““The other thing that went unreported is that in pretty much any car, even with the accelerator pedal floored, the brakes are able to overcome the torque of the engine and stop the car.”
Also most cars equipped with throttle-by-wire will automatically close the throttle when the brakes are applied.
The first is not true unless it is done instantly with no delay. And not true at all if you are going down hill. Car brakes are under-designed these days. They are not forgiving to brake fade at all.
The 2nd point you make was not true for Toyota. They did not have that feature until now.
“The 2nd point you make was not true for Toyota. They did not have that feature until now.”
I did say “most”. :) Also I was aware that this was not true of Toyotas until after the recall.
Given the huge disc brakes I see on most newer cars these days, I find it hard to believe that they are inadequate unless manufacturers are REALLY cheaping out on pads. On my own car I noticed a considerable improvement in fade resistance by changing to a harder pad (though this did hurt braking performance a bit when the brakes were cold).
The brakes will easily overpower the engine on any regular street car, provided the operator uses them properly if the throttle sticks. This has been shown numerous times in testing.
Here is my own informal testing, done around the time of the original incidents.
http://www.notesoft.com/DiscussionBoards/Debunkers/viewtopic.php?p=14518#p14518
You must have never driven a 1960's drum-brake equipped car.