But what about all the media hype regarding other potential causes (faulty electronic computer systems among the most popular)? Perhaps the carmaker will soon squash the rumors once it gets a handle on fixing the four-million-vehicle flub. First things first.

If you own one of the following, Toyota will notify you on a rolling basis—starting with those driving ES 350, Camry, and Avalon models.

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250
• 2006-2010 IS 350

Until Toyota contacts you, remove the driver-side floor mats on the above vehicles. Particularly, if the car is yours. And don’t replace them until Toyota has fixed your vehicle. The fix will include:

1) A reconfiguration of the accelerator pedal, and possibly the shape of the floor surface underneath the pedal. You could get a replacement pedal as soon as April 2010, even if your vehicle already received a modified pedal under the recall.

2) An installation of a brake override system as an “extra measure of confidence” for the following recalled models: Camry, Avalon and Lexus ES 350, IS 350 and IS 250. With this new system, the vehicle will still stop even if you apply the brake and accelerator pedals simultaneously. A note on the government agency’s site reads, “NHTSA is particularly pleased that Toyota is taking this additional step.” Um, yay?

3) Newly designed replacement driver- and front-passenger side all-weather mats for those vehicles formerly dressed in any genuine Toyota or Lexus accessory all-weather floor mats.

As early as January 2010, Toyota will get to work on the recalled vehicles. It will start by first instructing dealers on how to reshape existing accelerator pedals. Then it will distribute replacement accelerator pedals for installation on vehicles not yet worked on. Even if you have your existing pedal modified, you are still eligible to receive a shiny, new one when Toyota doles them out.

If you have questions, contact Toyota directly at (800) 331-4331. Or access the NHTSA hotline at (888) 327-4236.

Whatever the root cause, these runaway vehicles have consumers running scared. Just turn on the news. Multiple news stations and media outlets throughout the country are feeding the frenzy by running stories on potential other causes proposed by, wait what did they call them, experts, investigators, you get the idea.

My advice is go to the source (see contact numbers below), and if you still can’t get answers, go to your attorney. Here are the models associated with the dangerous accelerator pedal entrapment problems:

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250
• 2006-2010 IS 350

If you own any of these you should have received a warning letting in the mail as late as last week. You’ll see that Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) still stand by their recommendation to remove the driver-side floor mats on the above models.

If you have questions, your best bet is to deal with Toyota directly. Call Toyota at (800) 331-4331. Or access the NHTSA hotline at (888) 327-4236.

If you don’t know Fisker, don’t feel out of the trustafarian hippie circle. It’s a SoCal-based car company trying to make a name for itself with eco-friendly cars just like every other automaker. Currently, it’s only got one product, the Fisker Karma, with the fam-sedan slated as number two.

Dubbed the world’s first eco-chic cars (well, dubbed by Fisker as such), the Karma burns zero fuel for the first 50 miles. After that, its gasoline engine turns a generator to charge a lithium ion battery, turning the Karma back into a normal hybrid.

Technically, if you charge your Karma every night and travel less than 50 miles a day, you could brag to your stuffiest, eco-snob friends, “I achieve an average fuel economy of 100 miles per gallon per year.” And they will squint and huff with jealousy that your Earth hug is bigger than theirs.

Karma comes at a price not everyone can afford. But with a little planning, the new plug-in sedan could suit our wallets and our families quite nicely.

About its alleged driver’s side, pedal-entrapping floor mats, Toyota inaccurately stated the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has come to the conclusion, “that no defect exists in vehicles in which the driver’s floor mat is compatible with the vehicle and properly secured.”

Not so, says the government agency. Not even close. In fact, the NHTSA stands by its original advice to Toyota and consumers to yank the recalled floor mats ASAP. Removing the mats is the NHTSA’s quickest answer to the deadly problem, but it’s still just an interim measure. Until Toyota “effectively addresses the defect by providing a suitable vehicle based solution,” the NHTSA considers the issue wide open.

The consumer alert includes the following Toyota and Lexus vehicles:

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS350

If you drive any of the above, remove the driver’s side floor mat immediately. It could cause unintended acceleration if stuck, resulting in very high speeds, serious injury or death. For more on other auto-related recalls, visit The Unofficial DMV Guide.

So if you are planning to fill up on sunshine and bad traffic, you should also be prepared to purchase a Prius. With so many on our roads, you might think they are standard issue when you cross state lines. You’ll undoubtedly feel the pressure to green your garage with one, and for good reason. But beware the Toyota Prius safety advisory.

Last month, the deaths of an off-duty California highway patrolman and his family were reported to spark the largest recall in Toyota and Lexus history: 3.8 million vehicles, including the Prius. Driver’s side floor mats of the following makes and models could hold down the gas pedal and cause the vehicles to accelerate uncontrollably:

• 2007 – 2010 Camry
• 2005 – 2010 Avalon
• 2004 – 2009 Prius
• 2005 – 2010 Tacoma
• 2007 – 2010 Tundra

So I called Toyota. Over the line a recorded female voice mentioned that Toyota takes public safety very seriously and that it is still developing an action plan. Until then, the robotic Lady Safety suggests car owners yank their floor mats from the driver’s side and avoid replacing them until further notice.

That shouldn’t hold you back if you are still thinking about moving to the land of the tan. A little sand on the floor of your shiny new hybrid is par for the California course.

Read more on the latest auto recalls.

Pee-wee’s Playhouse was a staple in our Texas abode. Brother and I would sing sitting Indian style in front of the tube every Saturday morning—I was the lead, Jeff as backup. Our parents denied us sugary cereal, speaking in public and cable television, so we looked to Pee-wee to make us hyper and silly.

Today (and more than 20 years later) I squealed into the phone at 6:30am and yelled “Get out of bed, there’ll be no more nappin’. In a plaaaace where anything can happen!” And I believe the response on the other line was a roundhouse and hip circles.

Tickets on Sale: Starting October 15 (Ticketmaster)
New Dates: January 12-February 7, 2010
New Venue: Club Nokia @ LA Live

It’s been a long time coming. Saturn Corporation has been in business since 1985—all the while overshadowing said gas giant. (Also known as a Jovian planet, Saturn is joined by Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune in this fabulous gas giant category.)

But after General Motors and Penske Automotive Group failed to ink a celestial deal, GM was forced to make the decision this week to phase out Saturn and its network of auto dealers. If you own a Saturn, don’t fret. Once all dealerships close you can still get your vehicle serviced at a certified GM dealer.

He suggested we avoid doing harm to any living thing, and that we perform no negative actions. That we detach ourselves from focusing solely on our own wellbeing, and that in turn we seek wellbeing for everyone and everything.

And it got me thinking (about the DMV, of course, because I am on the clock). How easy is it to bash the people who work for the DMV? How often do we equate suffering with going head-to-head with a salty clerk? Go ahead, poll five friends and see how many don’t have something nasty to say. “One time this DMV jerkface gave me the wrong paperwork and I had to go back to the end of the line,” or “Last week I waited two thousand hours to speak with Krusty the DMV Clown and was still unable to register my car.”

But just as we seek happiness and wish to overcome suffering, so do these folks. Do you think they go home at night and high five their significant others chuckling, “I really stuck it to Todd. He thought he could win me over with his bleached-teeth smile and upbeat attitude. But I denied him his registration renewal with pure glee. Ho ho ho mua ahh ahh.” Probably not.

So be compassionate. We’re all in this together. Some of us are just luckier than others and only have to deal with the DMV a couple of times a year.

“I just passed my driving test. Took me 60 yrs but I did it! For the 1st time in my life I’m legal to drive, so watch out!”

So I wonder which type of driver Ozzy Osbourne will be:

Agro Metal Head—rides your tail and prefers to fist pump and flick you off dare you to decide to drive defensively.

Sunday Driver—often mistaken for the Senile Driver, this syrupy slowhound consistently travels 20 below the posted speed limit and makes 90-degree head turns to admire impeccable yard work.

Makeup Multitasker—able to simultaneously apply eyeliner inside the lash line and make a hard right without stabbing the eyeball or nailing the curb.

Roadside Reliever—instead of pulling into a gas station, decides to urinate on honorary monuments and get banned from the Alamo city.

See for yourself.

I recall people in my hometown keeping things far simpler. In fact, one Colorado woman after my own heart tried ordering a personalized plate to show her love of bean curd, to which the state objected:

ILUVTOFU

Turned down by the DMV, she was notified that the letter combo “FU” sat on a long list of banned license plate phrases. Vegan and vigilant, she felt strongly about her message of meatlessness. But the motor vehicle agency stuck by its guns, stating “people could read that as street language for sex.”

I suppose I should feel content to live in such a progressive state dotted by slick cars and spicy plates. Back in Colorado, I’d never be able to pull off “EZWRITR.”