Toyota has launched a massive recall of 3.8 million vehicles in the United States due to a potential problem with floor mats that could cause the gas pedal to stick, US media have reported.

The world's number one automaker informed the US government of the recall — initially described by Toyota last month as a "safety warning" — in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), according to a report by an NBC television affiliate.

The recall launched Monday was issued in the wake of a deadly crash in California believed to be the result of an accelerator pedal that got trapped and stuck by a floor mat.

"Toyota will voluntarily notify its customers of this campaign and will voluntarily cooperate with NHTSA's recall procedures," Toyota assistant manager for technical and regulatory affairs Chris Santucci wrote in the letter posted on the NBC affiliate's website.

Read the story behind the recall

AFP

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