Gas-pedal inspection shows most do not pivot

Preliminary federal investigation into a highly publicized unintended-acceleration crash involving a Lexus ES 350 crash this past August is pointing toward incorrect floor mats as a significant factor. The cause of the crash is described as “very excessive speed” linked to the accelerator being fully depressed. (Read "More than floor mats: NHTSA report gives more details on Lexus crash.")
 
Toyota issued a recall on 3.8 million cars to have owners remove the floor mats from the vehicles. But the other part of the equation in the investigation is the accelerator pedal itself. An initial investigation of the crashed car found the rubberized plastic all-weather floor mat was fused to the rubberized plastic accelerator pedal in the fire that followed the crash (pdf). That mat wasn’t intended for the ES; rather it was a mat from an RX 400h.
 
The report also noted that the Lexus’s accelerator “is not hinged and has no means for relieving forces caused by interferences.” All gas pedals move up and down to control the engine speed, and most are hinged either at the top or the bottom. Some pedals also tilt relative to the arm they’re mounted on (though this has no effect on the throttle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) seems to imply that if the pedal had a second hinge, it might have been easier for the driver to get it unstuck from the floor mat.
 
We checked our Auto Test Center parking lot to find how many cars had such a double-hinged pedal. Of 45 cars we checked, we found only the Kia Optima LX four-cylinder had a double-hinged pedal (show right)—our Optima EX V6 did not. In the LX sedan, the pedal was so high off the floor that it seems unlikely that an unsecured floor mat could reach it, as investigators suggest may have been the case in the Lexus crash. All other pedals checked in our lot were rigid, one-piece designs (see above), some hinged at the top, and some at the bottom.
 
We’re not sure whether the double-hinged design would help or not. But it seems an answer not many automakers are pursuing. For its part, Toyota says it is working on solutions that prevent the throttle from sticking, rather than those that would mitigate the effects of a stuck throttle.

 —Eric Evarts

Related:
More than floor mats: NHTSA report gives more details on Lexus crash
Putting a car in Neutral might save your life
Putting stuck floor mat survival strategies to the test
Floor mat survey reveals problem with all-weather mats
Toyota and Lexus floor mat recall is official
Toyota advises 3.8 million Lexus and Toyota owners to remove floor mats
Misaligned floor mat may have caused calamity

Comments

[Donald Jackson]

October 17, 2009, I experienced sudden unintended acceleration in my 2004 Toyota Camry Solara with only 41,000 miles while attempting to park at work. As I applied the brakes prior to reaching the cement parking stop I heard and felt a quick surge from the engine. My first thought was to hit the brake and try to get the transmission in park. No way! The car quickly jumped the cement parking stop like a bucking bull. The parking lot sits above our place of business. Directly in front of this space approx. 10", is a two foot cement wall with an downhill walkway to our sales office. To the right of me approx. 6-7 parking spaces was a jeep wagon. I steered right knocking down a small tree in the parkway. I saw a Jeep and corrected left grazing the front bumper and then came to a stop. My ruined car sat atop a downward stairwell. The Insurance Co. totaled my Toyota. I have pictures that were taken within 15 minutes of accident. I contacted Toyota and filed a complaint with NHTSA. Toyota said they would investigate and get back to me within 60 days. They have determined that it was not the result of any type of manufacturing defect. That possibly a floor mat (house floor mat) that was found in the auto could have interfered with the throttle or brake operation. Isn't it strange they do not list the 2004 Camry as a recall yet say it could have been a floor mat? I also noted something about the floor mat excuse. Prior to learning about all the problems with Toyota or learning about the San Diego accident ( I still considered it a safe automobile) I purchased a 2007 Toyota Camry Solora. The throttle pedal is way to high about 3" above the mat. In my opinion and it seems many that have much more expertise in this field the floor mat crisis is bogus. I did, however, take out the mats in question. I now cringe every time I hit a bump or hear a strange noise. As was tragically illustrated in the crash in San Diego that killed those people, this problem can have nightmarish consequences. The accident still resonates. I have lost a portion of my confidence and my sense of security.