking accelerator is being investigated as one possible cause of a crash in Southlake last month that killed four people driving in a Toyota Avalon.
Late Thursday afternoon, Toyota issued an extensive recall of close to 3 million vehicles for that very reason.
The company did not reference the December 26 Southlake crash in its announcement, but Southlake police said they are investigating several possible causes of the accident, and they have not ruled out the possibility of a stuck accelerator.
The victims in the Southlake crash were in a 2008 Toyota Avalon. The sedan went through an intersection, crashed into a metal fence, hit a tree, and landed upside-down in a pond on the grounds of a mansion.
Witnesses said the vehicle never slowed down.
The list of recalled vehicles include popular Toyota models like the RAV4, Corolla, Matrix, Avalon, Camry, Highlander, Tundra and Sequoia.
This new recall is separate from an earlier Toyota recall for 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus models involving only floor mats that could possibly pin down the accelerator.
Check the link in the sidebar for the complete list of models in this recall and the earlier one.
E-mail dschechter@wfaa.com
