NHTSA Complaint #10314182 — 2010 TOYOTA CAMRY

I AM REQUESTING THAT DOT NHTSA INVESTIGATE THE DRIVER'S CONTRIBUTION TO UNINTENDED ACCELERATION (UA) AND TOYOTA'S ACCELERATOR/BRAKE PEDAL DESIGNS THAT MAKE IT POSSIBLE. I WAS DRIVING A RENTED TOYOTA CAMRY IN A PARKING LOT. I APPLIED THE BRAKE AND INSTEAD OF SLOWING DOWN THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO GAIN SPEED. I PRESSED HARDER ON THE BRAKE AND IT ACCELERATED. THE HARDER I TRIED TO STOP THE CAR THE FASTER IT WENT. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE FOR A MOMENT AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED ACCELERATING. I BELIEVE THAT MY FOOT WAS ON BOTH THE BRAKE AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDALS. I MEASURED THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND THE ACCELERATOR AND FOUND THAT IT WAS ONLY 1.5 INCHES. MY VEHICLE A GM ACADIA IS 2.5 INCHES. THIS MADE ME THINK THAT THE TOPS OF THE TWO PEDALS ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. I MANAGED TO FIND 6 DIFFERENT TOYOTA MODELS INCLUDING THE PRIUS AND THEY AVERAGED 1.5 INCHES BETWEEN THE TOPS OF THE BRAKE AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDALS. I MEASURE COMPETITIVE VEHICLES AND FOUND THEY AVERAGED 2.2 INCHES. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE TOYOTA DESIGNS ' THEY ARE TOO CLOSE TOGETHER. I HAVE CONTINUED TO INVESTIGATE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AND HAVE COLLECTED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DATA THAT SUPPORTS THE FACT THAT THE DRIVER IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF UA AND THAT SOME VEHICLE DESIGNS MAKE IT POSSIBLE. I HAVE CONDUCTED DRIVING TESTS AND SIMULATED THE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE UA. THEY CLEARLY IDENTIFY THAT TOYOTA PEDAL DESIGNS CONTRIBUTE TO THE DRIVER BEING A CAUSE OF UA. GOOD VEHICLE PEDAL DESIGNS MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SIMULTANEOUSLY AND UNINTENTIONALLY DEPRESS BOTH PEDALS. FROM THE ODI INCIDENT REPORTS GM VEHICLES SEEM TO BE PARTICULARLY INSENSITIVE WHILE THE FORD 150 TRUCK SEEMS TO HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. THERE MUST BE SOMETHING IN THE PEDAL DESIGNS OR OPERATION THAT MAKES THIS POSSIBLE. I HAVE READ TWO OLDER DOT REPORTS CONCERNING UA AND THEY INDICATE THAT THE DRIVER IS A CAUSE OF UA. WHY IS THAT NOT STUDIED AND ACKNOWLEDGED NOW? PLEASE FORMALLY INVESTIGATE. *TR