See this article. Yes, Toyota had a problem with floor mats that were too thick and a dubious gas pedal in certain cars. But what happened after that was media-induced hysteria with help from some obvious publicity hounds and people looking for a scapegoat for their own driving errors. It became the Audi 5000 phenomenon all over again — but even more out of control due to the power of the internet. Brakes are stronger than engines and a car won’t runaway if you take it out of gear or turn off the engine — end of story.