Front floor mat hooks

I would like to remove the front floor mat hooks and use my own rubber mats. Does anyone know if they are removable? I tried pulling up on them but feared I would break them. Any suggestions appreciated.

Punch a hole in the rubber mat that matches the locations of the front floor mat hooks.

The hole could/would let melt-water escape/drip/drain through the rubber mat.

garygid said:

The hole could/would let melt-water escape/drip/drain through the rubber mat.

Click to expand...

Use some sugru to put a lip on the hole like the OEM ones

I would be more tempted to put a pair of holes in the mats and add some grommets to protect the hole.

A little more force and they pop right out. Trimmed some waterproof tape to cover the two holes. Now I can put my own mat in and place my feet without having to feel those hooks.

I sure hope your replacement mat doesn't slip forward and jam against the accelerator.

Ray

Has never happened in 30 years, way before they started putting in the hooks. But, if they did tend to slip, all it would take to prevent that is some carpet tape on the underside of the mat.

I believe that the hooks are from a Toyota reaction to a Prius Presumed Problem - the presumed mat-holds-pedal-"ON" situation.

Turned out (it was reported), after one driver had his mats in the trunk, so the mat was "less likely" the cause, defective "sticky" (corroded) pedal mechanisms were found in some cars. However, the mat-hooks remained.

BMW has used a much more elegant solution since long before the Toyota incidents. Their mats are held in place in all four locations by flush 90 degree turn retainers that lock in to matching slots beneath the carpet. Thus, if not used they are invisible, and when used they are flush, secure, and self-sealing.

garygid said:

I believe that the hooks are from a Toyota reaction to a Prius Presumed Problem - the presumed mat-holds-pedal-"ON" situation.

Click to expand...

I used rubber mats for a long time in a 91 Ranger, without incident.
But I also encountered floor mat in a Lincoln Town Car sliding forward and hanging the accelerator. Don't think it had hooks or other means to secure the floor mat.
Very frightening / dangerous incident, fortunately got the car under control but was lucky that I was on an Interstate with five lanes in the direction I was traveling and very sparse traffic.
If the same thing happened in dense traffic, such an incident would likely cause an accident and could get you killed.
Securing the floor mat is the smart & safe thing to do.
Should be a mandatory safety requirement for all vehicles.
Although mandatory brake pedal over ride of the vehicle accelerator is the smarter thing to do.
When a very experienced law enforcement officer fails to overcome a stuck accelerator pedal and he and his entire family dies in a horrific crash, do we really need more evidence that brake pedal over ride of the accelerator should be mandatory?