'Floormat' recall - difference between 2004-2009 and 2010s?

It may well be how much clearance there is around the pedal--more height and less close to the center tunnel, perhaps. Gen 3 looks pretty clear in the area to me. I have a Lexus IS that is recalled and the accelerator nests pretty close to the tunnel, and is not far off the floor. I've had no problems, however. There are already fastening clips on both cars so unless you ignore them, seems to me mats will stay in place. I would not make it a factor.

 

Is this a possible explanation? From the LA Times:
The Times found that complaints of sudden acceleration in many Toyota and Lexus vehicles shot up almost immediately after the automaker adopted the so-called drive-by-wire system over the last decade. That system uses sensors, microprocessors and electric motors -- rather than a traditional link such as a steel cable -- to connect the driver's foot to the engine.

For some Toyota models, reports of unintended acceleration increased more than fivefold after drive-by-wire systems were adopted, according to the review of thousands of consumer complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Toyota first installed electronic throttles in 2002 model year Lexus ES and Camry sedans. Total complaints of sudden acceleration for the Lexus and Camry in the 2002-04 model years averaged 132 a year. That's up from an average of 26 annually for the 1999-2001 models, the Times review found.

The average number of sudden-acceleration complaints involving the Tacoma jumped more than 20 times, on average, in the three years after Toyota's introduction of drive-by-wire in these trucks in 2005. Increases were also found on the hybrid Prius, among other models.

Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons said the automaker could not explain the trend. But Toyota has consistently held that electronic control systems, including drive-by-wire, are not to blame.

 

First of all the floor mat recall is bogus. It addresses nothing. It was instituted only so that the NHTSA could say that it was doing something in regard to the media attention after the deaths of the CHP and his family.

Use your own eyes. Those are the best source of information. Go to a dealer and look at the floor mats of a Gen II and a Gen III. IF the mats are in place and secured properly there is no way on earth that the mats can come in contact with the gas pedal. That's the whole 'mat issue' in a nutshell. It's impossible so the entire recall on the 2004-2009 models is bogus. I have a 2005 and I can use my own eyes and my own brain and see clearly that there is no risk to me or anyone else. I have already torn up the recall notice that I recieved. If I could have sent it to the NHTSA with the word BOGUS across the envelope I would have done that.

Dont worry.

 

I have a 2006 with the factory floor mats. There is no possible way for my floor mat to catch the accelerator pedal short of me picking up the mat and setting it on the pedal. It's clearly cut away from the pedal, and it firmly attaches to the floor by clips.

Tom

 

If you're unhappy dump your vehicle and move on. Don't spam every thread you're in with the same false data and unsubstantiated accusations. Now after two days of seeing your posts all over the site you're officially the first one here that gets hit with the little-used 'ZAP - you're dead' button.

Pffft....vanished.

 

From the LA Times article:

"Toyota first installed electronic throttles in 2002 model year Lexus ES and Camry sedans. Total complaints of sudden acceleration for the Lexus and Camry in the 2002-04 model years averaged 132 a year. That's up from an average of 26 annually for the 1999-2001 models, the Times review found."

I have one question - How many Lexus and Camry cars were sold in this period? Half a mil (maybe more) in 3 years, and 396 had a problem. That's 0.0078% of the owners that reported this problem. OK, if it happens to you, not so good. But as i said in a prior post - EVERY life event has a probablility of occurance. Everything. I suspect i have a greater chance of drownig at the beach, than i do having a sudden acceleration problem in one of these Toyota cars. But when I go to San Diego to visit my folks, do I still swim/surf? Yes, I do. Do I still let my kids swim out over the brakers? Yes, i do. So, are we saying that we are paralyzed NOT to do anything, or to buy any product unless we know that the probablility that we won't get hurt is about the same as being his by an asteroid?

Com'on folks, use some common sense here.

 

Regarding "drive-by-wire", just wanted to note that my Volkswagen 2001 Golf is a "drive-by-wire" and I believe this designed was started quite awhile ago. The average driver was simply not aware of this as it wasn't an "advertised" feature, but the service/repair manual made it clear that it had a fail-safe mechanism (dual sensors and fail-safe mode) - and that this design is rampant on almost all the Volkswagen mid-size/compact cars (Jetta/Golf/Passat all based on the same Motronic electronic engine control system).

I think a lot of this attention to "drive-by-wire' is misleading the public. If they only knew how many other vehicles (probably most modern vehicles which now use electronic engine controls) use the very same technology.

The only question for me is: does the accelerator pedal on the Prius also employ a fail-safe design, such as dual-sensors or throttle-limited operation if it fails basic internal testing?

 

Good question. I believe from some testing by people herein that the 2010's do have the brake override functionality but the prior models don't. Brake override meaning that if the brakes are hit then all inputs from the throttle are cancelled.

 

From Dimmick on the Tech side -

When you press the brake pedal, hydraulic fluid is moved in a piston just as in a regular car. However, in normal use, that piston doesn't then move fluid in the brake cylinders. Instead the pressure change is monitored by a pressure sensor connected to the Skid Control ECU. (The fluid enters a device called the Stroke Simulator, which provides the same sort of feel you expect from the brake cylinders.)

From there, the Skid Control ECU works out how much braking force you want, and asks the Hybrid Vehicle ECU to provide up to that amount through regeneration. The HV ECU replies saying how much it can provide. The Skid Control ECU then makes up the difference, if any, by controlling valves from a high-pressure reserve (the Brake Accumulator) to the brake cylinders, which increase the pressure in the brake cylinders, and other valves from the cylinders to the fluid reserve tank, which reduce the pressure.

The rear wheels are always braked with friction brakes as regeneration only operates on the front wheels (the motors are only connected to the front wheels).

If the wheels lose traction, the Skid Control ECU asks the HV ECU to stop providing regeneration and it modulates the pressure on the wheel cylinders to try to keep the wheels just on the verge of locking up. This is ABS.

There is a variable resistor - like a classic volume control on an amplifier - which monitors how fast you press the brake pedal. If you press the brake pedal quickly, it skips asking for regeneration (the HV ECU can't react quickly) and just applies the brakes. It also applies more force than you asked for - this is called Brake Assist - as it's known that drivers frequently don't brake hard enough in emergencies.

If there's a problem with regeneration, the HV ECU will report no braking effort and the Skid Control ECU does it all with the friction brakes. If the Skid Control ECU doesn't see a response from the HV ECU it assumes no regen is available and does all braking with friction brakes.

If there's a problem with the electronically-controlled braking system, the Gen 2 opened and closed valves to isolate the Stroke Simulator and send the fluid moved by the driver's foot directly to the front brakes only, with no power assistance. There are actually two pistons in the Master Cylinder, both of which are pressed by the rod that the brake pedal connects to, which gives two independent brake lines. One connects to the front left wheel and the other to the front right.

Gen 3 (2010 Prius) improves on this by using the accumulator as a booster and sending fluid from one Master Cylinder piston to the front wheels, the other to the rear. I believe it can keep electronic control of one pair and use driver's effort for the other.

Hopefully this fail-safe mode is never needed, but some people here have experienced it.