Agency fears floor mat in Ford truck poses danger

A federal safety agency is investigating whether driver-side floor mats on some late model Ford F-150 pick-up trucks can creep up on the gas pedal, potentially causing drivers to lose control.

Forty-nine people complained that mats in pickups from the 1997 and 1998 model years slid out of position, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday in a monthly report on its auto investigations. No crashes or injuries have been reported because of the problem, the agency said.An estimated 1 million of the best-selling pickups are on the road. But Ford spokeswoman Karen Shaughnessy said that only about 15 percent of those pickups have the mats.