Brake override ?

An anchor you throw out the window, and a quick release floor panel so you can use your feet.

An anchor you throw out the window, and a quick release floor panel so you can use your feet.

Got it. Like I did on my nailed together orange box go cart in the 40s.

Shoes are as expensive as brake pads now.

Thanks,,, SMILES

Johnny UK

LOL!!! That's a good one!

Well it's basically a software update that the dealer can download into the ECU so that when the accelerator and brake pedals are pressed at the same time, the brake pedal will cancel out the accelerator actuation. Expert said that if this was in place, more than 30 lives may have been spared.

My understanding is that Toyota has no plan yet to update vehicles already sold -- only for new production. Sounds like a terrible plan to me.

So maybe a 30 minute dealer fix toyota bean counters think isnt worth the cost, that its cheaper to pay a few claims then fix it. The families of the 30 dead and many injured deserve compensation and damages

The idea is tha if you press on the brake, the engine controller will slow down/shut down the engine regardless of whether you are pressing on just the brake or both the brake and accelerator pedal at the same time. This is easy to do if you have an electrically operated throttle.

For instance - say you accidentally misplace your foot and press on the brake and the throttle at the same time. The car might lurch forward or not slow properly - except, the PCM sees that you are pressing on the brake and automagically slows the engine down.

The downside is that you'll kill your 0-60 and 1/4 mile times if you have an automatic and you try to pre-oad the torque convertor by deliberately pressing both pedals, the vehicle won't work well in rallyes where you might use the brakes to modify the steering behavior, and probably something else will go terribly wrong...

Ed

I talked this over with my SO. She is a software engineer / tester. She said there is no way she would want them to reflash the PCM in her Toyota to implement this strategy unless it has been tested for a long time.....I think the idea is - fix a bug, create a bug......

The code to implement this feature is probably not something you want to turn loose on the real world without a lot of testing.

Ed

If you ask me, it should be called an accelerator override.

The main problem is that it doesn't appear to help with the main cause of unintended acceleration - stepping on the accelerator and holding it down because you're convinced it's the brake. You must be an old-school driver or a drag racing nut if you think both feet on the pedals is normal behavior. :-)

They already have an accelerator overide, put in neutral and pull the handbrake, the boat anchor and opening for your feet to brake are optional and being discussed.

I don't care much for that idea. The majority of people using the handbrake will forget to hold the release button in, lock up the rear end, and find their rear end coming about. Throwing a boat anchor out the window might be as effective. Flintstones type braking is a silly idea - I'm thinking parachutes, retro-rockets and Batmobile-style grappling hooks. :-)

Yeah, sounds like that's exactly what Toyota did before NHTSA forced them to issue recalls. Otherwise things would have gone on as usual. It would be interesting to hear what Biller has to say during the congressional testimony, especially Toyota knows what he's going to show and tried to block that:

"The only way we can ensure that the safety needs of American drivers are being met is to examine, in a bipartisan fashion, exactly who knew what and when, and if appropriate and immediate action was taken to mitigate any danger to the American public," the pair said in a statement.

Biller has accused Toyota of hiding "evidence of safety defects from consumers and regulators, and fostered a culture of hypocrisy and deceit," the committee said.

Biller has claimed that his accusations are verifiable, based on documents in his possession.

Toyota had filed an injunction preventing Biller from disclosing those documents; the committee said its subpoena supersedes the injunction and Biller plans to fully cooperate with the subpoena."

From The Detroit News: