Key points
- Use a mat made for your exact truck, cab and model year.
- Secure the driver mat on its retention clips or hooks if your truck has them.
- Never lay one mat on top of another.
- If the gas pedal sticks, brake steadily, shift to neutral and stop in a safe place.
- Run your VIN through NHTSA's recall search once in a while.
Why the mat matters more than the carpet
Most people buy floor mats for the mud. That part is easy. The harder part is the driver side, where a loose mat can slide forward under your heel and curl against the accelerator.
NHTSA's page on summer driving tips puts floor mats on its pre-trip list next to lights and tires. It asks you to look for improperly installed mats that may interfere with the accelerator or brake pedals, because that raises the risk of a crash. The same page says to always use mats of the correct size and fit for your vehicle.
The U.S. Department of Transportation went further in testimony on the Toyota recalls in March 2010. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood explained that a floor mat can trap the accelerator pedal at full throttle. He named three ways it happens, and all three are about how a mat is chosen and laid down, not about the mat material.
| What goes wrong | What it looks like in your truck | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| The mat is not secured | The driver mat has slid forward or sideways off its anchors | Put it back and fasten it on the retaining hooks or clips |
| One mat is stacked on another | A rubber mat lies on top of the factory carpet mat | Take one out, so only one mat sits in the footwell |
| The mat is not intended for the vehicle | A mat from another truck, or a trim-to-fit mat, bunches up near the pedals | Use a mat cut for your make, model, cab and year |
A mat cut for your truck, cab and year
The DOT testimony describes a mat that is wrong for the vehicle because of its shape or dimensions. On a pickup that can mean the right truck and the wrong cab, or the right truck and the wrong engine. So read the fit line before you look at the color.
Our all-weather floor mats for the Toyota Tacoma fit the 2024–2026 Double Cab with a gas engine and an automatic transmission, in SR, SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road and Limited trims. Hybrid, TRD Pro, Trailhunter, XtraCab, TRD PreRunner and manual trucks are not on that list, and we would rather you skip the set than force it into a footwell it was not cut for.
On the Maverick, the gas and hybrid floors are cut differently. You pick your engine first, then the kit. Our Maverick floor mats and sill guards come as front and rear mats with four sill guards, or as a larger kit that adds a bed mat and a tailgate mat.
For the Bronco, the full set covers the cabin and the cargo area of a 2021–2026 4-Door. It does not fit the 2-Door or the Bronco Sport. Every mat, liner and seatback cover in our catalog for these trucks sits on our floor mats and liners shelf, sorted by vehicle.
| Set | Fits | Not for | Pieces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronco all-weather floor mats | 2021–2026 Ford Bronco 4-Door | 2-Door, Bronco Sport | Front and rear mats, sill guards, seatback protectors, cargo liner, lower trunk mat |
| Maverick floor mats and sill guards | 2022–2026 Ford Maverick, Gas or Hybrid | The other engine version | Front and rear mats, 4 sill guards (bed and tailgate mats in the larger kit) |
| Tacoma all-weather floor mats | 2024–2026 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab, gas, automatic | Hybrid, TRD Pro, Trailhunter, XtraCab, TRD PreRunner, manual | Driver, front passenger and one-piece rear liner |
| Bronco cargo liner | 2021–2026 Ford Bronco 2-Door or 4-Door | Bronco Sport | 1 liner with a raised lip |
| Maverick under seat mats | 2022–2026 Ford Maverick, Gas or Hybrid | The other engine version | 2 mats for the under-seat storage |
Retention clips and hooks: fasten the driver side
NHTSA asks you to follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing a mat and to use retention clips to secure it. The DOT testimony says the same in other words: keep the mat securely anchored in place on its retaining hooks.
Our Tacoma driver liner has two holes that line up with the factory retention clips in the footwell, and the liner should sit on those retention points. Lay it down, find the clips through the holes and press until the liner seats on them. The passenger and rear liners simply lie in place.
For the Bronco and Maverick sets, follow the fitting instructions that come with the mats, and lay each piece in its matching spot. If you are unsure whether a piece is sitting where it belongs, compare its shape with the footwell before you drive.
- 1
Take every old mat out of the footwell, including the factory carpet mat if you are replacing it.
- 2
Lay the driver mat down and push it back toward the seat, away from the pedals.
- 3
Fasten it on the retention clips or hooks if your truck and your mat have them.
- 4
Press the accelerator and then the brake all the way down to make sure neither pedal touches the mat.
- 5
Look at the driver mat again after your first few drives, and fasten it again if it has moved.
Never stack mats
This is the mistake people make on purpose. A new all-weather mat arrives, the factory carpet mat still looks fine, and the new one goes on top of the old one.
The DOT testimony names exactly that, one floor mat stacked on top of another, as one of the ways a mat ends up holding the accelerator down. Our Tacoma fitting steps say it in one line: do not lay these liners on top of other mats.
So the carpet mat comes out and goes in the garage. If you swap between carpet mats in summer and rubber liners in winter, keep only one set in the truck at a time.
Cargo, seatbacks and the space under the seat
Behind the rear seat, a loose mat cannot reach a pedal, so the job there is keeping dirt and spills inside a tray. Our Bronco cargo liner has a raised lip around the edge that holds a tipped cooler or muddy boots inside. It comes in a 2-Door and a 4-Door cut and is not made for the Bronco Sport.
When you fold the Bronco rear seats flat, their backs become part of the cargo floor. The rear seat backrest mat covers that surface in two pieces, and on the 4-Door it keeps the child seat LATCH anchors reachable. On the 2-Door, hook and loop strips keep the backrest mats in place.
Maverick owners can line the storage area under the rear seat with our two under seat mats. Pick Gas or Hybrid, because the layout there differs too, and the mats leave the seat free to move.
If the gas pedal ever sticks
You may never need this, but it is worth knowing before you need it. The DOT testimony gave drivers a short sequence for a stuck accelerator.
- Once you are stopped, look at the driver mat before you drive again. If it has moved forward or folded, pull it back and fasten it.
- If a second mat is under it, take one out.
- If the pedal stuck with the mat clearly out of the way, leave the truck parked and talk to your dealer.
- 1
Steadily apply the brake.
- 2
Put the vehicle in neutral.
- 3
Bring it to a stop in a safe place.
- 4
Call your dealer.
Look up recalls by VIN
Floor mats have been the subject of vehicle recalls, and the place to see what applies to your own truck is NHTSA's recall look-up. You can search by license plate or by the 17-character VIN, which sits on the lower left of your windshield.
The search shows whether your truck has an unrepaired safety recall. Keep two limits in mind. It does not show safety recalls more than 15 years old, and a recall announced in the last few days may not list every VIN yet, so search again later if you are waiting on one.
The same NHTSA page lets you search car seats, tires and other equipment, and it is where you report a safety problem with a vehicle or a piece of equipment. Heading out on a summer trip? Our guide to sun shades and parking in the sun draws on the same NHTSA summer checklist.
Every product named here is part of the Mabett range.
