"Nothing illustrates that more than the contradictory statements from the two companies involved. Toyota Motor Corp. is telling the government that it thinks a friction problem in its accelerator pedal mechanisms may make the pedal "harder to depress, slower to return, or, in the worst case, mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position."
"CTS Corp., the Indiana-based supplier that makes the devices for Toyota, said in a statement Wednesday that the friction problem accounts for fewer than a dozen cases of stuck accelerators, "and in no instance did the accelerator actually become stuck in a partially depressed condition."
"If there were a simple answer, a one-thing gone wrong glitch with a fix, it's unlikely Toyota would be in the mess it's now in."
"Most throttle systems on modern vehicles are electronic. Typically, the driver steps on the accelerator and gets resistance back from a spring. The movement activates components in the pedal assembly that send an electronic signal to the engine-control computer, and a signal from the computer feeds more fuel to the engine"
"But auto suppliers typically design parts based on the specifications of the individual automaker, and a part's installation and operation can vary based on the vehicle. The three other automakers said they had received no complaints about their accelerator pedals.
"A key problem appears to be the absence of a mechanism that overrides the accelerator if the gas and brake pedals are pressed at the same time, Kane said. In the recall last year involving floor mats, Toyota told the government it would retrofit some vehicles with that feature."
"Such a mechanism, called a "brake-to-idle algorithm," is an important fail-safe, Kane said. He said some other automakers already have them, and Rajkumar said more will install them in the future."
Interesting!!